11 Herbal Detox Drinks for Summer

Putting together your favorite drink combinations using herbs you know are healthy can be super fun and delicious. Sometimes it’s finding the best combination. You may learn that a particular herb makes great herbal detox drinks and yet find that it’s too bitter or strong for your taste. Instead of giving up on that herb, try it with a fruit or start drinking it with a bit of honey.

Finding What’s Best for You

All of the recipes below are delicious and mild.

Feel free to add more honey or more fruit if you are used to a sweeter drink. Work with what you like first. After all, if you don’t like it, then you won’t keep drinking it. Work your way slowly toward less sugar and more herb for optimal health benefits.

If you are already on a healthy diet of incorporating herbs and bitters into your day, then feel free to cut back on fruit or honey and add more herbs. Keep the fruits, because they are definitely beneficial, but feel free to mess with the ratios.

Why Herbal Detox Drinks

First of all, herbal detox drinks can be super delicious! I love fruit and herbal drinks and will pass up cake and cookies for a great healthy drink. I have to watch that, because it’s a slippery slope to sweet coffees. Instead of falling into that bad habit, I purposefully find delicious drinks that I know I love and keep the ingredients handy. I find myself craving my kombucha. It’s something my body needs and calls out for, so filling that with a drink instead of a pill seems like the perfect choice.

Second, the health benefits of herbal detox drinks are huge! These drinks can literally cleanse your liver, kidneys, bladder, and increase your metabolism, immune system, and therefore energy. I’ve added a little information about each drink and it’s biggest benefits before each recipe. So, make sure you read those and find what your body needs most. Make a few different recipes so that you are boosted from multiple directions. Have fun!

11 Herbal Detox Drinks for Summer

1) Detoxing Blackberry Cucumber Mint

Cucumbers help to calm and bring down blood pressure, and is a great antioxidant that will help detox your body. Mint is cooling and great for hot days. Blackberries have all the right vitamins for brain and overall body health. They make a tasty addition to this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 washed and thinly sliced cucumber
• 2 cups fresh mint, bruised
• 2 cups fresh or frozen blackberries
• 8 cups filtered water

Directions:

1. Bruise the mint by smashing and tearing the leaves in your hands, or by roughly chopping them.
2. Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher and stir.
3. Chill and enjoy. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.

2) Body Boost Ginger Kombucha

I love kombucha. It has more vitamin C than orange juice. It’s full of probiotics and vitamins, and is a powerful antioxidant. By adding ginger to your kombucha, you are adding a strong anti-inflammatory, and therefore pain reliever.

To make your own kombucha, get started HERE.

To add ginger, add a few finger length slices to your second fermentation.

3) Calm and Cool Chrysanthemum, Ginseng, and Raspberries

Chrysanthemums are great for helping the body to cool down. It is also considered a calming herb when ingested. There are a lot of ginseng varieties. I actually have a wild ginseng that grows around me that is perfect for this drink (tough it must be harvested very responsibly)! If you’re going to purchase ginseng, Organic Chinese or American Ginseng is a good choice. Ginseng, as an adaptagen, will increase energy and overall health.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons dried ginseng
• 2 cups dried chrysanthemum flowers
• 2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
• 8 cups filtered water

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a large pot over medium/high heat and bring to a simmer.
2. Turn the burner to low and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes and remove from heat.
3. Strain, Allow to cool, then keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.

4) Happy Tummy Red Clover, Mint, and Lemon Balm

Red clover is very high in tocopherols – a type of vitamin E that is a strong antioxidant. Mint tastes great, is wonderful for cooling the body on a hot day, and helps improve blood circulation. It’s also great for digestion. Lemon balm is one of my favorite plants to grow. Also known as Melissa, Lemon Balm is very calming to the nervous system, and is known these days for it’s amazing ability to stop cold sores before they get going. As a drink it calms the stomach and reduces nausea as well.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Red Clover flowers
• 1 cup Peppermint or Spearmint leaves
• 1 cup Lemon Balm leaves
• 8 cups filtered water (1/2 gallon)

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a large pot over medium/high heat and bring to a simmer.
2. Turn the burner to low and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes and remove from heat.
3. Strain, Allow to cool, then keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.

