The Health Benefits of Warm Lemon & Cayenne Pepper Water
Detoxification Nutrition Real Food Recipes
Warm lemon and cayenne pepper water is touted as a detoxifying and metabolism-boosting natural remedy. Why? Does it actually work? And do you need to do some drastic “cleanse” to get all of the benefits? (Spoiler: NOPE!) Let’s take a closer look…
I want to be clear upfront: no, this is absolutely NOT a post about a cleanse where all you drink is lemon and cayenne pepper water for a week in the name of detoxification or to achieve drastic weight loss.
Eek, does that thought make me cringe!
While I’m all about detox, I believe in gentle boosting your body’s detox pathways and with a food-based approach. Yes, you can still eat and detox! (And eat and lose weight, for that matter.) YUM!
However, drinking a warm glass of water with fresh-squeezed lemon juice and cayenne pepper is something I do every morning to give my body’s detoxification pathways and metabolism a little boost.
So how does it work?
Lemon and cayenne pepper are one powerhouse duo with serious health benefits.
Both are great at giving the body’s detox pathways, digestion, and metabolism a boost.
Lemon
The vitamin C in lemon transforms toxins into digestible material. Lemons are also packed with antioxidants and electrolytes like potassium, calcium, and magnesium. This tart fruit is also known to stimulate the liver’s natural enzymes by helping to oxygenate the body.
Lemon also stimulates the secretion of gastric juices, aiding the digestion of your breakfast that will follow. Since proper digestion is absolutely critical to a healthy body, this drink is a great way to set the stage for a day of healthy digestion.
To boot, lemons, though acidic, helps neutralize the body’s pH by making it more alkaline. pH imbalance has been attributed to numerous disorders as well as chronic illness.
Cayenne pepper
Cayenne pepper stimulates the circulatory system by opening the capillaries, aids digestion, and helps regulate blood sugar. It can also increase your body temperature and speed up your metabolism.
NOTE: Be sure to always buy non-irradiated cayenne pepper (and all spices) since irradiation can reduce the health benefits!
I like to start each morning with a glass of warm water with lemon and cayenne pepper to get these benefits.
Though lemon and cayenne pepper have achieved quite a bit of fame thanks to “The Master Cleanse” — a protocol that involves drinking water, lemon, cayenne pepper, and maple syrup for a few days to detox and achieve quick weight loss (no, it doesn’t sound very pleasant to me either!) — you don’t need to do this drastic cleanse in order to reap the rewards.
I do a “mini master cleanse” each morning.
It’s such a super simple addition to your health and wellness routine and a great way to start the day off on the right foot.
So here’s what I do: sometime after waking but before eating breakfast, I warm a pint of water (slightly warmer than body temperature but not hot), juice half a lemon directly in the glass using a wooden citrus reamer, and top it off with a few sprinkles of non-irradiated cayenne pepper (since, again, the process of irradiation reduces the nutritional profile and natural medicinal properties of herbs and spices, and we don’t want that!). Lastly, I mix everything together and chug*. I follow this with about a half glass of plain water, and wait 15-30 minutes before eating breakfast to let the drink work its magic.
*Note: I use a glass drinking straw with this drink to keep the acidic lemon from wearing away my tooth enamel. If you choose to try or adopt this practice, I highly suggest investing in these straws. Unlike plastic straws, they will not leech any harmful chemicals.
Interested in holistic health and natural remedies?
Yes? Well then you’re in the right place!
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No, but I would suggest drinking on an empty stomach if possible.
is it only effective taken in the morning? Or can it be taken later in the day. I go to the gym first thing in the morning so making this drink won’t be feasible.
Both lemon and water are diuretic too…
Cayenne is a diuretic, just like coffee.
Am using it,it works greatly
You don’t mean word-for-word?? I wrote this post a few years ago before her book came out.
I just read the same material, almost identical, including the glass straw from recently published book, “The Food Babe Way” regarding cayenne and lemon water. (p. 81-83).
Have been hearing this for months and finally started this week with my husband. The first time was the hardest. The straws help drink it. I need to get better cayenne pepper – so I appreciate the link because I might just buy it onliine. Its been 4 days and we feel good. My appetite is greatly diminished – which is both good and bad. I try to make sure that my means are meaningful.
I don’t have any lemons but lots of lime juice. Will that work instead?
Most it have to be worm water mixe with lemon or i can use cold water?
How can i used Lemon and cayane for liver and kidney pains. I also advise Peoples to use Black seed oil,because it contains many things but peoples did not know.
I have been taking lemon&honey &also Amla juice for quite along time; I thought it could lower my blood cholesterol,but it did not. what to do?
Cayenne – Start by taking ¼ teaspoon of this herb three times a day. Gradually work up to 1 teaspoon three times a day. Dissolve the cayenne in 4-6 ounces of distilled water. Drink this, and then chase it
with more distilled water. Cayenne is a pure stimulant, increasing the functional activity and
energy in the body. It is a specific food for the heart and blood vessels and helps them regain
their elasticity. It equalizes the blood circulation throughout the whole body, thus it is valuable
for any hemorrhage (whether internal or external) and for restoring normal blood pressure.
Cayenne heals stomach and intestinal ulcers, stimulates the peristaltic motion of the intestines,
has antiseptic qualities, and much more. Cayenne is the strongest of the three categories of
Capsicum (paprika, red pepper and cayenne). Any Capsicum that has over 25 BTU’s (British
Thermal Units) is classified as cayenne. At times you can purchase cayenne with as much as
10,000 BTU’s, so decrease your dosage if it is too strong (too hot) for you. To assure that you get
good quality cayenne, we recommend that you buy it at a health food store.”
from dr. Christopher: http://www.herballegacy.com
– supplements for maintaining good health
This works well in early morning empty stomach. But for better results, we should also channel the whole day in a healthy way. Otherwise its effects will be null.
Should i be drinking this once a day?
I’m loving this! I started drinking it after a 3-day juice cleanse and my first juice in the morning was this exactly during said cleanse. On the 4th day, I found myself craving the flavor and missing the energy it gave me. I never once missed coffee during my cleanse and I no longer drink coffee in the mornings. Also, I lost 6 lbs with the cleanse and I’ve been eating healthier ever since (1 month) and I suspect the lemon water and cayenne do have something to do with my flat stomach. I’ve never had a flat stomach in my life, needless to say, I’m ecstatic! Having been able to quit coffee is more than enough motivation to try this. Good luck to all and thanks for sharing, Nadia! I googled this to learn if it can be ingested over long periods of time. Seems like it 😀
If you want to lose weight, you’re going to need to do more than just drink some miracle tonic.
Will this help me lose weight?! That’s really all I need and wanna know. Lol
No, that is not possible but best of luck.
I heard of this through a friend, have been trying it. Cant wait for results.