The Ultimate Detox Companion: A Potent Herbal Oil for Cleansing and Renewal

Toxins are everywhere in today’s world. They hide in our food, our water, and in the air we breathe. They are ubiquitous in our products, homes and workplaces. Despite our best efforts, we cannot avoid some level of daily exposure.

These toxins can stress and overwhelm our body's detoxification systems, so it is important to lend them a hand. It’s like taking care of your car – you wouldn’t expect it to run for very long if all you did was put gas in the tank but never changed the oil!

In this article, you will discover 5 phenomenal herbs that can help your body with its detox challenges, as well as the advantages of a topical oil and how to use one. 

Why Detox Anyway?

Heavy toxic load may contribute to obesity, immune dysfunction, allergies, chemical intolerance, cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative conditions, and many other chronic health issues. Assisting your body with its natural detoxification efforts reduces this burden and can improve your mood, energy, mental focus, sleep, skin health – and just about everything else.

Maybe you are already taking a few supplements to support your body’s detox. Maybe you’re consuming a mountain of them but still not feeling your best. Is there another way to get at this? Yes!

Strategies for eliminating the sludge must always start with the basics:

• Eating a healthy diet, high in nutrient dense foods, low in processed foods
• Drinking plenty of pure, fresh water every day
• Getting exercise daily including some that induces sweating, one of the body’s principal methods of eliminating waste
• Plenty of high-quality restorative sleep, prime time for detox

Your Body’s Largest Detox Organ: The Skin

Many people forget about the skin – and it’s our largest organ!

Just as healthy skin is a fabulous barrier for keeping the good things in and bad things out, it plays a vital role in excreting toxins. This is why vigorous exercise and saunas are known for their detox benefits.

But did you know that the skin is equally useful for bringing beneficial things into your body – like herbs, for example?

The millions of blood vessels in the skin are just ready and waiting to drink in those lovely herbs which, once in your bloodstream, can perform their supportive magic on your various other organs. 

There is a substantial body of evidence demonstrating that compounds applied to the skin are absorbed and then circulate throughout the body. While much of this research has focused on synthetic drugs, the same principles apply to natural compounds like herbs. When these compounds are delivered in an oil-based formulation, the carrier oil can enhance their penetration through the skin, allowing them to exert their effects both locally and systemically.

Many plants have been recognized for their ability to assist the body with its cleansing efforts. Let’s take a look at my favorite 5 for giving your liver, kidneys, blood and lymphatics a bodacious boost.

Fabulous 5 Detox Herbs

Here are 5 herbal superstars with a brief summary of how they help us in our detoxification efforts.

Nettle aka Stinging Nettle  Urtica dioica	Urinary Tract, Liver Packed with polyphenols and free radical scavengers, nettles help the liver break down harmful substances; liver protective; diuretic, increases urinary output to help flush out toxins; anti-inflammatory (Bhusal et al 2022)
Red Clover Trifolium pratense	Blood, Lymph, Urinary Tract Rich in isoflavones, modulates detoxification pathways in the liver; improves lymphatic flow; relieves lymphatic congestion; known by herbalists as “blood purifier” and “blood builder,” helps clean up metabolic and extracellular waste; mild diuretic (Acorn School of Herbal Medicine)
Burdock Root Arctium lappa	Blood, Lymph, Liver Blood purifier; improves lymphatic drainage; neutralizes heavy metals; protects the liver; diuretic; promotes circulation to the skin surface thereby increasing waste elimination through sweat; anti-inflammatory (Clare et al 2009)
Dandelion Root Taraxacum officinale	Liver, Gallbladder, Urinary Tract Powerful liver protector; improves liver and gallbladder function; mild laxative; promotes elimination via digestive system; diuretic; anti-inflammatory (Pfingstgraf et al 2021)
Cleavers Galium aparine	Lymph, Urinary Tract Improves lymphatic flow; reduces urinary tract inflammation and congestion; mild diuretic; antioxidant (The Herbal Academy 2016)

Essential Oils for Energy Flow

Essential oils, or the volatile oil compounds in plants, perform special functions to help keep a plant healthy. For example, they help transport vital fluids up from the roots into to the leaves.

