Here’s another question from a reader about the salt water flush.
“I’m on my third day of cleansing now. I bought your master cleanse book online and following it. I’m having a hard time doing the salt water laxative. I’m doing the herbal laxative and psyllium, but I read that salt water flushes are better. I am trying my best to drink it but I really can’t stand the salt water taste, especially with warm water and having to drink 25 ounces of it. It makes me want to throw up. I tried mixing it with 1/2 cup water instead and that i can tolerate and follow it with a lot of water afterwards. is that ok? Will that have the same effect?”
I have to admit that the salt water laxative is one of the least desirable parts of the master cleanse. I haven’t met anyone who actually enjoys the taste of the salt water laxative, but it really does do a fantastic job of increasing the frequency of your eliminations.
To make it easier to get down you can, as the reader above mentioned mix a small amount of salt water that you can get down in one or two gulps then follow it with a big glass of plain water.
Another tip that might help would be to mix the salt water laxative with cold water instead of warm water.

{ 54 comments… read them below or add one }
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Where else can I find the books? Barnes and Noble?
I have all the info about the Master Clense diet and will be beginning it this weekend, however I have 2 medications I need to take. One , Synthroid, and Xanaz, for (panic attacks). witch I have once in a great while, but the .25mg. needs to be taken only 2 times a day. So Is this a safe thing to be clensing my body and is this going to have a big impact to me? Some body tell me soon if you can help. 05/29/07….
I have a question about the salt water flush. Would it be ok to add a little cayenne pepper in it? Just plain salt water is harsh tasting. I’m thinking the cayenne pepper would have a broth-like flavor. Making it a little more bareable. Any thoughts?
WHERE DOES ALL THE SODIUM FROM THE SALT WATER GO? DOES USING MORE CAYENNE PEPPER HELP YOU LOSE FASTER AND WHAT IS THE REASON FOR THE CAYENNE PEPPER. wHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GRADE A AND GRADE B SYRUP AND DOES IT REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
i purchased the book online and trying to following i have not made it though it is due to my mind and not anything else. i’m not hungry and still i have eaten at day 4 and again at day 5 but i refuse to give up! so now i’m on day 3 again. i’ve purchased everything listed in the book p. husk, hoodia, sea salt and smooth moove i have organic lemons/grade b organic syrup the works plz pray i make it this time. again i believe i’ll make it this time. what can i do. i met a couple of women while shopping in a health food store who have done it successfully more than once they really incouraged me. i just have to succeed
This questions is really a yucky one, I’m sorry. This is my 2nd day. The night before I did the laxative tea (Smooth Move) and this morning I did the salt water laxative. All I’ve had since yesterday is diarrhea. It’s really bad. Should I cut back on the laxatives? Can you suggest something?
Thanks.
How much of the sea salt laxative is one to consume? I know the mix is 1 tsp. to 25-35oz. of water, but do you have to drink the whole mixture in one sitting? Or can one drink less (8-16oz.)
I initially found the salt water flush difficult and decided to add a little cayenne pepper to it. Surprisingly enough it tastes like a broth and late enough in the night is (i feel like i’ll be judged)as enjoyable as any laxative can be. No matter what it’ll get your guts rumblin’
I tried the salt water flush yesterday and nothing happend. . I added 2 teaspoons of salt to 1 quart of warm water and just sat around waiting. I’m sure all the salt got absorbed into my system. what is the meaning of this!!?
Hi Bridgette. Did you use regular table salt? If so, that’s the problem. You have to use NON iodized salt. Sea salt is the best. It will have the same effect as if you had been swimming in the ocean and swallowed a bunch of the water. I know because I did this often in my teens and early twenties when I spent nearly every day at the beach
Good luck to you.
Hey There I like to know whats the deal with a Or b MAPLE Syrup!!!!!??? I have been on it 2 week and I have lost 4 pounds Wow Huh I should have lost more But It’s my fault I kind of cheated I had crackers Oops
What foods can I eat, when I’m on this diet, I have to take blood pressure medication, or can I take it safely without food.
I’m at day 6 with my master cleanse, but I find that I am not producing daily bowl movements and very little urination, with no big desire to drink a lot of water, but I have been losing weight, feeling light and energetic. Also hungry. So, is the sea salt good to use in order to help me with the bowel movement? A respond is needed. Thanks.
I tried to start the salt water flush last night but nothing happened. I used 2 tablespoons of sea salt to one liter of water. I would appreciate any suggestions.
