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9 Supplements to Help Your Body Detox Effectively — Daily and During A Detoxification Program


Robyn Openshaw - Jan 03, 2023 - This Post May Contain Affiliate Links


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Detox Supplements — How Can They Help?

Is it really necessary to help your body detox? I hear this question all the time.

The simple answer? Yes, yes, it is.

When I was massively struggling with my health (21 disease diagnoses and being overweight in my 20s), detoxification is what saved me. And doing a dedicated detox program TWICE per year is a huge part of why I’m well now in my 50s, with no diseases, symptoms, or medications.

In today’s world, supporting your body’s detoxification processes is necessary — and it just might be one of the most important things you can do for healing your body, and for staying healthy. 

I’ve studied human detoxification for 28 years, from holistic doctors and clinicians around the world, including from the detox greats who made massive success healing people, like Dr. Bernard Jensen, Dr. Max Gerson, and Dr. Ann Wigmore.

When you regularly help the body get rid of junk and pollutants — from food, air, cleaning and beauty products, EMF radiation, and stress — every single part of your body can function more optimally, from your digestion to your immune system, to your brain.

In this article:

Why Do You Need to Detox? 

The fact is, we live in an increasingly toxic world. We’re exposed to vastly more toxins than people were even a few hundred years ago. Many of these toxins are man-made, like most of the candles people have in their homes.

The truth is, one cannot be truly healthy unless the body effectively breaks down and eliminates toxins. 

And the body’s detoxification organs, like the liver and kidneys? They’re overwhelmed. Our bodies simply weren’t built to deal with the massive amount of toxins we encounter.

Over 80,000 chemicals are registered for use in the U.S. And another 1,700 are added to the list each year, with little to no safety testing!

When the Environmental Working Group conducted a study of the “body burden” of the average American, the results were concerning.

Out of 210 substances tested, they found 167, with an average of 91 toxins in each person’s body. Including industrial chemicals, heavy metals, PCBs, insecticides, dioxin, and benzene.

Some scientists estimate that everyone alive today carries at least 700 contaminants in their body. (The study above only looked for 210.)

Even newborn babies have toxins. An investigation from the Environmental Working Group found over 200 (!) toxic compounds in the core blood of newborns.

Expecting your body’s detoxification systems to work flawlessly as they could 99 years ago, despite thousands of times more exposure, is the equivalent of driving your car through the 1930’s Dust Bowl for years, without changing your air filter or oil filter.

The simple fact is: it’s a toxic world, and your body needs help, regularly!

What’s Your Toxic Body Burden? 

Your “toxic body burden” is the accumulation of toxic chemicals in your body.

The best way to think about it is as if we’ve all got a bucket. And the bucket gets filled when there are too many toxins and stressors. Eventually, it starts overflowing, and that’s when the bucket (think of it as your immune system) tips over.

Your toxic body burden may be higher or lower than someone else’s, depending on exposure and how well your elimination pathways are functioning.

Your toxic body burden can lead to a wide variety of symptoms and serious health problems. In fact, almost all diseases may have a toxic component!

How To Support Your Body’s Detoxification Systems

To encourage effective detoxification in your body, eating a nutrient-dense, whole-food diet is hugely important. As is getting out in the sun and getting fresh air, and getting plenty of exercise.

These are the basics. But as we’ve seen, the body needs more than basic support.

Why I Recommend A Dedicated, Whole-Body, Science-Based Detoxification Program

I created the 26-Day Detox after researching and doing a bunch of different detox programs and cleanses to heal myself. A pharmaceutical product I was required to get, to work in a hospital, injured me, and I spent 4 years mostly in bed, barely able to function.

After getting myself well (and I do my Detox program twice a year to STAY well), I compiled everything I’d learned, all the best practices (and diet) to alkalize, oxygenate, facilitate elimination, and heal the trillions of cells and the many organs and tissues of the body, so they can function properly again.

What I developed for 2 ½ years, and beta-tested on 30 people, is a guided, detailed, no-guesswork program with shopping lists, recipes, a how-to manual, a private, supportive community, and more.

I may have helped more people detoxify than anyone in history. Over 17,000 people have completed the program, and we receive hundreds of positive testimonials every time we do it.

With what’s going on in the world, right now, 300% more people are signing up to detoxify with us, than last year.

Why Is My Detox Program 26 Days? 

