The master cleanse includes maple syrup, which I would not want to use; as, it contains sugar. Apparently the purpose of the maple syrup is not to cleanse, but to provide vitamins. I already take many nutritional supplements for such. So, if taking proper nutritinal supplements can the maple syrup be dispensed with?

What's master cleanse? sounds like something my house needs...

The master cleanser is a 10 (or more) day fast drinking a mixture of lemon juice, maple syrup, water and cayenne pepper. At night you drink a mild laxative tea and in the morning flush out with a quart of water w/ salt. If you do a search, you can find the pdf online. The purpose of the cleanse/fast is to 'clean' you out and the book recommends a vegan diet when you return to eating. My dh and I tried this last September after we got back from a completely decadant trip to Vegas. This fast turned me from an almost 5 year vegetarian back to a carnivore which eventually led to atkins, so it wasn't all bad. I was miserable, only lasted 6 days of the 10 and lost only 1 or 2 pounds (my dh lost 15). To not eat solid food for six days and not really lose any weight was a total mind#$&*. It really brought home the problem my body has with carbs, even on only maple syrup my body held on to every calorie. I wouldn't substitute anything because without the maple syrup you are basically only drinking water. I am one of those people who will try the latest craze because I enjoy experimenting but the master cleanser was a total bust. I may not be losing what I want to eating low carb, but I have more energy and I don't need anymore afternoon naps.

The master cleanse may have its place, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone whose body has a problem with sugar (like mine). Also, the thought behind it and the diet to follow afterward are completely counterintuitive to Atkins or any low carb.

i did it for 1 day and was sooooooooo sick the next day that I gave it up and turned to Atkins.....starving yourself and fasting is just not the way to go....you feel awful and tired and just plain wretched....at least I did and that was for one day!

I have heard of a celebrity who drinks the stuff everyday, not necessarily as part of a fast but just as an aid to flusing out the body and keeping the intestinal tract healthy. She had somesort of intestinal disease which this cleared up and in the process lost 60 pounds. I just read something today about how the cayenne pepper has a nutrient that is very healthful. So has anyone tried in just a drink supplement, without going on a fast?

lemon juice in lukewarm water first thing in the morning is an old folk remedy to help things 'move' along, so to speak....
cayenne pepper is excellent for a number of things - I sprinkle it on my salads. If you drank this as a supplement and not a fast it wouldn't hurt anything but I suspect the clearing up of the intestinal problem (are you talking about Robin Quivers ) came from fasting and flushing out everything, not necessarily from the properties of the drink. just my opinion.

The celebrityis Robin Quivers. What I am wondering is, is it the pepper or the lemon or both that help keep the intestinal tract cleansed or is it fasting and flushing with large amounts of water?

I did the Master Cleanse for 7 days last September. It actually worked really well for me. I did use the maple syrup, but still lost weight. I think I lost about 14 lbs in the 7 days. Some came back immediately as soon as I started eating again, but overall still lost 11 lbs on it.

It was an interesting experience, very liberating to know I could go 7 days without food. Learned alot about mental hunger vs real hunger. Unfortunately, I didn't have any great detoxing benefits, but it was still an interesting experience.

Valerie

I just heard about this a couple of days ago, when a friend was making a run to Costco for more maple syrup. JMO, but it sounds like another one of those crazy fads...remember the grapefruit diet? Anyway, wouldn't your body be losing muscle mass by not eating? Not exactly desirable weight loss.

I couldn't imagine going that long without food.

Vikki

It just sounds plain skeery to me

I couldn't imagine a 10 day liquid fast without any solid food. I think I'd get nuts smelling the food that others around me are eating!