This time of year, many people seek “detoxes” aiming to shed some pounds, improve skin, increase energy, or just do some general maintenance for the body!

Fasts, restricted diets, and juice cleanses are just a few of the trends touted for detoxing, but the tools you need for a good spring cleaning are already at hand: the most sustainable and effective way to detox is to support the body’s natural systems of elimination!

Detox isn’t something that occurs over a week or a month – your body is hard at work detoxing 365 days a year! Supporting the body’s innate detoxification pathways is the most effective and sustainable way to “cleanse” for the long term.

Your Amazing Liver

Your liver is the top “detoxer” in the body. This vital organ filters the blood and helps to break down fat-soluble toxins so your body can eliminate them, but it can become overwhelmed by too many processed foods, medications, and environmental pollutants. This is where herbs can help!

Milk thistle has been a favourite herb of Western herbalists and physicians for centuries in treating liver conditions. Its main active compound, silymarin, has been found to increase the rate of synthesis in liver cells and encourages repair after injury. Milk thistle can help maintain healthy liver function and restore it from the impacts of poor dietary choices, everyday exposure to pesticides and pollution, and even the effects of alcohol, recreational or pharmaceutical drugs.

HepatoDR^® by St. Francis Herb Farm is a liver-supportive formula that blends the benefits of milk thistle PLUS 4 other complimentary detoxifying herbs. This formula helps to support liver function and enhances its removal of the body’s accumulated waste products by aiding eliminatory functions!

Lymphatic Detoxification

Your lymph system is another network in the body that helps to eliminate toxins. It is formed by a complex system of vessels, tissues, and organs that work together to carry away waste from cells, tissues, and organs. This system is ductless, meaning it requires muscle tone and physical movement to facilitate the flow of lymph – the fluid that circulates throughout it – effectively.

Lymph flow can become stagnant or backed up from inactivity, dehydration, stress, and exposure to chemical toxins, resulting in symptoms like fatigue, swelling, infection, inflammation, and mucus congestion.

St. Francis Herb Farm’s Lymph Tonic contains 9 herbs that support the health of the lymphatic system, promoting detox and healthy circulation of lymph in the body. Traditional herbs include Blue Flag, used in traditional Western herbalism to stimulate the glandular and lymphatic system, and Cleavers that aid eliminatory functions, acting as a diuretic to address issues with edema. It can also be taken safely alongside either Milk Thistle or HepatoDR^®.

Complimentary lifestyle habits that support the body’s natural organs and channels of healthy elimination include daily physical activity, drinking plenty of water, including fibre in the diet, body brushing, and treating yourself to some sauna therapy – to help sweat out these accumulated wastes!

About the Author: St. Francis Herb Farm

At St. Francis Herb Farm, they work with nature to understand, nurture, and extract healing compounds. They are obsessed with herbs and the wisdom they unlock in our bodies to heal and nourish naturally. A proudly Canadian second-generation owned company of organic farmers who, for over 30 years, have crafted well-made plant medicine.