Because detoxification takes time.

We focus on one organ system at a time, in the right order. And rushing the process can be harmful. The rapid release of toxins can overwhelm the body, causing toxins to be reabsorbed back into the body. That’s why a gradual process is best if you want to see impressive results.

10 Detox Supplements to Support Your Body’s Natural Detoxification Systems

Detoxing is not a magic pill, and no supplement alone is going to be the answer to cleansing your body the way it needs.

In day-to-day life and when you’re doing a dedicated detox program, like our signature and much-loved GreeSmoothieGirl Detox, helping your body by giving it nutritional support can make a difference. These suggestions are backed by research and used by health professionals.

#1 Detox Supplement: Fulvic and Humic Acid — Try Ultimate Minerals 

Ultimate Minerals

Humic and fulvic acids are formed deep in the soil by ancient plant life. They’re abundant in vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. (In fact, they’re how the produce you eat gets its nutrients.) Taking Ultimate Minerals supplies 90+ minerals and trace minerals and also many vitamins and other nutrients.

Research shows that most soil these days is lacking in fulvic acid, because of commercial agriculture practices, which strip the soil of nutrients.

That’s why supplementing is the best answer. Even a lot of organic produce is low in minerals. And every single transaction in your body relies on minerals. You constantly use them up.

Ultimate Minerals is the one supplement I ALWAYS take, every day, twice per day. And, I never leave home without it, not even for a one-night trip.

Our Ultimate Minerals (made from fulvic and humic acids) is highly concentrated, and is 90% more open (than standard fulvic acid) with more free-binding sites — to better capture toxins and remove them from the body.

The fulvic molecules help recharge and optimize cells. By having an optimal electric charge, they’re better able to absorb nutrients, expel toxins, and produce energy.

Fulvic acids also fight free radicals in the body, which come from pollution, processed foods, smoking, alcohol, UV damage, etc.

Additionally, fulvic acids bond naturally to heavy metals. They help neutralize then flush heavy metals out of the body, before they are tucked away into the tissues or organs.

Summary 

Compounds from deep in the earth help the body fight free radicals and get rid of toxins. But due to modern practices, our food is depleted of these nutrients.

Supplementing daily with fulvic and humic acids can help the body’s detoxification pathways. And taking a high-quality fulvic and humic acid supplement during a dedicated detox program is even more important.

#2 Detox Supplement: Probiotics — Try PreZyme Pro

PreZyme Pro

Caring for your gut is critical for immunity — and also for setting your body up to detoxify properly. If you’ve taken any antibiotics, even if it was several years ago, your gut is likely very depleted of probiotics. Other medications can achieve similar negative effects.

GI issues can create or make worse an overburdened detoxification system.

Taking a probiotic supplement can help boost your digestive health. If it’s alive, that is! I’ve tested many, many brands, and most of them are dead, and will do you no good!

Probiotics are the “good” bacteria in your gut. They also have properties that help bind to some toxins and move them out of the body. They comprise a thriving, diverse population that keeps “bad” bacteria in check.

Even low concentrations of heavy metals in the body can cause problems. And studies show that probiotics can help remove heavy metals from the body.

Probiotics have also been found to enhance the removal of harmful BPA plastics in the body, so they won’t build up and cause undesirable effects.

Additionally, research has shown that probiotics can help remove perchlorate, an endocrine disruptor (found in jet fuel, some food packaging, and drinking water).

PreZyme Pro gives you 15 strains of probiotics, and also prebiotics (which serve as food for probiotics), and digestive enzymes — a 3-in-1 for total gut health.

I recommend taking PreZyme Pro while doing a dedicated detox, and also every day, especially if you eat mostly cooked food–for the enzymes, since if you’re eating cooked or processed food, it is without enzymes, which you need for digestion. Take it once a day–or twice a day, if you have symptoms of gut disease.

Summary 

A healthy gut is necessary for proper detoxification. Probiotics help bind to some toxins, like heavy metals and BPA, and remove them from the body.

Taking a high-quality gut supplement ensures your body can spend the time it needs to cleanse itself. PreZyme Pro gives you probiotics, prebiotics, and digestive enzymes — a 3-in-1 for total gut health.

#3 Detox Supplement: Natural Mineral Zeolite — Try Pure Body Zeolite 

Pure Body Zeolite

Even good detox programs — like our 26-Day GreenSmoothieGirl Detox — may not be enough to deal with major toxin-related health problems.