5) Blueberry Basil Orange

Blueberries are known for their detoxing and antioxidant abilities. They also high in vitamins, including B6, which support your immune system. Basil is an anti-inflammatory, calming anti stress agent, and immune booster. Oranges have more than vitamin C. They also improve digestion and brain health.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups frozen or fresh blueberries
• 1 cup fresh Basil leaves, bruised (For extra health benefits try Holy Basil)
• 1 orange washed and sliced
• 8 cups filtered water (1/2 gallon)

Directions:

1. Bruise the basil by smashing and tearing the leaves in your hands, or by roughly chopping them.
2. If using frozen berries, jut add them to the water. If using fresh, put them in a bowl and gently smash them before adding them to the water.
3. Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher and stir.
4. Chill and enjoy. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.

6) Elderberry Ginger

This is a great tea that I like to drink during the winter, but it’s wonderful to drink cold during the summer as well. Elderberries help to stop a virus or bacteria’s ability to enter cells and multiply, shortening illnesses and boosting the immune system. Ginger reduces inflammation, helping to reduce joint pain. It also soothes stomach issues and digestion.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dried or fresh elderberries
• 2 Tablespoons fresh chopped ginger (1 teaspoon ground ginger)
• 1/4 cup raw honey (more or less to taste)
• 8 cups filtered water (1/2 gallon)

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil.
2. Turn the burner to low and cover. Simmer for an hour and remove from heat.
3. Strain, allow to cool, then keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.

7) Pineapple Mango Turmeric

Mangos and Pineapples are strong antioxidants, packed with vitamins and minerals. Turmeric’s anti-inflammatory abilities are huge! Because of this, it is great for joint pain and pain relief. More research is being done now concerning its effect on Crohn’s disease, diabetes, and weight loss.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups chopped pineapple
• 1 mango chopped
• 2 Tablespoons turmeric powder
• 8 cups filtered water (1/2 gallon)

Directions:

1. Grind mango and pineapple in a mixer and blend.
2. Add fruit and turmeric to water and mix. Strain if desired.
3. Chill and enjoy. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.

8) Nettle Hibiscus

Nettle is a wonderful herb. It grows everywhere around us, so it’ easy to find some to harvest for great soap and shampoo, other skin applications, and drinks. In drinks, nettle is wonderful for joint pain and inflammation. It also helps relieve seasonal allergies. Hibiscus boosts the immune system and helps digestion. It increases metabolism and even helps fight insulin resistance.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups fresh nettle (1 cup dried leaves)
• 4 hibiscus tea bags
• 8 cups filtered water

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil.
2. Turn the burner to low and cover. Simmer for an hour and remove from heat.
3. Strain, allow to cool, then keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.

9) Anti Inflammatory Licorice Goji Berries

Goji berries help boost the immune system and reduce inflammation. So does Licorice root! Licorice is known for its anti-viral properties that help heal the body quickly. Most importantly to me, licorice root has very little actual “licorice” flavor. The Licorice and Goji berries add a sweetness to the drink that’s all natural, making this delicious.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup licorice root
• 1/2 cup goji berries
• 8 cups filtered water

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil.
2. Turn the burner to low and cover. Simmer for an hour and remove from heat.
3. Allow to cool and then keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.

10) Weight Loss Coconut and Lavender

Coconut has great fatty acids which benefit hormone messaging. It has also been used to moderate appetite, as well as increase metabolism. Lavender detoxes, reduces inflammation, and is calming, helping to reduce stress.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup lavender flowers
• 1 cup non-sweetened shredded coconut
• 2 Tablespoons raw honey (optional)
• 8 cups filtered water (1/2 gallon)

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a large pot and bring to a simmer.
2. Turn the burner to low and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes and remove from heat.
3. Strain, allow to cool, then keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.

11) Dandelion Lime

Ingredients:

• 3 cups young dandelion flowers and leaves (large leaves are bitter)
• 2 limes, sliced thin
• 8 cups filtered water (1/2 gallon)

Directions:

1. Combine dandelions in a large pot with water and bring to a simmer.
2. Turn the burner off and allow to cool.
3. Strain.
4. Add limes and stir. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.

Remember to mix and match if you like. Add fruit if you’d like a sweeter taste. Add honey if desired as well. I hope these inspire you to create your own combinations and have fun with beneficial herbs.