Today is day 2 of the 10-day Master Cleanse for me! I completed two 10-day cleanses previously and several shorter cleanses. I have decided to focus on spirituality during this cleanse and am also happy to share my experiences with you as I pursue greater physical, mental and spiritual health! I announced on Facebook that I would answer questions as I get them. I will post a new set of answers as I see fit to do so. I received a lot of great questions thus far, so in this post I will focus more on the basics and I will work on answering more questions in Round 2.
I encourage you to follow along with my journey and join in as you see fit (a few people will be doing this) and post additional questions you have in the comments below. Based on my experience with this and my previous cleanses I expect to release an e-book on the Master Cleanse in September. I took very detailed notes during each of my 10-day cleanses, so I a lot of experience and knowledge to draw upon to provide you with great content! Okay–here we go….
Question #1: What is the Master Cleanse?
The Master Cleanse is one of the easiest and most effective cleanses that you can use to purge toxins from your body. The main part of the cleanse is to consume a lemonade that is made from freshly squeezed limes or lemons, organic maple syrup, cayenne pepper and purified or spring water. During the cleanse you also consume a tea containing senna and do a salt water flush. You may drink mint tea if you like. Stanley Burroughs, the creator of the Master Cleanse recommends that you do it for at least 10 days. Sometimes I do shorter cleanses, but I have a different goal for the shorter cleanses than I do for the longer cleanses.
Question #2: How do you make and consume the lemonade?
Each 10 ounce drink contains:
- 8 ounces (30 cl) of spring or purified water
- 2 tablespoons (3 cl) of organic maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons (3cl) of freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice
- a pinch of cayenne pepper (start with about 1/10th of a teaspoon)
When I prepare the lemonade, I start by juicing the lemons and measuring what I have and adjusting the quantities of the other ingredients accordingly. This is because the amount of lemon juice you get from a lemon will vary. I maximize the juice I get by using an electric citrus juicer. Then I add the maple syrup, cayenne pepper and spring water. I use one of my 32 oz bottles (96 cl) to put up to 3 servings worth of ingredients in and then use the other bottle to measure the water. I like using bottles because then I can mix the ingredients together by shaking. If I get more than 6 tablespoons (9 cl) out of the two lemons I start with, then I will put the remainder in a glass and stir all the ingredients together. If you are sipping on the lemonade over time, be sure to stir the contents in a glass or shake in a bottle periodically. The cayenne pepper tends to sink to the bottom.
You should consume between 6 to 12 drinks a day.
Question #3: What is the senna tea all about?
Senna is an herb that helps you to move your bowels. It will cause contractions in your large intestines 6 to 12 hours after you consume a tea that contains this very active ingredient. Some people find that drinking a tea made purely from senna leaves is too overpowering and makes them crampy. I find that drinking a tea with a blend of other ingredients along with the senna leaves works perfectly well. I highly recommend Traditional Medicinals Organic Smooth Move Senna Herbal Stimulant Laxative Tea. In addition to senna leaf extract, it contains licorice root, bitter fennel fruit, sweet orange peel, cinnamon bark, coriander fruit, ginger rhizome, and orange peel oil.
Drink one cup of this tea before going to bed. I look forward to my nightly tea routine during a cleanse. It is a nice break from the lemonade. It is a treat!
Question #4: How, why and when do you do the salt water flush?
You do the salt water flush first thing in the morning before you consume any lemonade. The purpose of the saltwater flush is to rinse out your intestines and flush the toxins out. The lemon and cayenne pepper work together to loosen the mucus and dislodge the toxins. By not eating solid food, your body works hard at its internal cleaning. The smooth move tea gives you the added help of contracting your intestines. So the saltwater flush is the last step in finishing a powerful cleaning cycle, so don’t skip it! If you had any detox symptoms the night before or first thing in the morning, completing the cleaning cycle with the salt water flush will make you feel much better. It is not unusual for me to have a headache before the cleansing cycle is complete. Once I am done with the morning purging process–everything clears right up!
You make the salt water flush out of two teaspoons of non-iodized sea salt and 32 ounces (96 cl) of water. Stir or shake and drink up! You want to drink it as continuously as possible. I usually wake up pretty early in the morning and then drink the salt water and go back to bed. Once I wake up, the purging process begins!