You’re supposed to do two teaspoons, not tablespoons of salt to one liter. And it’s better to do it in the morning, and leave the tea for the night. According to other people, if you eat a lot of meat and dairy, it could take you a bit longer to actually eliminate. Try adding a little more salt to the water, make sure you are massaging your colon, and make sure you follow along with the rest of the cleanse.
I purchased your Master Cleanse Secrets Book on line a couple of months ago but I’m having formatting problems with it and I can’t access it on my computer.
Help.
Thanks,
I thought it was two teaspoons and 1 quart of water not a liter
a quart is almost the same as a litre
i wanted to know if you can mix the tea with the salt water? will it still work?
The salt water is the worst.. For me if its warm.. it works out better. I have a cup of warm Salt water in one hand and a cup of cold water in the other hand. I take one big gulp of the salt water and immediately one gulp of the cold regular water. This helps with the whole immediate gagging reflex of the salt water. I stand over the sink and try to get it all down. I usually get down a little over half of what is reccomended but it still works really REALLY good. haha. Hope this helps:)
I am now on day 15 and didn’t enjoy the first day of sea salt but after the first day i’ve started to enjoy it. Whenever I get the urge to eat I drink a glass of water with lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and maple syrup. I’ve lost exactly 15 pounds to date. Still a little pudgy so I think I’ll stick with it for maybe 40 to 60 days. Oh i’m still playing golf so i’ts really not to bad. If you are new at this hang in there and it will get much better. I am not a doctor but i have discovered that my health seems to improve with each day. Maybe I dont need medicine after all.
Sitting sipping on my ”lemonade”, on day one..this is the 3rd time I’ve down the cleanse in 2 years. I always feel so much better after it but the salt water is my down fall, I have that hardest time getting it down. I read a few tips today that I will try but has anyone tried another kind of morning laxative that is as effective. I need to do this so I have to find a way!!!
hi
i am having a major problem with drinking the salt water. i managed to drink only two mouth full. does anyone have any suggestions.
I am on my first day of the cleanse. Do I have to do two different laxatives or can I just stick to the sea salt?
I have a feeling that either a lot of folks in this forum have not read ALL their homework before starting a cleanse of this magnitude or have done little or none at all.
I am not saying that to be mean, but I want you do thoroughly research the details of such a radical cleanse before you start asking non-experts (as smart, experienced or well-intentioned as they may be). This cleanse is NOT a diet, stop talking about your weight!! YOU ARE MISSING THE POINT BY A LONGSHOT. This is a highly effective cleanse for overall health and for special purposes. You should know exactly why you are doing your cleanse first.
You use Grade “B” maple syrup (among other reasons) because it is a late harvest, darker syrup that contains most of the minerals and nutrients that you will essentially need to survive during you cleanse without interrupting it.
You need to drink your tea (Smooth Move(tm) is popular and effective) at night just before bed.
You NEED to do your SWF (salt water flush) first thing in the morning, giving yourself roughly 4 hours to eliminate. This is not an optional or replaceable step! Do not let some amateur tell you otherwise. You may not reduce the amounts, however you may increase them in safe increments. The salt should be non-iodized Celtic Sea Salt. This is for a good reason, don’t try to substitute! The correct measurements should be as follows. I make these in one gallon increments for simplification:
The “Lemonade”
1 and 3/4 cup Organic Grade B Maple Syrup
1 and 3/4 cup fresh squeezed Organic Lemon Juice
2 teaspoons Extract of Cayenne (assimilates better than the ground cayenne)
1 gallon of Filtered Water (it is ok for it to be run through an alkalizing machine)
DRINK 1/2 GALLON EVERY DAY, especially when you are hungry. Most of your hunger will be cravings and not actual hunger if you are drinking it when you feel hunger. This is a great opportunity for you to get to know your body.
I already told you about the Laxative Tea.
The SWF, Salt Water Flush:
1 gallon of Filtered Water (it is ok for it to be run through an alkalizing machine)
1/2 cup of Non-Iodized Celtic Sea Salt (the grind doesn’t matter as it will dissolve anyway. Light Gray Celtic Sea Salt is ok too)
1/2 cup of your fresh squeezed organic lemon juice (that YOU juiced)
Shake and let dissolve. Drink one quart (one gallon produces 4 quarts) in one sitting and in under 45 minutes first thing in the morning. It helps to drink this mixture warm like you like your soup. Lie back down on your right side and then on your stomache, rubbing your tummy in a circular motion in both directions until you get the urge to eliminate. Do NOT reduce your salt amounts or increase your water amount as many people suggest. By doing so you will encourage your body to absorb all that salt and you will probably bloat and you will likely not eliminate near as much as you should. You will just pee a lot. Dangerous! This is not a child’s play cleanse. Do it right and it will work wonders for you and a fringe result will likely be significant weight loss. But of course if you go off of the cleanse and eat a bad (“treat yourself”) diet like an idiot and you will pack on weight like a blue whale. You need to convert to primarily raw foods afterwards before returning to a “normal” and hopefully healthy diet.
