Flor-Essence 7 Day Herbal Cleanse Review

As you may know, I've really enjoyed getting personally with you lately. Just last month I posted about sex and Ryan Gosling and today we get to talk about bodily functions! Yay!

I know that you're super excited to read about poop, but I will try to keep the details less like "New York Ripper" and more like "Justin Bieber's Live Tour". I know both are pretty nauseating, but one is definitely more gory than the other. (That quip was for for my niece. She better be reading this.) {snickers} 

Flor-Essense 7 Day Herbal Cleanse

I decided to use the Flor-Essence 7 Day Cleanse because it's completely based on natural herbs. What I think is really cool is that it's actually from a formula used by a North American Indian Tribe.

It's made with mostly organic herbs and the tea is rated by the non-GMO project so I know that I'm getting a safe, plant based product. I also really liked this cleanse because it's gentle and less likely to cause any issues. A lot of people who take the regular colon blowouts as a detox end up with chronic constipation and, frankly, that's pretty hard to deal with. Literally.

It claims to do the following:

• Aid in digestion
• Brighten complexion
• Relieve gas and bloating
• Better sleep
• More energy
• Detox from pollutants, heavy metals and toxins

This is not a fasting diet. You are supposed to eat! Just make sure you eat a very healthy diet-- no fast-food or excessive sugar and give up those sodas! Make sure it's packed full of real fruits and veggies (not juices)! You can have meat, but preferably lean meat. And drink A LOT of water. The healthier your diet is, the better you'll feel when this cleanse is over! Eating toxins (processed food, chemicals, sugar) will lessen the effectiveness because the cleanse will have more detox work to do!

The Pill (Pro-Essence)

The pills are, well, pills. They are capsulated so they are very easy to take, but there really isn't too much to say about a pill except you swallow it and that it's not bad. 

The ingredients are prickly ash bark, juniper berry, burdock root, slippery elm and uva ursi leaves. You take one pill twice a day.

These supplements are supposed to help with the urinary tract and stimulate/cleanse the kidneys. So this makes you pee. A lot. Like A LOT.

The Tea (Flor-Essence)

I actually LIKE the tea, but not everyone will enjoy it because it does have some bitters. Bitters are really healthy for your digestive system, but the taste is somewhere between sweet and sour. In fact, coffee and dark chocolate are bitters to give you an idea of what they are. You can add raw honey to spruce it up if you want it a little sweeter. ;)

This tea cleans your body of impurities (heavy metals, pollutants, toxins, chemicals, your own excess cellular waste) which you either pee or poop out.

It's made of the following 8 herbs: burdock root, sheep sorrel herb, slippery elm, watercress herb, Turkish rhubarb root, kelp, blessed thistle herb, and red clover blossom. (They try to source these as organic, but it is not always possible, but it is non-GMO rated). You take 1 oz of the tea in warm water twice a day before a meal.

Store the tea in the fridge after you open it. It lacks preservatives so it's only good for 3 weeks. Do NOT put the tea in the microwave to warm it-- it will destroy the effectiveness of the tea and then you'll be sad that you spent money on something that doesn't work. 

The Dry Mix (Flora-Lax)

The dry mix is my least favorite part of this cleanse, but it actually has to do more with texture than taste. Can you imagine drinking a cup of really thin oatmeal? Yeah, it's pretty much exactly like that.

It consists of organic flax seed, psyllium husks, and oat bran. You take this 3 times a day for a week. There are 4g of fiber per serving (12g/day) which is over half of the daily recommended fiber for a 2000 calorie diet. 

Since it has so much fiber, it is supposed to help detox and cleanse the bowel while also "scrubbing" the intestines free of any gunk that may have deposited to the gut's walls. I'm perfectly aware how gross that sounds, but I did warn you. If you like horror movies then search google images for "plaque intestines". Warning: it's gross.

*For the people who are truly gluten intolerant, it is important to note that there is organic oat bran in this dry mix. Oats are an iffy subject for gluten free individuals, so use your own rule on oats as to decide if this is right for you. (Oats are often processed in the same facility as gluten products and with the same machines). 

If you want more information about each product you can check out the company's website

WATER: Drink it
It's really important to drink 64 oz of water a day (not coke, not coffee, not sweetened beverages-- WATER) while doing any cleanse so you can remove the crap out of your system. Literally. The crap. Did you see the picture? That stuff. Gross. If you don't drink a lot of water you can get quite sick-- so drink!

Plus since you'll be peeing like a race horse (what does that even mean-- do race horses pee more than regular horses?) you need to keep hydrated. Your urine should be pale yellow and if you get any lower back pain/soreness that's your kidneys literally crying out for water. Plus peeing more will help you get rid of the toxins faster! Bonus!!

If you need some tips on how to get enough water into your diet you can read this post: 5 Ways to Drink More Water and Why You Should Do It!