Question #5: Can I consume anything else on the Master Cleanse?
Yes! You can have mint tea! This can help freshen your breath during the cleanse and for me it is certainly a treat. If you have been prescribed medication then you should work with your practitioner to see what is appropriate for you. It is generally not recommended that you stop taking prescription medications. You should be careful to understand what effects the Master Cleanse may have on your need for particular medications–so I would strongly suggest you work with your practitioner on this before making any decisions.
Stanley Burroughs recommends that you do not take over the counter supplements while you are on the cleanse as that is one more thing for your digestive system to work on that detracts from the detox process. Of course, you are 100 percent responsible for your health and if you have any doubts you should work with your health care professional to see what is right for you.
Also–there are some “versions” of the Master Cleanse out there that advocate ingredient substitutions such as using honey instead of maple syrup. I would recommend you ignore this noise and stick to the pure Master Cleanse program.
Question #6: Can I do the Master Cleanse for less than 10 days?
If your goal is to accomplish a deep cleanse and experience some of the spiritual highs that come from the later part of this cleanse, then you should do it for 10 days. I sometimes do shorter cleanses because I have different goals in mind for them. For example, I may just do a 2-day cleanse in order to “throw out the garbage” as opposed to “cleaning house”. The shorter cleanses are easier to fit into my life and give me a break from food preparation.
I am glad that the first cleanse I did was a 10-day one because that acted as an anchor or a reference point for future cleanses. Psychologically I do not need to build up to doing a ten-day cleanse since I accomplished one right off the bat. I did a lot of research before taking the plunge however and I would not recommend doing a 10-day cleanse without investing in the right knowledge and tools. I will address this in more detail in a future post.
That said, I could reasonably see doing a shorter cleanse with the purpose of using it as a learning experience to prepare you to do a longer cleanse.
Question #7: Would it be okay if I sent you pictures of delicious meals in order to test your resolve?
Sure! Go right ahead. Just be warned that I may publish them:) I feel very comfortable in my resolve to stay on this cleanse and focus on the reasons I am doing this in the first place. I am not going to have an affair with food just because you send me a picture! I am in it for the spiritual reasons mainly and I very much look forward to purging toxins from my body and mind.
Moving Forward
So that is it for Round 1! In Round 2, I will get more into what you experience during the Master Cleanse and will answer questions about how to make the process spiritually satisfying and physically more comfortable. If you have questions or feedback, please post them below! Also see Round 3 and Round 4!
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m on day 8 of the master cleanse and am very sick, sitting on the toilet while dry heaving into the trash can. I do the tea twice a day but not the salt cleanse and at this point today I have’t had the lemon drink in fear of throwing it up. My ears are plugged and I’m ready to say enough.
I have type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure and was hoping this would help.
Hi Mark,
I am sorry to hear that you are experiencing such severe symptoms. I am not a doctor so please make sure that you discuss your symptoms and the Master Cleanse with your health care practitioner. I would like to offer you the following insights based on my experience to some degree, but mostly on my research since I do not have diabetes or high blood pressure.
Per Q#5 above–it is a good idea to talk about the effects of the Master Cleanse and any prescription medications you may be taking. On page 111 of Peter Glickman’s Lose Weight, Have More Energy & Be Happier in 10 Days–there is a discussion of how the Master Cleanse may actually have some of the same effects as medication to treat high blood pressure Glickman suggests that you work with your doctor on this so that you don’t experience a double whammy.
Also in the same book on page 84–Glickman sites special instructions for people with diabetes from Master Cleanse creator, Stanley Burroughs. According to Burroughs, people with diabetes should start the cleanse using only one tablespoon of molasses at first and then gradually work up to two tablespoons. He also recommends regularly checking sugar levels to monitor insulin requirements.
Chances are good that by getting through eight days of the cleanse that you did indeed purge a lot of toxins–especially given that you got very sick. I suspect this may be the case since you also say that your ears are plugged up. To as lesser degree I also have experienced detox through my nose, ears, skin etc.