Your first cleanse should be no longer than 10 days to get familiar with the process. You can do a full time cleanse of 30 to 40 days withing a few months. Within this fulltime cleanse you can include a kidney cleanse, a liver/gallbladder flush and even use a bentonite clay with psyllium husk Shake for better elimination. These should be done at the halfway point of your cleanse. This is often referred to as a “Ultimate Cleanse”.
There are many cleanses on the market that mostly benefit the party selling it as a kit. You can use them but not as a substitute for this master cleanse. You need to give your body and all its complex organs and functions a BREAK. That’s why you need this FASTING cleanse. You can re-invent any other wheel you would like, not this one though folks. Not unless you like trips to the ER.
Good luck to you all and all my love, even if I do come across as a bit of an ass. ; )
I agree with Tim, I have been doing the Master Cleanse for 2 days now and am following all instructions to the T! However, I do have one question that no one in this blog has mentioned, due to the amount of salt water flushes during this cleanse, do I need to take probiotics to keep all my “good bacteria” up to par? Please help. Thanks.
What about drinking the salt water with a straw, so you don’t have to taste much on your tongue.
I’ve been on for only two days and I find it very tolerable…thus far! I was under the impression that one could take EITHER the Smooth Move (or other laxative tea) or the Salt Flush, not necessarily both…one in the morning and one at night!? Also, is it “safe” to use a laxative daily?
I want to thank Tim; I realized after reading his post that I was doing the Cleanse for all the wrong reasons. I was doing it primarily to lose weight, with “cleansing” as an afterthought, rather than the other way around! So, I decided to go on a more reasonable diet, watching what I’m eating and increasing my exercise, which is already at a high level. And, as far as the “cleanse”, I discovered a spa in my area which will provide a total colon cleanse in one, 45 minute visit, for about $75.00! Figuring that the Master Cleanse is costing me about $8.00/day (1/2 12 oz. bottle Grade B syrup/day, at $10.00/bottle = $5.00 , 4 lemons at $.65/lemon = $2.60 and 1/2 gallon of water/day at $.90/gallon = $.45), this is $80 for the 10 days, or about the cost of the colon cleanse in less than an hour!!! If it’s truly about the “Cleanse”, as Tim says it should be, there are cheaper, faster and less extreme!
Sorry…”there are cheaper, faster and less extreme options/alternatives available!”
I am on my second day of the cleanse. I have drunk a cup of Smooth Move tea every night before going to be and then the Salt Water Flush in the morning. My flush is 1 liter of filtered water and 2 teaspoons of Celtic Grey Sea Salt. I have warmed the liquid and drank it all in one steady session.
HOwever, both days, I have not eliminated the salt water. The first day virtually no water came out right away. 5 or 6 hours later I started having some flushing, but I am not convinced that this is the SWF. Today, it is almost an hour, and I have eliminated nothing.
I do have a raging head-ache and I feel terribly bloated. I like the lemonade part of the cleanse and I even feel good about the laxative tea, but I am concerned about the SWF. Has anyone else had this experience? I was told that sometimes it takes a few days for the SWF to flush. Is that right? should I adjust the salt? should I just stick to the laxative tea?
I appreciate anyone and everyone’s help and insights.
daniel
Thank you, What is recipe for Salt water flush, Is it an enema, or do you drink it, with stevia sugar, to make it more palatable??? Thank you for your help,
warm regards,
Lynda Brown.
this is my first time on the cleanse and i must say that this wasn’t as difficult as i thought it would be…the salt water flush is truly working…i found the key to that is to chug, chug, chug, it really does work…and i am getting tremendous results…i did this to jumpstart losing weight as well as a cleansing and this is day 7 for me and i feel a big difference…my energy level has picked up and i can now touch my toes…LOL i have also been exercising in the process and can see this is a routine i have and can stick to…..
