Most of us have heard about herbal fasting and know what it means, but very few have experienced it and the health benefits it can provide.

We are not recommending that you do a fast - that is up to you. We are just providing information gathered from other's experiences on this subject to encourage you to research and make your own fact-based decisions.

Many of us have heard of fasting in religious or spiritual connotations. People in ancient times fasted to clear their thinking and seek inspiration and enlightenment on important life issues and many who do fast report feeling more spiritual and farther removed from the physical reality. However, one should be armed with good info and a strong sense of purpose---mental attitude is half the battle.

The first thing many think is--I will starve to death, but this is not even close to the truth. If you give the body the nutrition it needs thru liquids, you will only lose the extra weight that you don't need. When you give your digestive system a rest, this gives your body a chance to eliminate extra weight and toxins at a very fast pace. A straight water fast is not recommended, but a fast using fresh squeezed fruit and/or vegetable juices with organic fruits/veggies is possible.

However, you should be in reasonably good health to start with. If you have a serious disease or acute chronic condition, do not attempt it. Check with a local practitioner on this, preferably a naturopathic one, since they should have a better understanding of fasting than most MDs.

Some take supplements when fasting and others don't. If you do, take only pure supplements with no added fillers because pure supplements don't need to be digested. They can be directly absorbed by the body.

Those of you not familiar with the latest on essence herbal now have at least a basic understanding. But there's more to come.

Anytime after the first few hours of fasting, a feeling of weakness may come on. Don't worry, this is a sign that your body is starting to eliminate toxins. These toxins can create cravings when they enter your bloodstream and will usually be most intense during the first few days of a fast. Many interpret the weak feeling to mean that their body is starving, so they need to eat. This is not the case!

Most people don't realize that over 90% of their vital energy is used to process the food they eat. This is because of our modern diet with all kinds of chemicals, over processed foods (white flour, etc.) and artificial ingredients. Have you noticed how tired you feel after you stuff yourself? That's why people on a super healthy diet have more energy. They have less overload on their system and don't have as much toxins in their system. Remember, the human body has evolved over thousands of years to process whole, organic foods.

Compare it to your car--would you dump dirt, water, cola etc. in the gas tank and expect it to run properly? It might for awhile, and then it would quit and need serious attention! Your car needs a pure form of fuel--just like your body does.

Fasting allows your body and especially your digestive system to heal super fast because the workload is temporarily lifted. Usually, your body will go into a kind of rest stage the first three days of fasting, and then will go thru different periods of rest/elimination, depending on individual body factors. After about the first three days, it will amaze you how a pound or two per day of excess weight will literally slide off if you have excess weight. Even more amazing is how chronic aches and pains can disappear when the body has extra energy to repair itself.

Also, when fasting take a good herbal laxative from your local health food store. This will help your body eliminate toxins and repair itself even quicker.

If you want specific info on this subject, your local health food stores can order books on this for you if they don't have them in stock.

Good Fasting!

As your knowledge about essence herbal continues to grow, you will begin to see how essence herbal fits into the overall scheme of things. Knowing how something relates to the rest of the world is important too.

About the Author:

Keith Woolley is the Technical Director of Boots Herbal Stores Ltd. Boots Herbal Stores distribute Solgar Products online from http://www.essenceherbal.com