Binders are able to “bind” to toxins and transport them OUT of the body.

Zeolite — a natural mineral created through a reaction of volcanic ash and seawater — is one particularly effective binder.

This porous substance has a negative charge and a “cage-like” structure, so it binds to positively charged toxins, like a magnet, and carries them, quickly and effectively, out of your body for good.

Zeolite is especially effective because it can bind to toxins throughout the body — and it has an affinity for toxins only. So, it never removes beneficial minerals, which your body needs to help fight toxins.

Many zeolite products out there are made with synthetic ingredients. Zeolite clinoptilolite is a natural version.

That’s why I recommend Pure Body Extra Strength Zeolite — a zeolite clinoptilolite product.

Not only is it the best form of zeolite, but this superior product is also cleansed, so it can effectively remove unwanted chemicals from your body. (Zeolite is naturally filled with pollutants, because it’s good at absorbing toxins from the environment.)

Pure Body Extra Strength targets toxins on the cellular level — getting rid of heavy metals and other toxins — because they use a unique activated, hydrated, nanosized zeolite. (Powdered zeolites work only in the colon.)

Even if you’re aren’t doing a detoxification program, taking Pure Body Extra Strength Zeolite morning and night for a few months, or a week out of every month, is a great idea to bring your toxic body burden down.

Summary 

Binders help ensure that the body eliminates toxins, rather than just recirculating them until they settle back in the body. Zeolite clinoptilolite is a natural mineral, with a cage-like structure, that binds to toxins and removes them from the body.

But, not all zeolite supplements are the same. You want one that’s been cleaned of harmful substances, and that targets toxins on the cellular level. Like Pure Body Extra Strength Zeolite.

#4 Detox Supplement: Glutathione — Try Advanced Cellular Glutathione 

Glutathione is the master antioxidant.

As one of the most studied detoxifying agents, it’s mostly found in the liver, and also in almost all cells of the body.

Poor diet choices, toxins (including heavy metals), radiation, and stress can also deplete glutathione. And also, the body produces less of it as we get older.

Glutathione depletion has been strongly associated with illness, disease, and the loss of healthy function with aging.

This powerful antioxidant helps in powerful ways:

  • Intercepts and neutralizes toxins in the GI tract before they’re absorbed
  • Helps eliminate toxins, ingested chemicals, and potential carcinogens that the body has already absorbed

It’s been shown to protect against the damaging effects of radiation, heavy metals, and environmental pollutants. And it’s the body’s most potent free radical scavenger, including the most notorious free radicals.

In particular, glutathione protects cells and their mitochondria (the energy power plants of your cells).

Without enough glutathione, your immune system is more susceptible to attacks, as toxins and free radicals accumulate and wreak havoc on the body.

When you’re under stress or have a high body burden, glutathione depletes rapidly. So supplementation can be crucial.

An important note is that glutathione excretes toxins into your bile — so taking a binder, like Pure Body Zeolite (see above) is necessary to help your body eliminate toxins out of the body.

I also recommend using glutathione to protect yourself from radiation exposure and damage during travel.

The brand I recommend is Advanced Cellular Glutathione Extra Strength. This easy-to-use and pleasant-tasting spray has been proven by clinical research to increase intracellular levels of glutathione.

It’s rapidly absorbed, achieved by atomized spray delivery and submucosal absorption — delivering key ingredients at the cellular level in the most effective manner possible.

Summary

Glutathione is the body’s master antioxidant, helping fight free radicals and protecting the body against a wide range of toxins.

However, your body isn’t able to absorb and use all glutathione supplements. The detox supplement I recommend for glutathione is Advanced Cellular Glutathione Extra Strength. It’s rapidly absorbed and delivered at the cellular level.

#5 Detox Supplement: Sulfur — Try MSM

MSM

Sulfur, called the “miracle mineral,” is critical for making glutathione, the master antioxidant that helps maintain a healthy liver.

(When you think of sulfur, do you think of a foul-smelling substance? That’s sulfur oxide, and not only can your body not use it, but it’s also toxic and can even be fatal. Organic sulfur, on the other hand, is odorless and non-toxic.)

Without adequate sulfur, the body can’t properly detoxify. 

The body can’t produce sulfur on its own, so outside sources are important.