These special compounds can assist your body with similar tasks, especially energetically. With respect to detoxification, essential oils can help open up drainage channels, thereby improving circulation and energy flow, which promotes the excretion of toxins out of the body.

Essential oils should be used very sparingly and only when necessary due to their extreme potency. There is an ecological impact as well, as massive amounts of plant material are required to extract a very small amount of essential oil.

That said, essential oils have some lovely health benefits! Three detox superheroes are eucalyptus, juniper, and thyme.

1. Eucalyptus opens up your airways allowing your lungs to rid themselves of embedded crud, as well as promoting circulation; antimicrobial properties also assist in keeping your skin free of infections
2. Juniper stimulates lymph flow, protects your liver, and is mildly diuretic.
3. Thyme helps cleanse the respiratory system, reduces oxidative stress, protects your liver, and supports other detoxification pathways.

The Sesame Oil Superhero

When considering a topical herbal oil, the qualities of the carrier oil should not be ignored. Why not make sure that every single ingredient is contributing benefits?

When it comes to carrier oils, sesame oil outshines the rest for carrying those compounds deep into the body. Sesame oil has been revered for centuries in Ayurvedic medicine for the deepest tissue penetration into your tissues – which is exactly what you want.

But that’s not all - sesame oil has other amazing properties (Lin et al 2017):

1. Antioxidant: Reduces oxidative stress by inhibiting production of xanthine oxidase and nitric oxide, protecting skin from damage and premature aging
2. Pain relief: Proven to relieve joint pain and inflammation
3. Natural sunscreen: Sesame oil filters out 30 percent of ultraviolet radiation
4. Skin renewal: Encourages hydration, cellular metabolism and cell renewal 
5. Collagen: High in essential fatty acids promoting strong cell membranes and collagen production
6. Lymphatic: Sesame oil is a natural detox agent in its own right by promoting lymphatic drainage

Abhyanga, or Ayurvedic Massage

Much can be learned about oil massage from the world’s oldest healing tradition, Ayurveda. Abhyanga is the practice of massaging the body with herbal oils in order to promote circulation, lymphatic drainage and optimal energy flow.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the Sanskrit word for “love” and for “oil” is the same word: sneha. Self-massage is more than just the mechanics of applying oil to the skin – it has been shown to produce physical, emotional and psychological benefits. It induces feelings of warmth, nurturing and comfort.

Abhyanga has been shown to reduce stress, enhance relaxation, deepen sleep, increase daytime alertness, and even improve weight control!

There are a few different approaches to a detox oil massage, but there really is no “wrong” way. Traditionally, the oil is gently warmed first. You can place the bottle in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes, or place a few teaspoons of oil in a smaller vessel and just warm that.

Full-Body Massage: Massage the oil into the skin using long strokes on the limbs and circular motions on the joints. Let the oil absorb for at least 20 minutes before showering.

Lymphatic Drainage Massage: Focus on light, sweeping motions toward the heart to encourage lymphatic flow.

Targeted Detox Areas: Apply the oil to areas such as the liver (right upper abdomen) or kidneys (lower back) to enhance detoxification.

Overnighter: Use any of the above methods at bedtime, but don’t shower until morning. Cover oiled areas with cotton sleepwear to protect your sheets. This is the most intensive treatment as it allows for the greatest absorption time.

Initially, you might start with an evening oil massage, followed by a shower 20 minutes later, then see how you feel the next day. As with any new treatment, starting slow will minimize any adverse reactions such as an unexpected allergy or detox reaction.

As with any detoxification protocol, be sure to stay well hydrated as this assists your body in flushing out what is released.

Taking a binder supplement is also a good idea when detoxing. Binders are substances that grab on to toxins and help move them out of the body. A variety of binders are available such as bentonite clay, charcoal, zeolite, and chlorella. These come as individual supplements or as a combo. I recommend a blend because we all release a variety of different kinds of toxins in our body, and no single binder binds with everything.

A few suggestions for high-quality binder supplements are linked below.

You can purchase my 5-herb detox oil oil here.

Clean Up on Aisle 5

Now you have the basics for doing some - perhaps overdue - spring cleaning! There is no substitute for good diet, exercise, hydration and sleep. However, incorporating a little self-massage with these fabulous herbal helpers is a wonderful way to de-stress while giving your body a significant boost in its detoxification efforts!