There is a vast amount of research on supplementation and herbal remedies online these days.

With a single google inquiry, you can read example after example from individuals around the world, burdened by various health issues, miraculously healed through the means of proper nutrition, supplementation, and exercise—and we’re about to share another (or you can scroll down for your 3 steps to help your leaky gut) because herbal cleansing and building your gut can absolutely give your body the tools it needs to heal.

Why is it Important to Cleanse?

Herbal cleansing has been around for over 4,000 years with documented remedies as far back as the Ancient Egyptian and Chinese civilizations. Anything that can survive 4,000 years in the fast-paced health culture of humanity must be effective, right? We think so.

To be clear, when we’re talking about “herbal cleansing,” we’re really giving a pretty name to the clearing out of your digestive tract. Have you been sick this year? Did you know that if your digestive system is in perfect condition you should rarely ever contract a cold or flu.

“The entire body is affected by the health of the digestive tract. The health of the digestive system is so important to our overall health that many natural health practitioners believe that all chronic health problems originate in the intestines” (Bruce Fife N.D., Coconut Cures).

The digestive tract can be a bit complex, so for our purposes we will simply label it as a “waste shoot.” Like any other “waste shoot,” your digestive tract is filled with bacteria from top to bottom, both good bacteria (which help fight pathogens) and bad bacteria (or opportunistic disease-causing microbes) like candida, a type of yeast that thrives on excess sugars and carbohydrates. A candida overgrowth may not display any visual symptoms however, as the candida grows, it excretes waste. That waste is comprised of mycotoxins and exotoxins.

Think of it like this, myco is equivalent to saying “fungus” and exo is equivalent to saying “bacteria.” So, the waste of the growing candida in your gut is composed of fungal and bacterial toxins. Yikes! These toxic agents contaminate the human body and force your immune system to operate under higher levels of stress. Under these circumstances, energy is constantly being exhausted while your body works diligently to counter the detrimental effects of these toxins.

Does it surprise you that individuals with large amounts of yeast tend to experience an overwhelming sense of fatigue or have been medically diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome? It shouldn’t. We only have so much energy after all.

Candida can become particularly insidious due to its capability to change forms within your body. If severe Candida growth is not addressed, it is able to transform into a multi-celled fungal form with fuzzy, root-like projections called rhizoids.

Ultimately these rhizoids will puncture the intestinal wall. Holes in the intestinal wall allow undigested food (amongst other things) to infiltrate the bloodstream.  If that sounds bad, it’s because it is—this is how “leaky gut” happens in the human body.

The digestive system exists to pull out nutrients from food and discard the rest. If what we eat enters the bloodstream too soon (like, you know, through a hole in the intestinal tract), our immune system recognizes our food as foreign invaders and attacks.

Even if you clean up your digestive tract and shore up the holes, it’s possible that your immune system has created a recognizable immune response to the constituents in the food that entered your bloodstream before it was ready—and suddenly you’re allergic to that food. Yes, these undigested proteins can potentially trigger an array of allergic reactions throughout your body (Bruce Fife N.D., Coconut Cures).

An Example

About 10 years ago Kevin purchased a bag of almonds from the local grocery store. This was nothing out of the ordinary, as he had eaten almonds his entire life.

However this time something was very different. When we got into the parking lot, he ate a handful of almonds and almost instantaneously his throat started to swell shut. We were panicked at first but then quickly realized what was going on. Luciana ran back into the store and immediately purchased a bottle of Benadryl.

It was so sudden—we couldn’t understand how he was happily eating handfuls one day and then extremely allergic to almonds the next.

It was not until later that we realized he was suffering from leaky gut syndrome.

So What did We Do?

To start, we did our research. Leaky gut is common in today’s society and can be the cause for a lot of ailments, but there wasn’t much information about it at the time and a lot of what we found was about the treatment of different symptoms with over-the-counter medicine.