Foods rich in sulfur include:

  • Cruciferous vegetables, like broccoli, asparagus, cabbage, cauliflower, turnips, bok choy, Brussels Sprouts, kohlrabi, and sprouts
  • Allium vegetables, including garlic, leeks, onions, and chives
  • Leafy green vegetables, like spinach, arugula, and kale
  • Mushrooms
  • Nuts, including walnuts, almonds, peanuts, and brazil nuts
  • Apricots and peaches

However, unfortunately, crops in the U.S. (and many other countries) are deficient in sulfur. And have been since 1954 thanks to the use of chemical pesticides in agriculture.

Therefore, most people are deficient in sulfur, even if they eat lots of vegetables.

There’s really no way around it: Most people should be supplementing with organic sulfur, or MSM. And it’s especially important during a detox program.

Even if you eat a 100% organic, primarily raw, vegan diet, there’s no guarantee regarding how much sulfur you’re actually getting.

But taking a sulfur supplement isn’t as simple as driving to your nearest health foods store and snagging a bottle of “organic sulfur” or “organic MSM.”

You want to choose crystallized MSM (not powdered or tableted pills) for the purest supplement. And make sure it doesn’t contain toxic additives, like anti-caking agents. You want “100% natural” with “no fillers.”

The recommended dose is typically about 3-6 grams per day (unless it’s used as part of a cancer protocol, where the dosage may be doubled). Most people dissolve organic sulfur in a glass of water or juice, and drink it two or three times per day.

Organic crystallized sulfur can taste bitter to some people. You may wish to take it in capsules.

Summary 

Sulfur is necessary for making glutathione, the body’s master antioxidant. Sulfur is found in the soil, yet American soil is depleted of nutrients, including sulfur, due to modern agricultural practices.

You want to choose a crystallized supplement, and make sure it doesn’t contain toxic additives. You can also take it in capsules.

#6 Detox Supplement: Magnesium 

Magnesium

Magnesium, another beneficial mineral, plays an important role in our bodies’ detoxification processes. For one thing, the master antioxidant, glutathione, requires magnesium.

However, magnesium is one of the most depleted minerals in the soil. So it’s difficult to get the amount we need from fruits and vegetables. Almost 70% of the U.S. population could be deficient!

Without adequate magnesium, the body will struggle to detox.

The most effective way to get the magnesium you need is with magnesium supplements.

Magnesium helps the body detoxify in multiple ways:

  • Binding to heavy metals and removes them from the body
  • Stimulating cell activity, so stored toxins are released
  • Supporting healthy bowel movements, to remove toxic waste from the body
  • Serving as an important cofactor to the liver detoxification process

Magnesium also protects the brain from toxic minerals, like lead and mercury. Low levels of brain magnesium allow toxic metals to enter the brain, and may even be the harbinger of conditions including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson's.

Functional medicine practitioners generally recommend taking supplements with magnesium citrate, glycinate, malate, or taurate (four different magnesium compounds, try each one to see which works best for you), because they’re better absorbed by the body.

Taking Epsom salt baths (magnesium sulfate) is a relaxing way to get magnesium, and to get harmful substances out of the body — so it’s an excellent thing to do while doing a detox program. Simply add two cups of Epsom salts to a hot bath. You can also add 1 cup of baking soda to help your body absorb the salts. Sit in the solution for 20 minutes or longer. This practice can relieve soreness and pain, too.

Summary

The master antioxidant, glutathione, also requires magnesium, which is depleted from U.S. soils. Magnesium is known to bind to heavy metals and remove them from the body, support healthy bowel movements so waste can be removed, and aid detoxification in other ways. Without proper magnesium, the body will struggle to detoxify properly.

#7 Detox Supplement: Milk Thistle 

Milk Thistle

Milk thistle is the king of detoxifying herbs, and it’s able to help protect against a variety of toxins.

Research shows that it helps the liver by acting as an antioxidant, blocking toxins at the membrane level, and by enhancing protein synthesis.

Milk thistle is also known to stimulate cell regeneration, and to trigger the formation of glutathione, the master antioxidant.

In animal studies, mice with diet-induced liver damage saw improvements in their liver health with milk thistle.

People have used this herb successfully to treat liver conditions in humans, such as jaundice, acute and chronic hepatitis, and alcoholic and toxin-induced liver diseases.

