If you are feeling slow, sluggish, and just generally unhealthy, then it may be a buildup of unwanted substances in your lymphatic system that is to blame.
Besides excess lymphatic fluid itself, other substances can build up in this system as well, which include, but are not limited to heavy metals, pesticides, and environmental toxins.
As you’ll find out below, the lymph system is vital to your overall health, which means that keeping it free of such contaminants is essential to your overall well-being and health.
Today, we not only want to look at what the lymph system is, but also why detoxing it is so important. We’ll finish things off by talking about some of the best natural herbs and substances that are able to cleanse the lymphatic system, as well as how to put them to use.
What is the Lymphatic System?
Within the human body, the lymph or lymphatic system is a well-known circulatory system that is made up of what are known as lymphatic vessels.
These are similar to blood vessels, but they don’t serve the same function. Lymphatic vessels are designed to drain away extra fluid known as lymph fluid out of the body. In fact, your lymphatic system takes that lymph fluid that passes out of your blood and into your tissues and then returns it back into the blood.
The lymphatic system includes not only the lymph vessels, but also other organs and tissues. These include the lymph nodes, the thymus, the spleen, and the tonsils. Your appendix and bone marrow are also a part of this system.
Its Importance – What Does the Lymphatic System Do?
Although you might now know what the lymphatic system does, you might not realize what its relevance is. As we touched on above, one of the main roles of the lymphatic system is to manage fluid levels in your body.
Technically speaking, the lymphatic system is also designed to react to bacteria, deal with cancer cells, deal with cells and products that would generally result in disorders and disease, and even absorb some of the fats that we eat from our diets.
Most people would refer to the lymphatic system as the sewer system of the human body. Maintaining the lymphatic system is essential for maintaining a healthy immune system, for producing antibodies against disease and infection, for responding to malignant cells and pathogens, for absorbing fats, and more. Defending your body against disease is what it’s all about.
The Importance of Detoxing the Lymphatic System
You might be wondering why we are talking about detoxing or cleansing the lymphatic system. Well, consider that we just referred to it as the body’s sewer system. What flows through sewers? Waste, that’s what!
In your body, all of the nasty components that you eat and absorb throughout a long day can build up in the lymph system. This includes, but is not limited to, heavy metals, environmental pollutants, bacteria, malignant cells, and so much more.
These are all unwelcome intruders, and if they build up in your lymphatic system, they will decrease its functionality. All of those unwanted intruders are contained in the lymph fluid, and this needs to be drained out to remove those poisons. Therefore, lymphatic drainage and cleansing is very important.
The overall result of a lymph system not being cleansed regularly is the human body’s inability to effectively deal with disease, pathogens, bacteria, and everything in between. It’s all about maintaining a healthy immune system.
Herbs That Work As Natural Cleansers for the Lymphatic System
Seeing as cleansing your lymphatic system is so important, let’s take a look at some medicinal herbs that have the ability to do just that.
Goldenseal
One of the best herbs that promotes lymphatic drainage and cleansing is goldenseal, which happens to be both antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory in nature. It contains a variety of natural compounds that help to increase lymphatic drainage, and which also help to cleanse the GI tract. Keep in mind however that it does have a very bitter flavor!
Echinacea
Although the name of this herb may be very hard to pronounce, it is one of the most beneficial substances as far as helping to stimulate the flow of lymphatic fluid is concerned. It is also known for helping to take care of congestion, it promotes the faster movement of white blood cells (therefore aiding in the healthy function of the immune system), and much more!
Calendula
In terms of detoxification and drainage of the lymphatic system, calendula is by far one of the best natural herbs out there. The fact of the matter is that this herb contains a variety of antioxidants and other compounds which help to detoxify not just the lymphatic system, but the whole body. Just like goldenseal, it’s quite bitter, but it also works exceptionally well on this front.
Dandelion
The next herb you might want to add to your arsenal of lymphatic detoxification is dandelion. Whether you want to call it a herb or a flower, it contains a variety of antioxidants and other beneficial substances that are able to help detoxify various organs in the human body, as well as virtually every component of the lymphatic system.
Lymphatic Cleansing Spiced Water
To detox and drain your lymphatic system of unwanted compounds and excess lymph fluid, making your own lymphatic cleansing spiced water using the herbs discussed above is always an option.
There are two ways you can go about this. The first way is to gather all of the ingredients, including dandelion, Calendula, Echinacea, Goldenseal, and optionally cinnamon, ginger, cloves, basil, and fenugreek (all of which are also known for being great lymph detoxifiers), and let them soak in some water for several days. It will take some time for the herbs to infuse into the water.
To speed up the process, you can make a special lymph-cleansing tea using these ingredients. Put all of the desired ingredients into a tea bag or strainer, soak with boiling water, and let sit for up to 15 minutes. Letting the herbs steep in the hot water should infuse all of their most beneficial substances into the tea. Keep in mind that it may be a bit bitter, in which case adding a hint of honey is an option.
Conclusion
As you can see, although keeping the lymph system clean is very important, it’s also not very difficult. With the simple herbal tea we made above, draining and detoxing your lymph system is about as easy as can be! Here’s to your immunity!
Leave a Comment