Our Favorite Daily Detox Practices

Because while there are inside-out benefits to be had from an occasional deep cleanse, small daily gestures can heal and optimize the galaxy that is our digestive system, too.

Here's what we believe: You are born with all you need to detoxify. Your body is designed to cleanse itself of environmental and naturally occurring toxins via the liver, kidneys, lymph, and skin. But outside forces resulting from your modern lifestyles—things like lack of sleep; sugary, processed foods; stress; and dehydration—can compromise your cleansing systems, leading to toxin buildup and inflammation throughout the body. The truth is that these are everyday realities and often come in waves, flipping the switch in your system to a state of imbalance. The result is added bloat, weight gain, sluggishness, and skin breakouts.

Dr. Aviva Romm, a Yale-educated physician, midwife, and herbalist notes, “We are simultaneously being overloaded by external toxins and under-supported by our diets because our diets are not balanced enough to keep our natural detox processes robust.”

So the quickest, easiest place to start is with your diet, using food as medicine to bring your body back to its natural, evened state. Romm says adding more organic, whole, plant foods to our diet can kickstart the detox process. “Plants carry within them ancient signaling molecules that as humans, we’ve co-evolved to require for our own cellular health,” she says. “These phytochemicals support natural detoxification, mitochondrial function, protect against inflammation and support immunity.” And there’s even more opportunity to detox daily.

To further help your system get back on course, there’s a powerful, functional elixir to be found in a cup or two of superfood herbal tea. 

Daily Infusion That Delivers

Making the simple switch from coffee to a caffeine-free herbal tea is efficacious in two ways. First, you keep the dehydrating effects of caffeine at bay and supplement it with stimulant-free plants and botanicals that work at detoxing your digestive tract, calming your adrenal system which regulates your metabolism, immune system, blood pressure, and response to stress. 

The more detox-promoting ingredients in your cup, the more effectively you fortify your body throughout the day. Some of the most effective ingredients are red rooibos, lemongrass, and rose.

There are opportunities you can take each day to help your body naturally cleanse, calm and thrive.

Red Rooibos is a red herbal tea that comes from the fermented leaves of the Aspalathus linearis shrub, a plant native to South Africa. In addition to its sweet, delicate flavor, rooibos is packed with several antioxidants, notably quercetin and aspalathin. These antioxidants have been shown to prevent harmful free radicals from damaging cells in the body.

Lemongrass is a medicinal plant long used in Chinese medicine to alleviate bloating, constipation, and indigestion, all common signs of an off-balance system. The plant’s key component, citral, helps your body properly digest food. Lemongrass is also an effective diuretic, relieving fluid retention that arises from stress, salt intake, and food sensitivities.

Fragrant rose petals and buds have been ground into tea for centuries. In addition to adding a pleasant floral aroma and flavor, rose petals contain concentrations of polyphenols, a micronutrient studied to improve digestion, manage weight and disease prevention. This natural, mighty trio of compounds is what makes Sakara’s Detox Tea an ideal sidekick to a plant-based diet. Each work separately and together to support your body’s natural cleansing powers and rebalance your hunger hormones to a healthy state. Naturally sweet and citrusy, two cups a day is enough to help maintain weight, reduce bloat, and keep your body’s natural detox system in working order. The satisfying taste also can curb sweet cravings, and wrapping your hands around a warm cup instantly soothes and calms. 

Embrace a Ceremony

There are few times in a busy week that you take time just for yourself, a small window to stop, breathe, hear your thoughts, and set an intention. Preparing and slowly sipping a cup of tea is a ritual you can find time for over the course of the day. It can be minutes in the morning before the hectic day begins, a 15-minute break in the afternoon, or a quiet moment in the evening when the world finally slows down. While a traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony takes hours, the intention is to find respect, purity, and harmony in our lives. The same spirit can be harnessed in this small, reverent break. While showing love to your body, you're honoring your mind as well: science research shows that small mental breaks provide a physiological reset, improving productivity and sparking lasting creativity. 

More Doable Acts of Detox

There are opportunities you can take each day to help your body naturally cleanse, calm, and thrive. Incorporate any of the following to supercharge your system and soak in the balance, energy, and joy it brings.

Move More

Every form of exercise has body, mind, and soul benefits. Working up a good sweat helps release tension from your body and anytime you get the blood moving for 45 minutes or more, you are amping up a healthy metabolism rate that delivers for hours after.

Go to Sleep

When you sleep, the brain reorganizes and recharges itself, removing toxic waste by-products that build up through a busy day. Allowing your body sufficient time (as in, seven hours minimum) to rest allows your body to recharge and protect itself from inflammation and disease.

Drink (and Eat) Your Water

Staying hydrated supports digestion and aids in detoxifying your body. And healthy hydration means ingesting lots and lots of water-rich plants. Try snacking on cucumber, romaine lettuce, fresh berries, and melons—all of which are over 90 percent water.