Milk thistle can help the body detox from the effects of harmful radiation, from cell phones, microwaves, and other electronics, according to a study published in Molecular Carcinogenesis.

This herb has also been shown to be safe when taken internally, and studies have reported no side effects when taken in large doses over a long period of time.

You can support your detoxification and your health with milk thistle as a tea, or as a supplement.

Summary 

Milk thistle is an herb that’s widely used for supporting detoxification. Studies back up its usefulness in protecting from radiation and other toxic substances.

#8 Detox Supplement: Dandelion 

Dandelion tea

Dandelion, often considered a weed, is an herb that’s been used for centuries to support detoxification.

The leaves of this plant are packed with nutrients: vitamins A, B, C, and E, and are a rich source of calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc.

Enjoy this herb as a tonic for organs that play a role in detoxing the body, the spleen, pancreas, and stomach. It also helps stimulate the flow of bile, encouraging waste to be eliminated.

Additionally, it’s a diuretic, so it promotes urination, which helps remove toxic substances from the kidneys and urinary tract. As a mild laxative, it can be used for constipation.

Digestion is important for proper detoxification. And dandelion is great for the gut. It’s a bitter herb, helping stimulate the production of digestive enzymes. Plus, dandelions serve as prebiotics (fuel for healthy gut bugs).

Enjoy dandelion as a tea, or as a supplement. Dandelion roots have a mildly bitter, chicory-like flavor and make a great coffee substitute (often combined with other herbs, like barley, chicory, rye, and beetroot) — and since it doesn’t have caffeine, it can be consumed while doing a detox program.

#9 Detox Supplement: Zinc 

Zinc

Zinc is an essential trace mineral. It has a close relationship with the liver.

It’s a strong antioxidant, working to destroy free radicals in the body. Zinc also helps remove heavy metals.

A zinc deficiency can enable parasites to thrive. And also, undetected parasites could be depriving your body of zinc.

After doing our 26-Day Detox, I recommend a Pathogen Purge (developed by Jack Tips, ND) to starve and kill pathogens, like fungi, viruses, and bacteria. Virtually everyone has an overgrowth of pathogens, and doing this protocol every few years is a great idea.

TLDR: Detox Supplements Can Help the Body Cleanse Itself the Way It Was Meant To 

The fact is, we live in a toxic world. And you can’t just bury your head in the sand and pretend we don’t. Because if you do, your health is going to suffer. Fatigue, headaches, disease. Almost all illnesses and diseases have a toxin component.

So when you support your body’s detoxification organs and pathways, true healing and health can happen. The way it was meant to. I’ve seen it thousands of times.

There’s no substitute for doing the WORK of detoxing. (Eliminating all acidifying, de-oxygenating, gluey foods, and eating only nutrient-dense, high-fiber foods that are very easy to digest. And we have a few days devoted to a liver and gallbladder flush, and a kidney flush phase, too.) Detox supplements can assist the process.

To review, some particularly effective detox supplements are: fulvic and humic minerals, probiotics, natural zeolite, glutathione, sulfur (MSM), magnesium, milk thistle, dandelion, and zinc.

However, the most important thing for supporting your body’s detoxification is giving the body plenty of fresh nutrients, and not bogging it down with more harmful chemicals.

Our program accomplishes that objective, as well as giving you lots of fiber to clean out the GI tract, and teaching you practices to optimize output from your various organs of elimination. You won’t be deprived — people love the food! And you’ll still achieve impressive results, while trillions of cells have the chance to rest, repair, and rebuild.

Learn more about the Detox program.

Read Next: How To Detox From Heavy Metals Naturally: 3 Actions You Can Take

Photograph of Robyn Openshaw, founder of Green Smoothie GirlRobyn Openshaw, MSW, is the bestselling author of The Green Smoothies Diet, 12 Steps to Whole Foods, and 2017’s #1 Amazon Bestseller and USA Today Bestseller, Vibe. Learn more about how to make the journey painless, from the nutrient-scarce Standard American Diet, to a whole-foods diet, in her free video masterclass 12 Steps to Whole Foods.

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links that help support the GSG mission without costing you extra. I recommend only companies and products that I use myself.

10 supplements to help your body detox effectively

Posted in: Detox, High-Vibe Living, Holistic Care, Immunity, Natural Products, Natural Remedies, Preventive Care, Supplements


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