RAW JUICE THERAPY Raw juice therapy is the method of treatment of disease through an exclusive diet of juices of fruits & vegetables. It is also known as juice fasting. It is most effective way to restore health & rejuvenate the body. During raw juice therapy, the eliminative & cleansing capacity of organs of elimination, namely lungs, liver, kidneys & the skin, is greatly increased & masses of accumulated metabolic waste & toxins are quickly eliminated. After the juice fasting, the digestion of food & the utilization of nutrients is vastly improved. An exclusive diet of raw juices of fruits & vegetables results in much faster recovery from diseases & more effective cleansing & regeneration of the tissues. During fasting the body burns up & excretes huge amount of accumulated wastes. Drinking alkali forming fruit & vegetable juices helps in elimination of uric acid & other inorganic acids. And sugars in juices will strengthen the heart. As juices are extracted from plants & fruits, they process definite medicinal properties. Specific juices are beneficial in specific conditions. Besides special medicinal virtues, raw fruit & vegetable juices have an extraordinary revitalizing & rejuvenate effect on all the organs, glands & functions of the body. Favorable Effects The favorable effect of raw juices in the treatment of disease is attributed to the following facts: 1. Raw juices of fruits & vegetables are extremely rich in vitamins & minerals, trace elements, enzymes & natural sugars. They exercise beneficial effect in normalizing all the body functions. They supply needed elements for the body's own healing activity & cell regeneration thereby speeding the recovery. 2. The juices extracted from raw fruits & vegetables require no digestion & almost all their vital nutrients are assimilated directly in the bloodstream. 3. Raw juices are extremely rich in alkaline elements. This is highly beneficial in normalizing acid alkaline balance in the blood & tissues as their is over acidity in most conditions of ill health. 4. Generous amounts of easily assimilable organic minerals in raw juices especially calcium, potassium & silicon help in restoring biochemical & mineral balance in the tissues & cells, thereby preventing premature aging of cells & disease. 5. Raw juices contain certain natural medicines, vegetal hormones & antibiotics. For instance, string beans are said to contain insulin like substance. Certain hormones needed by the pancreas to produce insulin are present in cucumber & onion juices. Fresh juices of garlic, onions, radish & tomatoes contain antibiotic substances. Precautions Certain precautions are however, necessary in adopting an exclusive diet of raw juices. 1. All juices should be made fresh immediately before drinking. Canned & frozen juices should not be consumed. 2. Only fresh ripe fruits & vegetables, preferably organically grown, should be used for extraction of juices. 3. Only as much juice as needed for immediate consumption should be extracted. Raw juices oxidize rapidly & lose their medicinal value in storage, even under refrigeration. 4. If the juices are too sweet they should be diluted in water on 50:50 basis or mixed with other less sweet juices. Fruits & vegetable juices may be divided into six main types. These are: (i) Juices from sweet fruits such as prunes & grapes. (ii) Juices from sub acid fruits such as apple, plum, pear, peach, apricot & cherry. (iii) Juices from acid fruits such as orange, lemon, grapefruit, strawberry & pineapple. (iv) Juices from vegetable fruits namely, tomato & cucumber. (v) Juices from green vegetables like cabbage, celery, lettuce, spinach, parsley & watercress. (vi) Juices from root vegetables like beet root, carrot, onion, potato & radish. Fruit juices stir up toxins & acids in the body, there by stimulating the eliminative processes. Vegetable juices soothe the jaded the nerves & work in much milder manner. they carry away toxic matter in a gentle way. Owing to different actions fruit & vegetable juices should not be mixed together or taken at the same time. The following broad rules should be applied when using mixtures of juices: 1. Juices from sweet fruits may be combined with the juices of sub acid fruits, but not with those of acid fruits or vegetable fruits. 2. Juices from sub acid fruits may be combined with juices of sweet fruits or acid fruits, but not with other juices. 3. Juices from acid fruits may be combined with those of sub acid fruits or vegetable fruits, but not with other juices. 4. Juices from vegetable fruits may be combined with those of acid fruits or green leafy vegetables, but not with other juices. 5. Juices from green leafy vegetables may be combined with those of vegetable fruits or of the root vegetable, but not with other juices. 6. Juices from root vegetables may be combined with those of green leafy vegetables, but not with other juices. A proper selection of juices in treating a particular ailment is very essential. Thus, for instance, juices of carrot, cucumber, cabbage & other vegetables are very valuable in asthma, arthritis & skin disease, but juices of orange & grapefruit aggravates their symptoms by increasing the amount of mucus. Raw juices acts as a cleansing agent & start eliminating toxic & morbid matter from the system immediately. This often results in symptoms such as pain in abdomen, diarrhoea, loss of weight, headache, fever, weakness, sleeplessness & bad breath. These reactions, which are part of cleansing process, should not be suppressed by the use of drugs. They will cease when the body is able to expel all toxins. After the raw juice therapy, return to normal balanced diet should be gradual, & in stages.