Master Cleanser
Posted by: lucie | From: July 15, 2006
That's right, The Master Cleanser! People get so excited when you bring this up. "The spicy lemonade thing?" they say, and launch into a story about how they did it, or a friend of theirs did it, or how they would never do it. I've done it before and I can tell you this: it hurts. Well, for the first four days. And one should always have a toilet nearby when one is master cleansing. I don't think I'd do it while working or attending school, for instance. But if you've got the luxury of some time at home, it's well worth it.
For the uninitiated, a bit of background info: this is a ten-day fast (with a 3-4 day plan for gradually getting back onto solid foods) wherein one consumes nothing but a spicy lemonade concoction comprising distilled water, lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper. Oh, and laxative tea. And, um, salt water to flush things out. I'll be honest with you - I couldn't stomach the salt water last time. I'll give it another go this time, but salt water is pretty disgusting.
The purpose is to dislodge all that nasty stuff in your intestines, cleaning loads of toxins and clogginess out of your body. It works. I can testify to this on the grounds that, when I did it last time, stuff kept coming out, shall we say, even though no stuff was going in. That's my basic math. But beyond that, it has a certain spiritual cleansing quality. Last time I had crazy dreams and filled two notebooks with thoughts, ideas and recollections. It felt productive in more ways than one. So I'm excited to do it again.
If you're going to try it, I'd strongly recommend ordering the 50-page pamphlet (aptly entitled "The Master Cleanser") by its creator Stanley Burroughs. I read it back in the day, so this time the main challenge is simply to find the ingredients I need for the fast. To recap, these are:
lotsa lemons
distilled water
cayenne pepper
grade b maple syrup
laxative tea
So far I've found the lemons and the laxative tea. Maple syrup? They don't really get into it over here. That's alright, I figure, as the main reason for the maple syrup is to provide a few calories and some vitamins and minerals. Generally one doesn't take any vitamins during this fast, but I will probably break that rule and pop a multivitamin in the morning to make sure all my bases are covered. So no big worries on the maple syrup if I can't find any (last attempt will be to go to one of the expat outlets that rents English-language videos and sells such delicacies as peanut butter, macaroni & cheese, brownie mix and other such treats one doesn't find in the local shops - they may have something). Distilled water? I don't think it's going to happen. If the organic health foods store doesn't sell it, I'm probably out of luck. Looks like it's going to have to be Brita-filtered. You take what you can get.
But cayenne pepper - which helps loosen the, uh, stuff in your intestines - seriously, should this be hard to find? It's amazing what kind of items turn into wild goose chases in this city. Like brown wrapping paper for mailing packages, to take a random example - I spent a half a day looking for it once, to no avail. The little things you take for granted in your home country can really lead to confusion and lost time in expatland. I need cayenne pepper, people. Cayenne pepper or bust. I'm willing to substitute honey or some other kind of syrup for the maple syrup, and to do this thing without the purity (and tastelessness) of distilled water. I'm sure it'll still produce good results. But the cayenne pepper, well, I don't know of any substitutes, and when you've only got one ingredient right out of four, that's pretty ghetto. Fifty percent is not exactly fantastic either, but I'll take it.
In other news, silk posted a comment on my park photos entry that made me realize it was hard to see the little naked sprinkler dude, so I'm posting this slightly zoomier version because he's too cute not to see. Please enjoy it as I scour the city in search of cayenne pepper.
What About the Use of Honey?
Honey must not be used at any time internally. It is manufactured from the nectar picked up from the flowers by the bees - good enough in itself, perhaps - then predigested, vomited and stored for their own future use with a preservative added. It is deficient in calcium and has many detrimental effects for the human being.
According to one authority, honey is "a magical and mystical word in Healthfoodland. It is one of the most over promoted, overpriced product being sold to gullible health foodists. The great value attributed to honey is delusive ... honey is only a little less empty and more dangerous than sugar."
Just as with alcohol, honey, being predigested, enters the blood directly, raising the sugar content very rapidly above normal. To correct this, the pancreas must produce insulin immediately or possible death can occur. More insulin than necessary is likely to be produced, and the blood sugar level then drops below normal. This can produce blackout spells and even death if it goes too low. When blood sugar is below normal, a person will feel depressed. The regular use of honey can create constant imbalances, which in turn will adversely affect the normal function of the liver, pancreas and spleen. Hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia are the results of the use of unbalanced sugars. The balanced sugar in maple syrup and sugar cane juice causes no dangerous side effects. All natural fruits and vegetables have balanced sugars in them. Artificial, synthetic, and refined sugars have no place in a natural diet.
