It's Master Cleanse Season

If you have never detoxed the body it is impossible to describe the feeling of wellness and purification that a cleanse can bring.  It is like trying to tell a couch potato what running across the finish line feels like to an athlete.  You only have to do it once to understand.


When the body is cleansed you gain a new frame of reference.  That reference point will tell you when have strayed from clean living for too long.  It will let you feel what foods give you power and what  diminishes your strength.


Cleansing and fasting are ancient rituals.  Every culture has had a system of healing based on purifying the body.  None of these ancient systems involved products that were bottled, packaged, manufactured or available on-line.  Cleansing is easy, natural, affordable and available to anyone.

A very popular cleanse is called the Master Cleanse.  It is simple and effective although there are many other options that can be found online or through holistic medical professionals.  

The Master Cleanse is old in terms of modern protocol, but it is not an ancient protocol.  Developed by Stanley Burroughs, it has been around since the 1940s.  His beliefs are criticized by many and supported by the rest.  Your own judgement is what counts.  


I can only say that my personal experience has been positive.  The recommended number of days for the cleanse is 10 days at a minimum and 40 at a maximum.  I once managed it for 3 weeks and it was wonderful.  Other times, I didn’t make the full 10 day minimum.  You may want to check in with your medical support system before and during your experience.


You can’t force your readiness for cleansing.  It is a personal decision and not something you can demand of yourself.  When you are ready and accepting of the plan, both physically and spiritually, it's easy.  You don’t get hungry and you don’t feel deprived.  When you get into the flow of it and understand your goal, it is truly a mind and body connector.


There are periods during the cleanse, as with all detoxifying processes, that you won’t feel well.  This is natural.   You are throwing toxins out of the body and they don’t go without putting up a fuss.  Weak cells will be encouraged to die off, allowing new healthy cells to take their place.  When this happens the gasses from dying cells and traveling toxins contribute to feeling unwell with flu-like symptoms.  


Feeling a bit ill, not deathly ill, tells you that you are on the right path.   This is not the time to back off.   Once this period passes, the rest should be a great ride.  You should start to feel light and then energetic very soon.  

Even though you feel energetic, this is probably not the time for intense exercise.  Lighten up and take it a bit easy while detoxing.  Your body is going through a lot of changes and the goal is to offer it a peaceful time to rejuvenate and heal.


Although I do not consider the Master Cleanse a diet, some do.  That is a personal choice.  The original document, addresses weight loss, or the ability to maintain weight, by adjusting the maple syrup content of the drink.  


The protocol suggests reading the entire document before you begin.  If you are unsure of the nutritional content and design of the program you might want to consult a medical professional.  Access the recipe and cleanse details in the document below which is an excerpt of Stanley Burroughs' original document.  To access the full document see:  http://stanley-burroughs.com/master_cleanse.pdf

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THE MASTER CLEANSE OR LEMONADE DIET
By Stanley Burroughs

PURPOSE:

To dissolve and eliminate toxins and congestion that have formed in any part of the body.
To cleanse the kidneys and the digestive system.
To purify the glands and cells throughout the entire body.
To eliminate all unusable waste and hardened material in the joints and muscles.
To relieve pressure and irritation in the nerves, arteries, and blood vessels. To build a healthy blood stream.
To keep youth and elasticity regardless of our years.

WHEN TO USE IT?

When sickness has developed— for all acute and chronic conditions.
When the digestive system needs a rest and a cleansing.
When overweight has become a problem.
When better assimilation and building of body tissue is needed.

AND HOW OFTEN?

Follow the diet for a minimum of 10 days or more— up to 40 days and beyond may be safely followed for extremely serious cases. The diet has all the nutrition needed during this time. Three to four times a year will do wonders for keeping the body in a normal healthy condition. The diet may be undertaken more frequently for serious conditions. 

HOW TO MAKE IT?

2 Tablespoons lemon or limejuice (approx. 1⁄2 lemon)
2 Tablespoons genuine maple syrup (Not maple flavored sugar syrup)
1/10 Teaspoon cayenne pepper (red pepper) or to taste
8 oz water, room temperature

Combine the juice, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper in a 10 oz glass jar w/lid and fill with the water. Shake it up and drink. (Cold water may be used if preferred.)

