Since this Coronavirus crisis the world has been divided in two: people who trust their immune system and people who trust governments, media and pharmaceuticals. As you can probably imagine, I fall in the first group and if you are reading this, most likely you are in that group as well. My holistic friends are always sharing information on how to clean your body and they mentioned you can do a detox with cilantro. So I decided to find more information on the detoxification powers of this herb.
Cilantro is also known as Chinese parsley. Its seeds are called coriander, which are also considered a culinary spice. This herb is part of the carrot family and contains a lot of vitamin K, as well as vitamin A, C, folate and potassium. Cilantro is a potent anti fungal, antimicrobial, antiseptic and anti-inflammatory. It is quite easy to grow cilantro in moderate climates. Keep trimming and using the plant to stop it from seeding.
What are Heavy Metals?
We are exposed to heavy metals on a daily basis pretty much. They include aluminum, lead, cadmium, uranium, mercury and nickel. Slowly they become embedded into our bones and central nervous systems. As years pass they accumulate, slowing you down mentally and physically.
Without realizing it, every day you are consuming heavy metals in the food you eat, the water you drink and the air you breath. As pollution increases things only get worse.
Heavy metals enter your body through household and beauty products, dental fillings, environmental pollutants, farmed fish, tattoos and vaccination. Although they are very dangerous, they are widely used in agriculture, medicine and many industries. Burning coal and fossil fuels puts mercury in our environment. Even commercial baby food contains high levels of lead, arsenic, mercury and cadmium! Artificial food additives, dyes, and preservatives are considered neurotoxins.
You can make changes in your life such as selecting what fish to consume, avoid smoking, avoid mercury dental fillings and get a filter for your drinking water. I recently purchased a full house water filter that removes heavy metals. Since I live in the countryside I do not have fluoride put in my water.
Heavy Metal Symptoms
People who have heavy metal poisoning suffer from conditions such as autoimmune diseases, skin irritations, depression, dementia, insomnia, chronic fatigue, anemia, neurological disorders, chronic aches and pains, digestive issues, have higher risks for heart attacks, poor memory and do not recover easily after workouts.
As you can tell, this is very broad, but after a while it can cause very serious conditions that range from heart disease, neurological conditions, dementia, depression, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, kidney dysfunction, paralysis, anemia, autism, infertility, birth defects and thyroid problems. Neurotoxicity is one of the root causes of all chronic diseases.
Doing a detox with cilantro is especially important for people with thyroid problems, which are directly related to heavy metals in the body, since they have the ability to metabolize quickly. These toxins can be chemically similar to iodine (used to make thyroid hormone), so the thyroid absorbs them.
Fortunately, you can remove toxins from your body. A process known as chelation uses agents that bind heavy metal toxin ions, allowing them to be dissolved and excreted in the urine. After you detox with cilantro you will see better skin health, enhanced immunity, stronger digestive function, have more energy, improvements in mental function and repairs in free radical damage.
How to Detox with Cilantro?
Cilantro is a delicious herb that can be added to almost any food both cooked and raw. Blend cilantro with olive oil and lemon juice makes a delicious and easy salad dressing. Some people recommend eating two tablespoons of cilantro pesto for three weeks. Eating it sporadically will help, but it probably is not going to be enough.
There are plenty of recipes to do a detox with cilantro by juicing. It is best to use a juicer and to drink immediately after. You can add ginger, lemon, lime, cucumber, and apple. Turmeric is another plant that is great at detoxification.
Those who detox with cilantro can benefit from its high level of vitamin K, which will improve your hair and skin. I read a blog that mixes cilantro in a jar with water lemon, blackberry or strawberry. The blogger claims after a week her skin cleared. Linalool found in cilantro helps detoxify the liver, so this might be something worth trying!
Expert Advice and studies
Most medical practitioners will use plant extracts, rather than fresh herbs, since they are easier to dose.
In 1995, Dr. Yoshiaki Omura, observed that his subjects had very high levels of mercury in their urine after eating a Vietnamese soup which has high levels of cilantro. He gave his patients with mercury poisoning (caused by dental amalgam which is a silver cavity filling that uses mercury, copper, tin, zinc and silver) cilantro for weeks and successfully eliminated the toxin. He managed to do so by giving an “oral intake of 100 mg tablet of Chinese parsley (Cilantro) 4 times a day” or “oral intake of a mixture of EPA with DHA and Chinese parsley”. You can read about this study here.
Dr. Omura also found out that viral agents and infectious bacteria continued to multiply in deposits of heavy minerals. In presence of heavy metals, commercial antibiotics and even natural antivirals lost their ability to work. After he cleared the metals he immediately treated other symptoms.