At ThePureWay, we are constantly reminded of the near mystical abilities of the human body when provided the proper combination of nutrition, exercise, and supplementation—Kevin felt sure that he could heal from this.

Throughout all the research, all signs pointed to herbal cleansing as the first step to healing leaky gut. And you know? It was. The results were more than he could ask for—no more leaky gut (of course, he still has to watch his diet and lifestyle!)

3 Natural Steps to a Healthy Gut

It’s been a long time since we discovered herbal cleansing and we’ve added a few tools to our “Healthy Gut” tool belt. If you’re working with consistent indigestion, immune and/or autoimmune issues, or leaky gut, we suggest taking a few weeks to focus on healing your digestive system naturally.

Step 1: The Herbal Cleanse

Honestly, this is the hardest part—but you shouldn’t build a new house on an old, faulty foundation. It isn’t hard, and we have the products to help you out. Whether you want to take a week or a few weeks to really detox is up to you and your body. Work with your body, not against it here. That means that you should provide it with foods and supplements that supply healthy, prolonged energy that your body can use—and nothing else.

Remove caffeine, refined sugar, gluten, meat, and dairy for at least a week so that all of your meals consist of only fruits and veggies.

For those of you working with blood sugar or metabolism issues, it’s helpful to carry carrotsticks, sliced peppers, or an apple for a snack with you. Make sure you’re eating healthy fiber—chia pudding or gluten free oatmeal for breakfast is lovely—rice with your dinner.

Eat three-four light meals throughout your day—and time it so that you eat when you wake up, after just before your regular lunch time, in the afternoon before you leave work, and in the evening before 7pm. Don’t eat snacks before bed—you don’t want to digest or feed the candida while your body is resting.

Supplements. Yes, This is where the magic happens. While you’re cleansing (and afterward) add a supplement that builds up your intestinal wall and supports your enzymatic absorption—we recommend the Totalzyme for this as it’s vegetarian and helps your body absorb the vitamins and minerals that you’re imbibing with your fruits and veggies.

Add Moringa Powder to your smoothies or your oatmeal to help your body flush toxins and increase your vitamin intake.

Adding the Bitter Elixir from Sanandi to your daily routine is going to help your body realign on its own by stimulating your digestive system along with helping get your “waste shoot” clean.

Note: try to time this type of cleansing with a week where you can be comfortable and close to a bathroom.

Step 2: Build Your Gut Flora

So you’ve detoxed for the past week or two and you’re ready to build yourself back up.

A Day or two before your start adding back in your wheat breads, cheeses, and meats (we’re softly encouraging you here to keep clear of white breads, sugars, and caffeine in your new lifestyle), you want to build up your digestive system to be able to safely process it.

Start with the PureWay Flora Support Prebiotic and the Superb Flora Probiotic to create a healthy microbiome in your gut. These are those good bacteria we talked about before and they help to breakdown food in your stomach so that it doesn’t enter your intestines undigested (they also fend off your body from the dreaded candida overgrowth).

Step 3: Add your Foods Back in—Slowly

Ah, you made it! You’ve cleaned out your system, built up your healthy gut flora, and now you’re ready to slowly add foods back into your diet. This means small amounts at first and individually. If you were having allergic symptoms to specific foods (like Kevin with the almonds) and you would like to find a way to add those foods back to your diet, you will need to be very, very careful and just take a bite or two and pay attention to your body.

Don’t assume you’re cured—remember, candida exists in all of our bodies—we all have opportunities to develop, heal, and redevelop leaky gut. This isn’t a cure to this syndrome, it’s a way to help your body heal the damage from the overgrowth of yeast but, as with all health-related illness, it needs to be maintained with a healthy diet and lifestyle.

Do you have a favorite recipe to share with first time cleansers? Put it in the comments below!

**Quote and References from - Coconut Cures: Preventing and Treating Common Health Problems with Coconut** Disclosure: This article is for informational purposes only and is not to be considered medical advice. If you are in need of medical advice, please seek the appropriate medical counsel.