So, being true to my tendency to take things to the extreme (moderation is not my forte, friends), I decided to embark on a 5-day liver cleanse, recommended by my personal trainer.
this thing is no joke, people. it’s conjured up by an “herb doctor,” dr. schulze. before i officially accepted the mission i had to get past a couple of unsettling things – 1 being the HUGE red flashing “WARNING” sign on the web site saying the following:
Warning: his knowledge and experience are not necessarily shared, nor have they been evaluated or approved by the F.D.A., the A.M.A., or any other 3-lettered federal, state, or local agency.
Upon entering this site, you hereby agree to take full responsibility for yourself, your health and release, indemnify and hold harmless, Dr. Richard Schulze, American Botanical Pharmacy, Natural Healing Publications, their employees and heirs. Many people have been unscrupulous and misused Dr.Schulze’s copyrighted material and images to mislead the public and sell them inferior products that havemade people sick and even die.
So I don’t consider the FDA to be a reigning source of wisdom, but I mean, that warning is at least enough to make you question this whole thing.
Anyway I ultimately decided not to let these concerns abort my mission.
Yesterday was Day 1 of the cleanse and honestly, it was one of the biggest tests of willpower EVER. first off I had a work dinner at Dos Caminos, where I almost quit the cleanse and relapsed into foodville 3 or 4 times. It’s really brutal drinking water at a high end mexican restaurant, especially when work is picking up the tab.
Later in the evening, I met a couple of friends who wanted to chat at a restaurant. I would have been fine just walking around and talking, but we decided to go to Zoe, where I’d never been before, and to my horror, the waiter brought us a free PIZZA on the house. not to mention the scallops and tuna tartar appetizers that my friends ordered. I now know that if I can get through that on a cleanse, I can get through anything! Pizza & Mexican food are 2 of my favorites and I think it’s for a reason that they were put in my face, as a test. The world really is hilarious, if you think about it. Testing willpower is actually really fun. I highly recommend it. It builds character, if you ask me.
So, onto the specifics of the cleanse. In the morning you have to make this drink that contains the following:
8 oz fresh squeezed juice (i used orange) + the juice of 1 lime and 1 lemon (all organic!)
8oz water
garlic cloves (add 1 each day. so 1 clove day 1, 2 cloves day 2, etc, until you get to 5 cloves).
1 inch piece of fresh ginger (unpeeled)
organic extra virgin olive oil (1 tbsp day 1, 2 day 2, etc until you get to 5 tbsps)
Put it all in a blender and voila! You’ve got your liver flush drink for the day. At first I thought it was disgusting (SUCH a strong garlic taste), but today (day 2) I actually enjoyed it.
After you chug that drink you have to drink 2 cups of herbal tea (you let the herbs sit overnight in water) and add drops of dr. schulze’s detox potion stuff.
there’s also a superfood green drink you have to make in the blender and drink.
for the rest of the day you drink juice and tea, with drops of the detox formulas. It actually is a lot of work!
But it’s an adventure. And I like to get life experiences under my belt. Right now I’m not feeling too hungry but I have a pounding headachce (maybe from not drinking caffiene).
Overall, I’m liking it just because it’s taking me out of my comfort zone.
Angela says
Ugh. The garlic and olive oil in the drink sounds nasty… but keep trying it! How long is the cleanse supposed to go on for? Just 5 days?
Jason says
Yeah, the garlic and olive oil sound like they’d kill me. I love food, I’m not really sure if I could work my willpower over it. I can do it with cigarettes, but not food.
jennysansouci says
yes – it’s 5 days, tomorrow will be my last day! to be honest, i’m starting to like the garlic drink more and more, because the detox tonics and teas are not pleasant. tomorrow i have to add 5 cloves of garlic to my morning drink, so it’s a good thing i won’t be kissing anyone. :)
Jenn M. says
This is hard to get used to but it really really helped me! Keep it up. :)
Jake R. says
I love this detox program! I have been a huge fan of this Dr. Schultz guy and have been ordering his products for over 6 years now. I have bad allergies and they are at a minimal now. I also have not been sick in 6 years! When I feel bad – it goes away in a few hours – not sick for a week like a lot of my friends. The detox drink can be harsh at first, but after you drink it, you get used to it and actually like the taste. Plus your so hungry that it doesn’t matter – you want it. LOL. I saw someone else say they could smoke through it. That defeats the purpose! Its to detox you – cigarettes are the worst thing on this program (not to mention in general).