The point of the Master Cleanse however is to purge toxins at a less severe rate though so given your conditions it may be more appropriate to do shorter cleanses or to work on detox through diet first. Eating a healthy high raw food diet may be a better place to start. For now–I would tend to agree with you that you may consider starting your transition off the cleanse–don’t starting eating like normal of course or you will likely get sick. Please discuss all of this with your health care practitioner and thanks for sharing your story here as I am sure it will help others.
I’am on 4 high blood pressure medication, and depressing medication and aniexty medication can I do the Master cleanse?
Hello Hazel,
I am not a doctor so I do not want to tell you what to do one way or another. That said, I suspect that in your case, the Master Cleanse would be too much right now. People who are on a lot of medications tend to experience more severe detox symptoms. Also, from what I understand, doing the Master Cleanse can affect how certain medications work– such as those for blood pressure. If you are really interested in doing the Master Cleanse, I would first suggest that you work with a licensed health practitioner. They may work with you on making other lifestyle changes before undertaking a cleanse of any sort. One great option is to introduce more raw foods in your diet. You can visit my other website: eat-raw-foods-now.com to get a better sense of what that can do for you. Good luck and be well!
I just wanted to post that everyone should hed this advice. I started the MC 5 days ago and not until today did I check myblood pressure…it was off the charts even for me 181/112. This was an incredible finding. I have had high blood pressure and have been on medications for the past 6 months for it but todays results were very alarming. So alarming infact that I stopped my cleanse immediately. I was very positive before I checked..felt good…lost the hunger…was flushing and detoxing fine…but a stroke or heart difficulties is not worth it. Atkins here I come!!!
Hi CJ,
Good for you on checking your blood pressure and making the best decision for yourself. I personally would not care to do the Atkins diet, but there are many options out there;) The Master Cleanse is a great option for some, but not all!
Cheers to your health!
Sonya
Hi guys,
it is day 2 of my cleanse and i feel aweful. The first time I did this I felt fine the whole time. I guess I really needed to detox this time. I have been doing the salt water flush, which made me feel great after the actuall flushing took place, but after drinking the tea and eliminating, I started to get naseaus and very dizzy last night.
When I woke up this morning I felt very depressed, then after taking the flush I felt much better.
I found that earlier today, I experienced two really sharp pulses in my head, which I thought would turn out to be a terrible migraine, but didnt (boy was I greatful). The pain was so sharp that I had to stop what I was doing and pretty much cringe and hold my head.
I sure hope tomorrow gets better, because the 1st 2 days were rough.
Hi there Kelly,
How is it going for you now? I usually felt better after the morning flush as well. Remember, if the detox is too intense, you always have the option of backing off and doing a shorter cleanse.
Sonya
Hi Sonya,
Thanks for the input. Support during this time is very helpful. Day 3 was much better. I woke up that morning feeling awesome and I slept like a baby. The reason I decided to do the cleanse was due to a sudden lack of energy from the foods I was eating and possibly weight gain. The only reason I have gotten to day 5 is because I read an article that told you basically what your body goes thru during the cleanse. So understanding this made me know that it is just a build up of impurities that had me feeling the way I did.
I must say that I feel much better, so far. My body is more flexible, fatigue has gone, I wake up bright and early every morning and my skin is very radiant!
I am going to aim for 10 days and then 21 if I feel up to it. Wish me luck. How far along are you?
That is great Kelly! I would be interested to hear how it went for you! I am about to start me next one tomorrow. There is nothing like having the reference of previous cleanse experiences to draw upon that knowledge and to know that you can do it!
Hi Sonya,
My cleanse went very well. I was aiming at 21 days but on day 15 I started to feel very sick and nauseas, so that night I stopped and drank fresh sqeezed orange juice. The next day I had a very small freshly prepared fruit salad.
Had an extremley small appetite afterward and was able to eat only when hungry and not out of boredom.
Overall I lost 13 pounds and it’s been 2 weeks or more since I got of the cleanse and have probably only gained 2 pounds back, but amazingly I have lost them again right after I put them on just by eating less.
I would like to loose an additional 20 so maybe I may try a longer cleanse.
I wish you luck!
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