Detox Symptoms
If you're cleaning all that bad stuff out of your cells it has to go somewhere, right? If it starts to build up you may have some detox symptoms such as the following:

• Headaches
• Nausea
• Fatigue (Eeoyre) or extreme energy (Tiger)
• Body aches
• Nasal or sinus congestion
• Sore throat
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Cold Sores
• Skin rashes
• Insomnia
• Increased or decreased sex drive 
• Flu-like symptoms 

I'm perfectly aware that the list sounds a bit scary, but just think about this: the toxins that would cause those symptoms are all just sitting around in your bones, fat cells and in your organs. Stuff like mercury and arsenic and radiation byproducts are just making your body their home. That's actually really disturbing to me so personally, I'd rather get them out. 

My Detox Week (in gory detail)

Day one: I neither died nor exploded. I think that was a success.

Day two: I peed. A lot. I also had the most fantastically large poop. If I knew that was going to happen I would have weighed myself before and after to give you even more uncomfortable information. Sadly, I lack foresight.

Day three: More pee and another gloriously large poo. But now the detox symptoms have begun! I have a slight headache and I'm so tired!  My intestinal movements became… well, noticeable. Do you remember that commercial with the lady sleeping on the couch and the Satan baby trying to escape from her pregnant belly? It's kind of like that. Except it's poo.

Day four:  Ughhh… Don't. Feel. Good. The Satan poop has escaped… twice. Now that the belly has settled down, I'm having a horrible frontal headache with sinus pressure. Detox symptoms-- ugh! Must. Take. Nap.

Day five-seven: Headache improved, energy increased slightly, but two pounds-- gone! Pretty sure it's pounds of poop because I pooped THREE times every one of those days, but whatever. My stomach looks smaller. My jeans fit better. Success!!

And beyond: Overall, I have felt a slight increase in energy, I'm sleeping better, and I do not feel as bloated (and this is a couple weeks post cleanse). I had no poops for 2 days after I stopped the mega dose of fiber, so you maaayyyy want to taper off the fiber slowly instead of just stopping after day 7. However, my GI system has adapted and I'm happily back to my old routine. I even got complimented on losing weight. :) 

So You Wanna Clean Your Gut, too?
If you want to buy the same Flor-essence 7 day Herbal Cleanse kit that I used, then you can find it on Amazon.com for a little cheaper than the retailer's website as of Jan 2014 (factoring in shipping price).

Flora FlorEssence 7 Day Kit, 1-Count

If you just want the tea, you can purchase that on Amazon.com as well with free shipping as of Feb 2014. Flor Essence Herbal Tea Blend

*Remember to try to eat as healthy of a diet as you can. You don't need increased toxins from unhealthy food sources floating around in your system during the cleanse! 

Other Stuff
Excuse me why I say the necessary statement:

{clears throat} These, of course, are my personal opinions and not professional medical advice even though I am a health care professional. If you have any health concerns, please seek a professional opinion from a doctor or health care provider that you trust. If you are taking prescriptions for a medical condition, please check to make sure none of the herbs will effect your medications or medical conditions. Otherwise, trust me at your own risk. {smiles innocently}

Clay Detox Drink

I believe that a nice detox is beneficial every 6 months, but a daily detox also has it's place. I don't think that you should drink the same thing every day because your body can build up tolerances to herbs, but you can do a combination of different drinks throughout the week, or drink one for up to 6 weeks for a specific type of cleanse.

Example: If I drank too much alcohol, I'd drink both the lemon water (boost liver function) and the clay water (to absorb toxins) about 30 minutes apart. I'd drink lemon water all day, but repeat the clay at night if I felt like I needed it.

• Warm water and lemon-- you simply warm 8 oz of water and add the juice of half a lemon. This is amazing for boosting liver function and decreasing inflammation because it's so high in Vitamin C. My aunt and uncle say it helps them sleep better, too and they drink a cup every night before bed. 
• Clay water-- this is a great heavy metal and toxin cleanse. I use 1 tsp of Redmond dry clay in 8 oz of water (warm or room temp). Click here to read the post. 
• Green tea or Rooibos tea- these are jammed full of antioxidants which help reduce inflammation and reduce the risk of many types of diseases. 
• Flor-essence tea- 1 -2 oz of the tea is safe to use daily to help remove toxins and improve organ functions

My Hippie Beliefs about Psycho Microwaves

You guys know that I'm super hippie-ish and slightly crazy, but I wanted to mention the importance of owning a kettle if you're going to do a daily detox or drink coffee/tea. Microwaving water is easy, but it can rearrange the molecular structure of the water. It is highly probable that drinking nuked water daily isn't good for your body. Just sayin'.

I really like the kettle I bought: Cuisinart Enamel-on-Steel Stovetop Teakettle, White (amazon link). It's whistle actually isn't super annoying so I LOVE it. It also is so easy to clean and it's fast to heat up the water.

If you want to read about microwaves and their potential dangers, here's some articles:

Hidden Hazards of Microwaves AND Microwave Dangers

However, to be fair there are studies that claims that microwaves are safe. I am not advocating that you rip your microwave out of the wall and throw it away, but be aware of how it cooks your food and warms your liquids. In all things, education is essential and moderation is key.

And remember...

Disclaimer: I was not paid or compensated in any way for this review, but if you buy any of the products from my recommended Amazon links I will get a very tiny and rather small commission from Amazon (your price stays the same) which I will use to buy more stuff to blog about. True Story.