Those who want to detox with cilantro in a tincture form, can add one full dropper and one teaspoon of calcium bentonite clay for internal use to an 8 ounce glass of water according to Herbalist Richo Cech.
This clay (called Pascalite) mix can be taken up to three times per day between meals for two weeks to prevent metals from being deposited in the colon. Pascalite will also clean the colon of excess mucus and debris. Start with a lower dose of cilantro and slowly go up. He also suggest to use the tincture in hot water to alleviate headaches. Cilantro has many health benefits besides detoxification.
Other chelators that can produce bowel movement detox of neurotoxins are zeolite, chitosan, charcoal, apple pectin, cholestyramin and chlorella.
Cilantro with Chlorella
Many people detox with cilantro and chlorella (a type of green algae) which is very effective at removing heavy minerals from the body. This combination can lower toxic metals from the brain, liver and kidneys. As well as improve the immune system response. Studies show these two combined can decrease lead absorption and enhance mercury excretion.
Cilantro is such a powerful herb that it can pull metals even out of soft tissue such as the brain. It helps arteries to relax and eliminate toxins. A detox with cilantro can mobilize aluminum, lead, mercury and cadmium stored in bones and the central nervous system. It probably is the only effective agent that can mobilize mercury stored in the intracellular space and the nucleus of the cell (reversing DNA damage of mercury).
The downside of doing a detox with cilantro is that its not a strong binder, thus it can leave particles in the circulatory system allowing they to resettle in new areas. Also, toxins while moving may go from a safer hiding place to connective tissue (where nerves reside) retoxifying the body.
For these reasons it is important to combine a detox with cilantro with a strong chelating agent such as chlorella. Just make sure that your magnesium levels are high before starting this process, since this mineral helps relax arteries making the elimination of toxins easier on the body.
It is best to do a detox with cilantro and chlorella one hour before meals or at night before bed. A low dose of chlorella (.25 – 1 gram) will bind heavy metals from food you eat. 3-9 grams will mobilize heavy metals and is the best strategy for gut detox, restoring bowel functions. Take chlorella first, then cilantro. Do not detoxify permanently, as your body needs some small amounts of heavy metals and breaks. After a mayor detox with cilantro and chlorella, you can do smaller cleanses of two weeks every 3-4 months.
Take both cilantro and chlorella three times a day for up to three months (this is a high chelating dose) to remove up to “87% of lead, 91% of mercury, and 74% of aluminum from the body within 42 days” according to a study done by the The Optimal Wellness Test Research Center in Nevada in 2005. This study also showed that ammonias, nitrates, and nitrogen levels increased by 25%, meaning this combination reduced toxic levels stored intra-cellularly in the body. pH ranges moved 33% in average into the wellness level. This combination of detox with cilantro and chlorella is very beneficial for those that have a very acidic pH.
Activated charcoal can help symptoms of detox. Chlorella complements well with other detox and supporting agents such as sulfur products including NAC, MSM, DL Methionine, taurine and garlic. You can also take zeolites like alli-thiamin, Phospho lipids with Ca EDTA, vitamin C, antioxidants, electrolytes and OSR. Take vitamin C as far away in time from chlorella and cilantro. Fish oils should be taken at the same time as chlorella since they can contain mercury, but they are super important to rehabilitate the membranes.
Risks of Detoxification
It is best to go slow if you haven’t detox with cilantro before. Start with a very low dose of the supplement and slowly increase as you adjust to changes. If the load going through your body is too great and you may go in a crisis if you detox too quickly. Please note that your body will be working hard to get rid of these dangerous toxins and reset your system. It is important to eat well, stay hydrated, sleep and keep active with moderate exercise during detoxification.
Professional medical advise is recommended before starting or if side effects become severe or last more than a week or two.
Common side effects of a detox with cilantro include mood swings, cravings, fatigue, skin irritations, headaches, gas, bloating and bowel movement disruption. Some people may suffer from insomnia, anxiety, low blood pressure and even flu like symptoms. Cilantro can cause food allergy symptoms including itching and hives. It can also mess with anticoagulant/anti-platelet drugs and photosensitizing drugs.
Chlorella side effects include intense bowel symptoms, skin sensitivity to light, allergic reactions, asthma attacks, and green discoloration of the stools. Do not use if you are taking immunosuppressants.
Do not detox from heavy metals while pregnant as it can be very dangerous for your baby or while breastfeeding since it can come out in the milk. People with mental disorders, gastrointestinal problems, allergies and specific nutritional therapies should contact their doctor before doing a detox with cilantro.