Use fresh (organic) lemons or limes only, never canned lemon or limejuice nor frozen lemonade or frozen juice. The maple syrup is a balanced form of positive and negative sugar and must be used, not some “substitute.” There are three grades of maple syrup. Grade A is the first run— mild in taste, sweet and with fewer minerals than the other grades. It is more expensive and less desirable, but it may be used. Grade B is the second run with more minerals plus more maple taste. It is more suitable for the diet and is less expensive. Grade C is the third run with even more minerals and still stronger taste of maple and slightly less pleasant for most people, although acceptable in the diet. It is lower in price. As Grade C is less expensive it can be used as an excellent sweetening agent in preparing foods. The strong maple flavor blends very well. 

HOW MUCH DOES ONE DRINK?

Take from six to twelve glasses of the lemonade daily during the waking period. IF you get hungry just have another glass of lemonade. NO OTHER FOOD SHOULD BE TAKEN DURING THE FULL PERIOD OF THE DIET. As this is a complete balance of minerals and vitamins, one does not suffer the pangs of hunger. Do not use vitamin pills. All solid food is turned into a liquid state before the blood can carry it to the cells. The lemonade is already a food in liquid form.

For those who are overweight, less maple syrup may be taken. For those underweight, more maple syrup may be taken. For those who are underweight and worried about losing more weight, REMEMBER, the only things you can possible lose are mucus; waste, and disease. Healthy tissue will not be eliminated. Many people who need to gain weight actually do so near the end of the diet period. Never vary the amount of lemon juice per glass. About six glasses of lemonade a day is enough for those wishing to reduce. Extra water may be taken as desired.

HELPING THE CLEANSING ALONG

As this is a cleansing diet, the more you can assist Nature to eliminate poisons, the better. IF YOUR SYSTEM FEELS UPSET, IT IS BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT HAVING SUFFICIENT ELIMINATION. Avoid this possibility by following the directions completely. Above all, be sure you have two, three, or more movements a day. This may seem unnecessary not eating solid food, but it is Nature’s way of eliminating the waste it has loosened from the various cells and organs in the body. 

They must leave the body some way. It would be just the same as sweeping the floor around and around and never removing the dirt from the house if the wastes were not passed out. The better the elimination, the more rapid will be the results.

A LAXATIVE HERB TEA is found to be the best helper for most persons. It is a good practice to take a good laxative herb tea right from the beginning— the last thing at night and first thing in the morning. There are several good laxative teas. They are best taken in a liquid form. Buy them in your health food store.

ANOTHER CLEANSING AID: INTERNAL SALT WATER BATHING As it is necessary to bathe the outside of our bodies, so it is with the inside. Do not take enemas or colonics at any time during the cleansing diet or afterwards. They are unnecessary and can be extremely harmful. There is a much superior method of cleansing the colonic tract without the harmful effects of customary colonics and enemas. This method will cleanse the entire digestive tract while the colonics and enemas will only reach the colon or a small part of it. Colonics can be expensive while our salt-water method is not.

​DIRECTIONS: Prepare a full quart of lukewarm water and add two level (rounded for the Canadian quart) teaspoons of sea salt. Do not use ordinary iodized salt, as it will not work properly. Drink the entire quart of salt and water first thing in the morning. This must be taken on an empty stomach. The salt and water will not separate but will stay intact and quickly and thoroughly wash the entire tract in about one hour. Several eliminations will likely occur. The salt water has the same specific gravity as the blood, hence the kidneys cannot pick up the water and the blood cannot pick up the salt. This may be taken as often as needed for proper washing of the entire digestive system. If the salt water does not work the first time, try adding a little more or a little less salt until the proper balance is found; or possible take extra water with or without salt. This often increases the activity. Remember, it can do no harm at any time. The colon needs a good washing, but do it the natural way— the salt water way. It is quite advisable to take the herb laxative tea at night to loosen, then the salt water each morning to wash it out. If for some reason the salt water cannot be taken in the morning, then the herb laxative tea must be taken night and morning. 

​Use the link above for the complete document on the Master Cleanse.