Ayurvedic Cleansing Support & How to make digestive tea

Ayurveda encourages a life that is regularly supportive of our body’s natural cleansing and detoxification processes. Everyday, our body is going through a complete system cleanse with the help of our liver, lymphatic system, and kidneys. Everything we eat, drink, and are environmentally exposed to on a daily basis must go through our innate detoxification system. When we are living in alignment with the basic ayurvedic principles of healthy cleansing, we rarely need to devote ourselves to any kind of cleanse overhaul. 

Ayurvedic Principles of Cleansing

The practice of an intentional Ayurvedic cleanse is deeply nourishing, and generally designed to minimize the variety of inputs we consume on a daily basis. An example would be a few days of consuming only kitchari with herbal tea, and practicing self massage. Ayurveda also has several daily practices that contribute to a balanced and aligned body long-term. These include:

• Preparing and eating whole foods, seasonally when possible.

• Not over-eating, and learning to listen to your body’s intuitive cues of hunger and fullness. 

• Exercising and moving throughout the day to encourage flexibility and lymphatic flow.

• Engaging in massage or self massage with warming oils to soothe our skin and encourage lymphatic drainage. 

• Devoting at least 8 hours to good quality sleep each night. 

• Drinking an appropriate amount of fluids throughout the day.

• Enjoying warm, herbal teas (like our Cleanse Tea or Detox Tea) to enhance digestion and support healthy bowel movements. 

These principles are daily habits that support all of our body systems, and especially encourage a healthy feeling of vitality. When we incorporate these principles into our daily life, we should not need to engage in a 30-day or quick fix “cleanse” that is often depleting on our body systems, and not sustainable to continue long term. 

Learn More: Cleansing for Each Dosha

When we engage in consuming highly processed and sugary foods, live a sedentary life, lack time for quality sleep, and do not consume enough fluids and healthy fiber in our day, our detoxification system becomes strained, and we may present with signs of imbalance such as constipation, heartburn, skin breakouts or irritation, joint and muscle pain, or a weakened immune system. 

These habits all add up over time, and dosha imbalances and symptoms may be gradual for us to notice. That’s why it’s important to practice daily habits to support our body’s natural ability to cleanse and detoxify. 

CCF Tea: The Traditional Ayurvedic Digestive Supporting Tea

A classic Ayurvedic herbal tea to support daily cleansing and digestion is CCF tea - 

Cumin + Coriander + Fennel.

The trio of these three herbs are warming to the circulation and digestion but not too much to be overheating. It is designed to be gently stimulating to our digestive fire (in Ayurveda known as agni), to enhance our digestion and improve detoxification, and provide a sense of grounding and nourishment to our body systems. 

CCF Tea Recipe

1 teaspoon Fennel seeds

1 teaspoon Coriander

1 teaspoon Cumin seeds

Add the herbs into a teapot and cover with 16 ounces of very warm, filtered water. Let steep for 10 minutes, covered. Serve warm, or sip throughout the day. This is a lovely tea to make first thing in the morning, keep it warm and enjoy throughout your entire day or night. 

More Pukka Teas to Support Cleansing and Detoxification

Herbal heroes such as turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, fennel, nettle, dandelion, burdock and aloe vera are all wonderful to use every day to encourage gentle cleansing and optimal digestive function. 

Three Ginger, Turmeric Active, Cleanse, Detox, After Dinner, and Three Cinnamon can be enjoyed daily to support your body’s natural state of balance and vitality during any season.