The Best Kidney Cleanse is a Modified Master Cleanse

• cayenne (.5-1 table spoon)
• lemon    (2 squeezed)
• raw honey or organic maple syrup ( 1-2 table spoons)
• 32 oz of water (mixed with ingredients- drink 1 gallon per day)

Cayenne lemonade is generally known as “the master cleanse.” For the “modified master cleanse,” I do not advocate the fasting that accompanies the complete master cleanse program, as it tends to disrupt normal metabolism and prompt rapid weight gain upon its completion.

The parts of the master cleanse that work on the kidneys are the cayenne, lemon and water. Cayenne thins the blood and lemon alkalizes the body. This combination with lots of water is great for quickly flushing toxins out of the kidneys. You can sweeten the mixture with raw honey or organic maple syrup. Drink as much of it as is comfortable throughout the day and gradually increase the amount of cayenne as you are able. If you can do some walking, light hiking or yoga, you will enhance your body’s ability to flush toxins out of the kidneys. Poses like camel pose (ustrasana) are perfect for this. Try to rest more often as you are able.

When cleansing the kidneys, it is important to make some dietary observations or modifications. These modifications are very important to ensure that the kidneys are less likely to be damaged while they are at their most vulnerable state. The most important thing to remember is not to ingest items that are toxic to the kidneys while attempting to cleanse them.

Avoid The Following While Cleansing The Kidneys

• animal products, especially meat
• caffeine, including green or white tea and yerba mate
• alcoholic beverages and alcohol-based supplements, including kombucha
• chocolate, especially dark chocolate
• pain-killers and non-essential medications
• energy drinks or energy/metabolic supplements
• beverages or supplements containing B12 (cyanocobalamin), theobromine or theophylline
• if you use salt, ensure that it is ONLY pure sea salt with no additives
• anything with artificial colors, flavors or preservatives
• carbonated beverages and sodas, including sparkling water
• artificial sweeteners (stevia, honey and maple syrup are fine)

If you cannot comfortably avoid any of these items and still function on a daily basis, then your kidneys and the connected adrenal glands are probably already taxed, overworked and toxic and you will need to formulate a long-term plan to wean yourself off of these items to avoid future health problems that stem from kidneys that are weak and unable to function optimally.

What To Expect On The Kidney Cleanse

There are certainly some side effects of cleansing the kidneys. If you know what to expect, they can be easily managed.

Kidney Cleanse Side Effects

• acidic body smell
• irritability, anxiety
• tiredness, sluggishness or depression

When you are doing the kidney cleanse, one side effect is that by the second or third day you will notice a peculiar smell under your arms and possibly also in your urine. It smells like a city alley on a hot day. That lovely fragrance is uric acid. Your kidneys are purging their excess acid along with toxins. When the smell begins to fade, your kidney cleanse is working! Depending on your level of toxicity, this could take anywhere from 4 days to 3 weeks. Using a natural deodorant, like the crystal deodorant or crystal deodorant spray is helpful for neutralizing these smelly kidney acids.

During this cleanse, you may feel irritable or anxious as your kidneys release. This is normal. If your mood becomes a hindrance to daily functions, you may supplement withnatural magnesium or Nutritional Yeast (as long as it has not been artificially fortified with B-12) from your health food store to ease your temperament until you are finished cleansing.

Your kidneys are the energy and power centers of your body. While they are being cleansed and rehabilitated, you may find yourself more tired or down than usual. Just realize that this is part of the process and rest as much as you can.