January sees the detox season, much to my poor husband’s dread and horror!
I do understand because it is such a bad month and if, as I write, the last couple of days have been an indication of January, we are in for some miserable weather.
It is therefore a depressing thought to give up everything that you enjoy in the dark, dank days. I, however, rather relish it because after the initial hardship of the first couple of days, you start to feel really rather energised and definitely sleep better.
My difficulty is coming off coffee, although I know it really does not agree with me, and it is, probably, the one thing I should really give up permanently. As said in a very early article, the best place for coffee is up your bottom as an enema! But it is not such a nice idea!

To speed up detoxing,
I make a lovely tea which includes some of the following herbs:
Dandelion root, which is excellent for dredging the liver of toxins and helps keeps the bowels moving. Burdock root, which helps the liver, is good for digestion, the skin and sugar balance. Yellow dock root, surprisingly delicious as far as herbs go, is a gentle laxative, helping the body get rid of all the toxins and is also very nutritious, containing lots of iron and other minerals. A little bit of liquorice root is added, again this is good for the liver, it supports the adrenal glands, keeps things moving and also acts as a synergist for the other herbs, making the mix all work harmoniously. Fennel seeds are excellent for digestion, settling the stomach and dispelling wind. Some fresh ginger for circulation and calming the stomach. Juniper berries and black pepper for warming up the digestive process, as well as cinnamon bark which balances the blood sugar.
When I say tea, it is actually a decoction and needs to be boiled up to release all the goodness of the roots. I put it in one of those teapots that go on the stove and reheat it during the day so I get at least three or four cups out of it.
Once I accept that there is no coffee, it is surprisingly good and warming and just what you need on cold days.

Fiona Chapman is a Naturopathic Herbalist (Pellyfiona@gmail.com)