Springtime Cleanse

A 3-step program to help you optimally manage the upcoming seasonal changes:

In the spring, both our body and psyche must be ready to take on a new season, which could potentially throw us off balance. This is the perfect time to focus on getting healthy again.To optimally prepare for the upcoming season, a 3-step “Springtime Cleanse” program is a great choice. This will help you maintain high levels of energy, boost your immune system, cleanse your body of toxins accumulated during the winter and prepare for the summer heat.

Before beginning your spring cleanse, make sure that you follow the certain lifestyle and dietary rules, change your eating habits, drink more liquids and exercise. These steps are vital due to the excessively rich diet and more sedentary lifestyle inherent to the winter months.

Step # 1: Detoxify your body:

A detoxifying body “cleanse” helps metabolize, excrete and eliminate substances stored by the body. It promotes digestion, regulates cholesterol levels and slims down the figure. The liver and kidneys play key roles in this initial phase.

The following plants are essential for promoting drainage (liver and kidney) and stimulating digestion:

• Black radish (root) Raphanus sativus L. var. nigra:
  • detoxifies the liver
    • stimulates the formation of bile and promotes its excretion
    • activates detoxifying hepatic enzymes
• lowers cholesterol levels
• diuretic
• anti-infectious
• antioxidant
• Sweet fennel (seed) Foeniculum vulgare var. dulce:
  • Increases gastric motility and aids digestion
  • stimulates gastric juices
  • relieves abdominal spasms

Step # 2: Strengthen your body, fight against stress and fatigue

You may experience a feeling of fatigue, due to the fact that the days are getting longer. Spring is also the time of year when there is an onset of colds, sore throats, and other infections…  It is, therefore, essential to stimulate the body and mind, prevent seasonal infections and fight against fatigue. Adaptogenic plants play a vital role in this step. Stress-relieving and energizing taurine and magnesium are excellent performance boosters.

• Eleutherococcus (Eleutherococcus senticosus /roots)
  • helps adapt to physically and psychologically stressful changes
  • fights against fatigue
  • stimulates the immune system
  • decreases risk of infection
• Maca (Lepidium meyenii or peruvianum/tubers)
  • antioxidant
  • improves neuroprotective activity
  • stimulates the memory
  • anti-infectious
  • enhances sexual performance

Step # 3: Offset winter deficiencies and prepare for the summer

A sedentary winter, a sunny spring and rising temperatures… It doesn’t take much more than this to feel the onset of problems linked to poor blood circulation. These problems also become magnified due to varicose veins and summertime heat. Venous stasis occurs, causing capillaries to dilate, leaking water into body tissue and leading to water retention. If the elimination process is insufficient, swelling and pain will appear.

Two plants to stimulate the body:

Before the end of spring, it is best to take action in order to prevent these problems from occurring:

• fill up on antioxidants
• eliminate excess water
• strengthen venous tissue

Recommended circulation stimulating plants:

• Blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum / berries)
  • vascular protection
  • antioxidant action
  • diminishes swelling and pain
• Red vine (Vitis vinifera / leaves)
  • protects blood vessels
  • increases capillary resistance
  • inhibits the degradation of venous tissue
  • diminishes swelling and pain
  • antioxidant action

These plants are recommended to be consumed as herbal tea for more intense diuretic action. For maximum effectiveness, a specific amount of infusion time is required to release the active ingredients. Prepare your herbal tea as described below:

• Place the tea bag in a cup or 150 ml tea pot (approximately the size of a mug)
• Pour simmering water (before reaching boiling point) over the tea bag
• Cover
• Let steep for 10 to 15 minutes
• Remove the tea bag and enjoy your herbal tea*

*to reheat the herbal tea, add a small amount of hot water if needed.