Ayurvedic detoxification: methods & home remedies for Ayurvedic detox

Ayurveda detoxification, purification, detox cure - whatever you call it, everyone benefits from an occasional cleansing of the liver and kidneys. In our article, you can find out how you can carry out a small detox at home and which home remedies can help.

Is an Ayurveda detox cure healthy?

When it comes to detoxification, skeptics are quick to ask what the benefits are. "Slags" is not a conventional medical term, which is why criticism is justified at this point. Anyone who has already gone through a detox phase knows that detoxification can certainly do no harm.

The aim of detoxification is to remove biochemical waste products that have accumulated in the body - sometimes over years. These colloquial waste products are called Ayurveda Ama, which literally means "undigested".

In other words: If the digestive fire Agni has too much to do because we eat the wrong food, waste products accumulate in the body. These can damage the body in the long term - which is why they should be removed.

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Aims of Ayurveda Detox

Spring is a particularly good time of year for Ayurvedic detoxification - simply free yourself from the heaviness of winter with a detox cure after the holidays!

Detox is more important than ever! In an Ayurvedic detox treatment, we can also counteract toxins that enter our body from outside. These can be hormones, medication or even pollution in the air and drinking water.

The goals of an Ayurvedic detoxification cure are as follows:

• Eliminate toxins from the body and regain balance
• Weight loss through gentle fasting
• Reduce stress: Free your mind and soul from emotional baggage
• Strengthen your immune system

Theoretically, a healthy body can cope with this stress to some extent, but regular detoxification is highly recommended as a preventative measure and for long-term well-being. Waiting until it's too late is always the wrong approach when it comes to health.

Ultimately, a detox cure will give you significantly more energy, simply because your Agni will be reenergized.

As a side effect, many people can also lose weight. However, this should not be the main goal when detoxing.

After all, you don't want to chase after some beauty ideal, you want to do something good for your body of your own accord.

The role of the liver in Ayurvedic detox

The liver is known as the detoxification organ. The cytochrome P450-dependent enzymes in particular are involved in the detoxification process. The values of the liver enzymes can be determined as part of a blood test.

The doctor can then recognize, for example, if alcohol poisoning, liver inflammation or other illnesses are present.

A detox cure can support the liver in ridding the body of toxins. However, it is important that the cure is tailored to you and your needs.

Ayurvedic detoxification methods: Eliminate toxins in 2 days

There are many methods for detoxification and just as many detox plans. Whether you want to detox at home or take a detox cure at Sonnhof under professional guidance is of course entirely up to you.

The most important thing for the success of your detox days is to detoxify your liver and intestines by stimulating the digestive fire. Regular exercise is also part of effective detoxification, as this boosts the metabolism.

You may have less energy during the detox phase, so you shouldn't overdo it with exercise. A bit of walking, swimming or a relaxing yoga session is absolutely sufficient.

Detoxing works all the better the less stress you have. You may even be able to take a few days off for the detox - but of course not everyone has this option.

So the more you have on your schedule in the near future, the more important relaxing yoga exercises and a shorter detox period are. This will also ensure a relaxed mental detox.

A detox plan is usually helpful for detoxification. This is because it sometimes takes a bit of discipline to stick to the entire detoxification phase, and a fixed daily routine helps. Whether you set this plan for 2, 3, 5, 10 or 14 days is entirely up to you.

However, if you would like to purify and cleanse your body under professional guidance, we would like to recommend the queen of Ayurvedic cures: The Panchakarma cure.

Procedure of a professional Ayurveda detox cure

If you opt for a professional detox treatment, you will be accompanied by Ayurveda experts every step of the way. The course of treatment is as follows:

1. Consultation with pulse diagnosis and planning of the individually tailored cure
2. Preparation phase: strengthening the body
3. Cleansing phase: fasting and elimination of toxins from the body
4. Build-up phase: slow build-up of the normal metabolism

Your Dosha type is first determined in a consultation. You will also work together to tailor the detox treatment to your needs and wishes.

In the subsequent preparation phase, your body is prepared for the purification process with strengthening elixirs and a special Ayurvedic diet. This is followed by the cleansing phase, in which fasting with light rice soup, kitchari and plenty of hot water relieves the body and removes toxins.

Individual Ayurveda treatments also remove toxins from your body. These treatments include, for example, specially tailored Ayurvedic massages, forehead oil infusions, yoga and meditation. At the end, you will feel physically and mentally invigorated and full of lightness!

Finally, before you start your everyday life again, you slowly build up your metabolism again on the build-up days. A gentle diet, gentle exercise and a slow adjustment to everyday life are all part of this phase.