I found this on another site regarding the substitution of ample syrup for honey.
Posted by: Yvonne at July 21, 2006 5:20 AM
It’s most important you stick to the ingredients. Most health foods markets sell Maple Syrup Grade B, organic maple syrup. I found my bottle at Whole Foods for $3.94. Do not purchase your syrup from IHOP. It has too many preservatives in their ingredients..Even some you can't even pronounce. Stick to the organic maple syrup for this cleanser.
I recommend the Master Cleanser to anyone that is willing and has the time to clean themselves inside and out. There is an excessive amount of weight loss but once the cleansing is over the weight will return. So, I don't recommend this cleanser to be used for dietary purposes. You will be disappointed towards the end.
Good Luck and Best Wishes
Posted by: Diana Buys at September 10, 2006 9:14 PM
Do you have a health food store in your area. I made one stop to a small healthfood store and they had every ingredient i needed for the master cleanse. (except lemons which are easy to find)Good Luck!
Posted by: LeeAnn at September 13, 2006 8:34 AM
OK I'm convinced but i could only find the Maple sirup A and you should com to the Netherlands to get the cayenne pepper
Posted by: Sherida at October 1, 2006 3:08 PM
i am attempting this diet starting today. for some reason i bought honey instead of the maple syrup. but i do have maple syrup. i am just trying to lose some belly fat. beyonce gave this diet major credit for her recent weight lost for the dreamgirls film.
Posted by: toni at January 23, 2007 5:06 PM
Do not use honey and do not use International House Of Pancakes syrup. Most syrup out there is artificial so you want the pure and real stuff.
Posted by: Ryan Carson at May 1, 2007 10:57 PM
You're supposed to find a tea with senna in it.
However, one thing I noticed was that my bowels were MUCH more sensitive...Even Mint Tea was like a laxative when I was on MC! Thanks alot for the advanced warning, Mr. Burroughs...
So don't drink *any* tea if you're planning on going somewhere where you'd prefer not to have to dash to the bathroom repeatedly. That is, more than you already have to, what with all the fluids.
Posted by: Angela at June 9, 2007 9:27 AM
Im just woudering, you stated that Beyonce used honey instead of maple syrup and lost her belly fat. Then you stated not to use honey. All I want to know is it alright to use honey or not
Thank - u
Posted by: Cheryl at July 29, 2007 2:09 PM
Dont use honey...I would guess that the best substitute would be sugar cane juice or maybe beet sugar since they are also balanced sugars-but they wont it's silly to try subbing...just go get some maple syrup...you can pick it up at trader joes...
Posted by: michelle at August 3, 2007 6:02 PM
I have been doing the lemonade diet twice a year for the past twenty or so. I am about 8 days into it this time and feel terrific. I sleep deeper and dream more when doing the lemonade diet. The salt water flush is very important, and should be done immediately after sleeping for a minimum of four hours, but you must use "sea salt" not table salt. There is a big difference! I have never used the laxative teas, no need, the salt does the trick. I am looking forward to the fresh squeezed orange juice in a couple of days. It is very important to end the lemonade diet properly. I have made myself sick in the past by introducint solids too soon, without the two to four days of oj and soups. I have never used distilled water but have found tap water works fine for both lemonade and salt flush. Good Luck!
Posted by: Colonel at August 29, 2007 10:33 PM
I have been doing the lemonade diet twice a year for the past twenty or so. I am about 8 days into it this time and feel terrific. I sleep deeper and dream more when doing the lemonade diet. The salt water flush is very important, and should be done immediately after sleeping for a minimum of four hours, but you must use "sea salt" not table salt. There is a big difference! I have never used the laxative teas, no need, the salt does the trick. I am looking forward to the fresh squeezed orange juice in a couple of days. It is very important to end the lemonade diet properly. I have made myself sick in the past by introducing solids too soon, without the two to four days of oj and soups. I have never used distilled water but have found tap water works fine for both lemonade and salt flush. Good Luck!
Posted by: Colonel at August 29, 2007 10:35 PM
i think the maple syrup is important for calories, so you don't starve or faint or whatever. i've heard of people using honey instead. just don't go without some sort of sugary substitute.
have you tried going to an international house of pancakes for the syrup? they're all over the world, right?
Posted by: mokin at July 15, 2006 9:31 AM