Whenever I am about to work on a part of my body, whether to do a cleanse or just make an organ stronger and healthier, I always find it helpful to think about what that organ does. It motivates me to try harder and put my heart into doing my cleanse or fast.
Every single hour, the kidneys filter every drop of blood in our body. In one day, the kidneys process roughly about 200 quarts of blood, sifting an average of about 2 quarts of extra water and waste material which becomes urine. In addition to that, the kidneys release hormones that regulate blood pressure, help maintain calcium for bones and stimulate the bone marrow to make red blood cells.
Yet often times, we don't think about the raw materials we give our kidneys to perform these incredible feats on a daily basis. Drinks loaded with chemicals and sugar are a poor substitute for pure water or fresh vegetable juice.
I like to think of doing a kidney cleanse as sort of an 'oil change' for my body. I tend to hang onto my cars for many years, and yet I have already owned several over the course of my life. Imagine going 100,000 miles without ever changing the oil in your car! We get only one body, yet we often don't even think about doing a flush or a cleanse for an organ designed to last a lifetime.
With all of this in mind, I would briefly like to explain how I do a kidney flush/juice fast.
What You Will Need
In order to do this cleanse, you will need to order a few things ahead of time.
Herbal Items
- Kidney/bladder tea
- Kidney/bladder tincture
- Blood/lymph cleanse tincture
- Superfood (this is an optional green drink powder with wheat grass, chlorella, algae, etc. I prefer to use it to make my cleanse more effective)
- Intestinal #1, if you need help keeping your bowels moving during the cleanse.
I order these things from Rick Overly, master herbalist. Rick's number is 404-729-1579. He's very knowledgeable on all of the items, so feel free to ask him any questions as well.
Grocery Items
- 5 lemons and 3 limes for the kidney flush drink
- cayenne pepper
- Distilled water
- Produce to juice (this is up to you)
- (optional) Potassium broth produce if you choose to make it (ingredients below)
How long does the cleanse last?
Typically, a kidney cleanse lasts 5 days, and there are two suggestions for how you can do the cleanse. First, you could eat fresh raw fruits and vegetables on days 1 and 5, with a juice fast inbetween (days 2, 3 and 4). Secondly, you could do a 5 day juice fast, consuming only liquids for the entire duration of the cleanse.
The morning kidney flush drink
As soon as I awaken, I typically begin to soak the herbs used for tea in distilled water in a glass bowl covered with a lid or glass plate.
The kidney flush drink is the first thing you would consume. I use a citrus juicer to juice the lemon and lime, but you can use your regular juicer if you don't have one.
Kidney Flush Drink
- Juice of one lemon
- Juice of 1/2 a lime
- Cayenne pepper to taste
- 16 oz distilled water
Potassium broth
If I choose to use potassium broth, I begin to make it right after I have my kidney flush drink.
- Thick potato peelings
- Thick carrot peelings
- Celery and onion
- Garlic
- Spinach and other greens
- Himalayan salt or bragg liquid amino for flavor
- Jalapenos or cayenne pepper to taste
Kidney/Bladder Tea
Once I have my potassium broth simmering, the next thing I do is have my tea. If you follow the directions on the bag, you should have about two cups of tea at a time, three times per day. From the time I have my tea, I begin going down my typed list of tinctures, water and juice. I space these out to where I am taking something on the list about every 15-20 minutes. I keep everything I need out on the counter and set the timer to remind me when it's time for the next tea or tincture. It may seem a little overwhelming at first, but by the end of the first day you should have it down quite well. By day 5, you will be a kidney cleansing pro!
How Much Juice Do I Drink While On the Kidney Cleanse?
The big question everyone asks is how much juice to drink in the course of one day. This is a very difficult question to answer, because everyone is different. During a typical juice fast, I try and drink about 80oz of juice (2.5 quarts). I make my juices first thing in the morning for the entire day, having the first juice right out of the juicer.
Finishing each day...
I try to have everything on the list completed by about 6 pm each day. The problem with finishing everything too late is that you may be running to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Getting proper rest is also important for best results during a cleanse.
I also try and get some fresh air and light exercise or a walk during my cleanse. Exercise can be a very tricky thing to decide upon while doing a fast. Some days you may feel fantastic and want to climb a mountain. Other days, your body is trying to heal and rid itself of old mucous and toxins. The important thing is to know your body and listen to what it is telling you.