Ayurvedic Detox: Cleansing Your Body Naturally

We’ve all been there: after long weekends and partying, you start to feel bloated and lethargic. From binging on indulgent treats for a long time to spending hours with friends with little sleep, all of this can leave you feeling off.

Although frustrating, these signs may indicate that your body needs a detox, which you can do with Krishna’s Ayurvedic Detox Juice.

Normally, your body removes most of the toxins on its own through sweat, urine, and faeces,  but only when the kidneys, liver, digestive system, skin, and lungs are healthy.

To support your body’s natural detoxification process, Ayurveda recommends several healthy non-chemical, holistic, and gentle detox methods that help restore balance to feel lighter, brighter, and clearer again.

What is Ayurvedic Detox?

Ayurveda is one of the oldest and most traditional systems of medicine in the world that has been practised in India for over 3,000 years. Detoxification or removal of toxins, known as “ama,” is a critical component in Ayurvedic practices. It is believed that due to poor diet, stress, and environmental factors, ama gets built up in your body and causes an imbalance of waste products — mutra (urine), purisha (faeces), and sweda (sweat). This then leads to health issues like diarrhoea, constipation, asthma, arthritis, skin issues, and urinary tract infections.

Ayurvedic detox is a natural way to cleanse and rejuvenate your body from all the accumulated toxins as well as support the healthy function of your liver, kidney, skin, and digestive system.

Ayurvedic Detox: Process of Cleansing Your Body Naturally

In Ayurveda, the world is divided into five elements – Teja (fire), Prithvi (earth), Jala (water), Aakash (space), and Vayu (air). Different combinations of each element form the three humors, known as doshas (vata, kapha, and pitta). These doshas are of paramount importance for various physiological functions in your body. The balance of the doshas is responsible for good overall health.

On the other hand, their imbalance can influence your mental and physical characteristics and lead to diseases.

So, the ultimate goal of Ayurveda is to bring a balance between all the elements and doshas for a healthy life. To achieve this, detoxification is very important.

Effective Ayurvedic detoxification ways are as follows:

Yoga, Meditation and Mindfulness

Practices of yoga asanas like pranayama, bhujangasana, pavanmuktasana, etc are highly recommended by Ayurveda. These are gentle exercises that support detoxification by purifying the respiratory system, improving digestion, decreasing anxiety, lowering stress levels and increasing self-awareness.

For better mind and health, practice Yoga and meditation for at least 30 minutes every early morning.

You’re also encouraged to practice mindfulness so that you are fully aware of every movement while you eat, exercise, and perform other daily tasks.

Dietary changes

In general, you are supposed to avoid foods that produce ama. These include leftovers and non-fresh foods such as packaged, canned, or frozen foods, alcohol, caffeine, artificial sweeteners, red meat, etc.

Opt for a diet that includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, and spices, as these can support detoxification.

Fruits:

• Cooked prunes
• Figs
• Apples
• Pears
• Pineapple
• Papaya

Vegetables:

• Cooked leafy greens
• Brussels sprouts
• Cabbage

Grains:

• Quinoa
• Barley
• Amaranth
• Rice
• Kanji (rice water)

Spices:

• Ginger
• Turmeric
• Coriander
• Fennel
• Fenugreek

These spices help open up your body’s channels and aid in the removal of toxins from the skin, urinary tract, colon, and liver.

Consider particular foods that align with your body type. Don’t know what your body type is? Consult an Ayurvedic doctor.

Make sure to keep your body hydrated enough to help your kidneys flush out the accumulated toxins in urine. Your primary beverage during a detox should be water, but you can also include drinks like detox tea made from ginger and turmeric, jeera water, etc. For an added boost, choose Papaya Leaf Juice.

Fasting

This is not something new… Fasting has been practised by our ancestors for a long time because of its health benefits, including weight loss, enhancing metabolism, and treating problems related to the heart, blood pressure, and cholesterol.

Ayurvedic practitioners also recommend fasting for 12-14 hours a day to detox your body. This helps your organs get a break from the constant process of digestion allowing them to focus on the repair and maintenance of body cells.

Ayurveda mentions that fasting is safe for almost every one and does not cause harmful side effects, provided it is practised correctly. However, extreme and prolonged fasting methods, such as multiple-day fasts or water fasts, can be dangerous.

Lifestyle changes

You need to make some basic lifestyle changes if you want to boost your organs’ performance in detoxification. You should get enough rest—at least 8 hours of sleep each day. Try to manage your stress with activities like meditation, listening to soothing music, or simply sitting in a relaxing environment. Most importantly, don’t overexert your body by indulging in harsh exercises.

Massage

This is one of the most important detox methods in Ayurveda. Massaging with warm oil every day can loosen impurities from your body’s channels (shrotas) and tissues, allowing toxins to move towards your digestive system, where they are easily removed through your bowels. In Ayurvedic terms, using warm oil infused with herbs is called Abhyanga. This is believed to drain your lymphatic system, prevent premature ageing, and improve the quality of your hair and skin.

Detox Treatments in Ayurveda

The dietary and lifestyle changes we discussed above are enough to boost your body’s detox process, but you can also choose Ayurvedic detox treatments to achieve a balanced dosha and for added benefits. The treatment is usually done in three phases, supervised by Ayurvedic experts.

Purvakarma

This is the preliminary phase which is done to prepare your body for detoxification. It usually involves oil massage and steam therapy to loosen the toxins and send them to your bowels and the surface of your skin to be excreted as sweat. 

Panchakarma

This is a more intensive therapy that consists of five karmas (treatments)–Virechana, Vamana, Basti, Rakta Moksha and Nasya.

Learn more about Pancharma therapy

Ayurvedic Herbs For Detoxification

By following the recommended Ayurvedic detox diet and lifestyle, you’ve prepped your system. Now, it’s time to include some Ayurvedic herbs and supplements in your daily routine to achieve the best results.

Triphala

It is the most effective Ayurvedic detox herb that is helpful for gut cleansing and eliminating free radicals. Take 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of Triphala Churna twice a day in the morning and evening before going to bed each night, or 2 tablespoons of Triphala Juice.

Neem

Neem is another effective detox herb known for its antioxidant and antibacterial properties which help fight infection and kill bacteria. It also purifies your blood.

Take 2 tablespoons of Neem Juice empty stomach in the morning and 30 minutes post your dinner.

Amla

Another natural detox. Drinking Amla Juice on an empty stomach in the morning flushes out all the toxins from your body and also provides you with essential vitamin C, which is important for immunity.

Remember, all the mentioned Ayurvedic herbs for detox should not be consumed together. Include one herb at a time and see which one works best for you. Also, keep in mind that there’s no quick fix for detox. Each person’s body detoxification happens at its own pace, so be patient and give your body the time it needs.