Ayurveda detox at home: home remedies that are suitable

It is not only in the country of origin of Ayurveda, but also here in Germany, that people are increasingly being advised to detoxify their bodies. Diet plays a decisive role in this. But which foods in the Ayurvedic diet are also a sensible method for detoxing at home?

These home remedies can actually help detoxify your body:

Purification cure at home: recipes and tips

You can carry out your detox treatment under supervision, but it is also possible to simply take a few detox days at home. A tea detox, tasty detox recipes or detox foot baths can already make a big difference.

Detoxify with detox tea

Herbal teas are an ideal way to stimulate the digestive organs. Bitter substances, such as those contained in nettle, dandelion or burdock root tea, are particularly helpful.

You can also detoxify wonderfully with lime blossom tea, and the tried and tested ginger water or ginger tea is a classic in Ayurveda that simply always works!

To prepare hot water with ginger, you will need:

• 1 liter of water
• 2 slices (approx. 0.5 cm wide) of ginger, if necessary

First wash the ginger well (you don't need to peel it) and put it in a sufficiently large pan with the water. Boil the water for at least 15 minutes. Finally, pour the finished ginger water into a thermos flask and drink it throughout the day.

However, detoxing with tea should not be about drinking just any tea. You should avoid black and green tea, for example, as these varieties contain caffeine. Chamomile tea should also stay in the cupboard during your detox days, as it slows down your digestion.

It is always important to drink plenty of fluids during any detoxification treatment. You should drink at least 3 liters a day, preferably warm water or herbal teas.

Your metabolism will also get a kick start if you drink a glass of warm water with 1 teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice and honey in small sips as soon as you get up. Then nothing stands in the way of an energy-rich start.

Detox recipes for the detox cure: vegetable soup and kitchari

Sticking to a detox plan is a good idea because it gives you a good orientation. On the other hand, it doesn't necessarily make sense to draw up a strict detox plan with very specific recipes. 

Detox is also always something individual: there is no universal method because the toxins accumulate in each person for different reasons and everyone has a different dosha.

We would therefore like to give you a basic recipe for a delicious soup that you can try out at any time and that also tastes very good in a modified form.

You need:

• 250 g carrots
• 1 zucchini
• 1 leek stalk
• 1 tbsp olive oil or ghee
• 1 liter vegetable stock

Sauté the vegetables briefly and then let them simmer in the stock for about ten minutes. You will then have an invigorating soup that supports the detoxification process.

Kitchari is also a popular and delicious Ayurveda detox recipe for the office. You will need:

• 5 cups of water
• 1 cup basmati rice
• ½ cup mung beans
• 2 tsp ghee
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin

First rinse the rice and mung beans well and put them in a pan. Fry them lightly and then add the ghee and spices. After roasting briefly, fill the pan with water and leave the kitchari to simmer for around 30 minutes until the rice is cooked through.

At the end, add the lemon juice and season the dish with salt. You can also add a few vegetables if required.

Tips for your detox diet

Be careful not to overtax Agni in the first few days of the detox cure. In concrete terms, this means: only eat a maximum of a quarter of the usual amount on the first detox day and only then slowly increase your intake over the following days.

If you get too hungry between meals, you can try rice water or freshly squeezed fruit and vegetable juices.

Diet is one of the main reasons why toxins and waste products accumulate in the body in the first place. This happens when we eat a diet that is too rich, sugary, one-sided and fatty.

If toxins in the form of alcohol and nicotine are regularly added to this, the digestive organs are completely overwhelmed.

So try to avoid alcohol, nicotine, sugar, meat, white flour products and caffeine, especially when detoxing. Instead, eat plenty of fruit and vegetables such as kale, apples, beet and spices such as coriander or cinnamon. Overall, foods should be as alkaline as possible to counteract hyperacidity.

Detoxify the body with a foot bath

The skin is the largest organ in our body. Conveniently, we can also excrete ama through it, namely through the soles of our feet. These are often even referred to as the "second kidneys". Daily foot baths with the following ingredients or properties help to successfully eliminate toxins from the body:

• 1 tbsp alkaline bath salts
• Water with a temperature of 37-40 °C
• 30-60 minutes bathing time

Don't be surprised: the initially clear footbath water will end up dark in color. This is because the electrically charged ions in the water oxidize. Some even suspect that the dark color is caused by the toxins.

You can of course also extend the foot bath to a full bath. You should only refrain from using this bathing method if you are pregnant or have open wounds or skin conditions such as neurodermatitis.

As you can see, there are many simple methods to successfully detoxify your body. Lots of hot water and herbal teas, alkaline foods, exercise and relaxation: if you give your body a regular detox, it will soon thank you!