Terri says
I also have a pounding headache at the end of day 2. Also have nausea and no health problems. Has anyone else experienced this? I’m a bit concerned and don’t know how much more I can take it. Perhaps the toxins are being released which are making me sick to my stomach? I drink decaf coffee. Curious as to why I would have a headache for 2 days now. Can someone give me some advise? Thanks.
Scott M. says
Headache during a detox is extremely common. Without knowing much else about your past, what you eat, habits, etc., it would be hard to say exactly why its so bad. You may want to slow down on the program so as to be able to get some benefit without being knocked out too badly. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and you can very easily spread the detox out over more than one week.
Having said that, headache can be for a number of reasons, to be sure, but in my experience many times it boils down to either toxicity or allergies, with toxicity being what seems most common. I think some things to look into are: Are you constipated? (Meaning, are you having a bowel movement 3 times per day). I know there is debate about this, but during a cleanse, detox, flush, or whatever, the poop train *has* to be moving or you won’t feel well. Dr. Schultze has some excellent help in this area too. (He is the poop Dr.) If this is not the problem for you, then I would consider: What is your exposure to metals? (Aluminum cookware use can leave deposits that cause headaches). If neither of these seem to be the issue, then I would look closely at the ingredients in the drink itself, or other foods you are eating. In the drink, for example, is citrus, which can be a problem for some. If you suspect this might be the case, try leaving out one of the ingredients at a time and see if there’s any difference.
The short term discomfort during a cleanse is worth it in the long run. You may have to slow down or pin point exactly what is going on with you personally.
Scott M. says
Thank you for sharing this drink recipe! i’ve used it over the years and have suggested it to folks who can use a little something to clean out the digestive systems a bit. It is part of the full 5-day program, but it can be used by itself with good results. I wanted to mention: for folks a bit skeptical, this drink is easy to make, and it is surprisingly good tasting (although I can’t get to the 5 cloves of garlic on the fifth day! I have to spread between 2 drinks.)
Trisha D says
I am on the fourth day of this cleanse and have been feeling really bloated and full of gas. My stomach actually hurts after the detox formula and the other L/G formula you have to drink. Has anyone else ever had this side effect? I’m sticking with it because I won’t give up now. One more day to go. It’s a good thing I work alone at home because I reek of garlic and the herb formula. My family is constantly telling me how much I smell. I feel sorry for the people who have to go to a job and do this!! I sure hope this is worth it.
Alex says
I am thinking to get trough one of Shultz’s “5 days” for a long time. The reason why I didn’t do it yet:
1. I tried just formual 1 and 2. I needed to stop on second day, because I experienced very bad headache, so bad, that I couldn’t see or have my eyes open, my stomach was in pain, my back, shoulders, but headache was worse and I couldn’t walk… For now, I just have formula 1 from time to time or for a long time – just to regulate everything around and its enough for me. 2. I wrote to Shultz’s contact numbers and got an answer that they are not have any responsibility and can’t help me. For me, its kind of frustrating. I used to have problems with the kidney stone (emergency as a result), back problems, eye problems, UT problems…well its not very easy unless forget about ))
The only things I forgot I think, that could save me are adsorbing remedies and enema. I deal with it like everyday due to hard behavior and physical condition of my autistic kid and this stuff helping tremendously!! Charcoal, and also Enterosgel, or enema (Shultz’s talk about too) – that is what works for my kid and works for me. I glad I found this page, because I don’t like when I see thousand reviews and all of them 5 stars – there should be downsides for someone who can’t tolerate something or have other stucks and problems. So , thank you for those who share their “bad” experience – im not alone.
Snowboy says
This comment is a little late in the game but I wanted to mention that I love these products! To avoid the side effects and reap the benefits of the liver cleanse you need to do the Colon cleanse first and get the bowels moving or else all the toxins from your body do not get excreted out and are re absorbed into your intestines which will cause headaches and nausea