Drink your Medicine

(Page 4 of 4)

May/June 2001
By Pat Crocker and Susan Eagles 
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Organic farmers use the principles of recycling, interdependency, and diversity in their farm design and farming practices. Organic agriculture is about more than growing food without synthetic fertilizers and chemical biocides. Organic agriculture uses practices that benefit the planet as well as our bodies.

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Because juicing uses fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs almost exclusively, organic produce is clearly the best choice.

Wash well. All fruits, vegetables, and herbs—even if they’re organic—should be washed, scrubbed, or soaked in a tub of cool water to which 2 tablespoons of food-grade peroxide or vinegar has been added. This will remove any soil, as well as bacteria that may have developed during transportation and handling. Spinach and leeks should be soaked to remove grit. Organic produce can be juiced with the skin on.

If you can’t find organically grown produce, you can use the conventional variety, but only if you wash as directed above and remove the peel. However, because pesticide concentrations are especially high in nonorganic apples, Chilean grapes, cucumbers, peaches, strawberries, and apricots, you might consider avoiding using them in juices.

A Word About Herbs

Some herbal practitioners recommend using whole fresh herbs for juicing. This is because, as with fruits and vegetables, only the whole fresh juice, taken immediately, captures the entire synergistic complex of healing ingredients locked within the cellular structure of the living plant.

Most herbalists work with dried form of herbs for medicinal teas because dried herbs are the most widely available and are easiest to store, transport, and work with. For the same reasons, with some exceptions, dried herbs are recommended for use in some of the juice recipes here. However, if fresh herbs are available, be sure to use them. Triple the quantity of fresh herbs for the amount of dried herbs in a recipe.

Adapted with permission from The Juicing Bible (Robert Rose, 2000) by Pat Crocker and Susan Eagles.

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