12/31/2025
This is not a detox. It's better.
After the excess, noise, heavy meals, and disrupted rhythms of the holiday season, the body does not need punishment, nor does it benefit from a drastic or aggressive intervention. What it tends to ask for instead is calm, a return to rhythm, and enough internal space to breathe again.
This is why I do not use the word *detox*, even though the process we are supporting clearly involves elimination. That word has become so closely associated with restriction, moralized discipline, and marketing promises that it no longer reflects what actually happens in the body. Sometimes we simply run out of adequate language, and in those moments, it becomes more useful to describe the process rather than argue over the label.
This five-day herbal support is not designed to force the body to expel anything. It is intended to create the right internal conditions so the body can resume its natural regulatory and eliminatory functions, at its own pace and within its own limits.
What this approach is really about
This is a gentle, five-day herbal plan that does not rely on shock, deprivation, or excessive stimulation. It does not ask the body to give more than it can reasonably offer, especially after a period of excess or fatigue.
The foundation of this approach is one long-infused herbal preparation per day. This is fundamentally different from a simple cup of tea chosen for taste or comfort. Therapeutic infusions are prepared slowly, sometimes for thirty minutes and sometimes longer, in order to extract minerals, bitter principles, and deeper plant constituents that are not accessible through short infusions.
Each plant used has a precise role. None of them “detoxify” the body. Instead, they support the body’s existing routes of detox/elimination in a way that respects individual rhythm, capacity, and nervous system tone.
Why this works
Elimination does not depend solely on the liver or the kidneys. It is also deeply influenced by the state of the nervous system. When the body is under stress, contracted, or locked in a state of constant vigilance, digestion slows, circulation becomes less efficient, and eliminatory processes are down-regulated.
By supporting digestion, circulation, the emunctories, and the nervous system at the same time, this approach creates the conditions in which elimination can occur naturally. The body releases what it is ready to release, without being pushed beyond its limits. That is precisely what makes this approach effective, safe, and sustainable.
Day 1. Gentle awakening of the liver
After a period of excess or slowing down, the liver does not need to be shocked into action. The goal of the first day is to gently re-engage digestive flow and hepatic circulation while respecting the body’s natural rhythm.
Benefits
This infusion supports liver and kidney function, encourages smoother digestion, and stimulates elimination without provoking excessive or depleting drainage.
Plants used
Dandelion leaf (Taraxacum officinale)
Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), included to support calm digestion and nervous system regulation
Preparation
Place one tablespoon of dried dandelion leaf and one tablespoon of dried lemon balm into a heat-resistant jar or teapot. Pour one litre of hot, non-boiling water over the plants, cover, and allow to infuse for thirty to forty-five minutes. Strain, and sweeten lightly with raw honey if desired.
Sip the infusion throughout the day, ideally between meals, to gently support digestion and hepatic function.
Why this combination works
Dandelion leaf provides mild bitter stimulation that supports bile production and hepatic circulation without aggression. Lemon balm tempers this action by calming digestive tension and supporting the nervous system, ensuring that the stimulation remains smooth and well tolerated.
Together, these plants set the tone for the entire five-day process. The emphasis is on support, observation, and listening. The body begins to move again, but it does so at its own pace.
Day two follows tomorrow.
[Inspired, translated and adapted from a FB post by my teacher, Véronique Paré]