Daniel,
You need to increase the amount of salt. If you are not eliminating, your body is absorbing the salt. That is the cause of your headache. Try rounding the teaspoons of salt. I have been on this cleanse for 5 days. Although the results are amazing, and I have lost 12 lbs, I had the same problem as you on the first day. Good luck and much love. Hang in there amigo.
I am considering beginning the cleanse, however, my major concern is the salt water. First of all, I don’t understand how to get that down. Salt water always makes me sick and gag. Isn’t there some other way? Like, pills, something, I don’t know. Secondly, my parents always get on my back about dumping too much salt on my food. How is it healthy in any way to have that much sodium in your body? I mean I know it supposedly flushes all out, but does it really? Wouldn’t some of it stay?
im starting this process tonight with the salt water flush, im only 17, is this to young to try the cleanse? also i have the same question most people do, do i have to have tea, or can i just stick to the salt water, i am having a hard time finding the tea in stores… a respond would be appreciated. thank you :]
Hi, all!
Its day 6 for me and my concern is that I dont seem to be anywhere near the black ink stuff or the mucous-the holy grail of eliminations. My concern is that my body’s ability to eliminate is being made weaker/dependent on the laxatives so I have to make it stronger.
Here is what I do. Laxative tea at night. SWF in the morning. Its really not that terrible people.
Some psyllium husks (1 tbls), bentonite powder (this just came in today – 1 teaspoon), wheat grass (2 tbls)
Has this happened to anyone?
Nicole: Refer to Tim’s post, #25. That should clear up any confusion. but to answer that question, yes tea at night and SWF in the morning. The tea can be found in some grocery stores with a decent health food section…just look for the ingredient senna leaf ..smooth move is just a brand.
Your body does not absorb the salt because the flush has the same specific gravity as your blood so passes right through you and scrubs your insides as it goes. I did it today (first day on the cleanse) and was kind of gagging as I chugged it down. It worked within an hour (I felt rotten waiting). Then I went like 10 times in the next hour with the last few eliminations being clear water (like peeing out your ass to be blunt). Afterward I felt fantastic. I’m hoping that as I detox I won’t feel as crappy while holding the liquid. I keep telling myself I’ve been a fool for less and chugged beer only to make a fool of myself so why not cleanse?
Good luck everyone!
Oh and PS a friend and I coined it “poop soup” today. HA!
as tim said, celtic salt only… but i’d like to ask tim how large of a man he is. i am only 100 pounds, so i’d suspect that half of his recommendations might suffice for someone my size… and the master cleanse book says use a QUART of water for the salt water cleanse with 2 TEASPOONS of salt, not tablespoons. for a gallon of water, i believe that would therefore be 8 teaspoons, which is not even 3 tablespoons of salt (because 3 tsp = 1 tbsp) — certainly less than 1/4 cup and definitely not 1/2 cup of salt in a gallon. i hope nobody’s died so far.
joking — i hope.
Read ME!! Post #25 says 1/2 cup salt to a gallon of water.. INCORRECT!! Wrong. It is 1 quart of water with 2 teaspoons of sea salt. You can buy the master cleanse book at Wholefoods for $6.50. Be care of all the crap you read on the web.
Bless All
I can’t stomach the sea water drink. Is there something else I can do?
Tim stated ” I make these in one gallon increments for simplification”:
I believe the ratio is the same as in the Master cleanse, Tim just makes it in a larger quantity to serve him over a period of time (like leftovers) e.g. he has enough SWF to last him for a 4 day period. It is not to be consumed in one flushing!
Correct me if I’m wrong, Tim.
I have 1.5L of water. 2 heaped teaspoons of salt and a teaspoon of juice concentrate. It works soooooooooooooooooo well and I quite like the taste. But my advice is if you havent felt the urge to go within 30 mins drink some fresh water and go try get things started.
drink it as hot as you can also. i make it boiling and sip it untill it has cooled enough to gulp. works great for me!!
I’m doing research on this “Master Cleanse” but I’m more than a bit weary of taking or doing anything laxative related. Do I have to do the SWF and herbal tea thing. I might not mind the salt water but is this a necessary part of the cleanse?
I’m on day 20 of my first master cleanse experience.
I do the swf first thing in the morning by putting on a Jimmy Buffet song, thinking of my favorite vacation time in Hawaii, and glugging it down.
Then I smile, noodle on my computer until it’s time to hit the toilet, and count my blessings I made it through another day of cleansing.
Just follow the directions to a “t”. There’s nothing clever about it.
16TH DAY-Concerning the SALT WATER FLUSH, don’t try the salt in alittle bit of water and drink water to get it down. Someone on this blog suggested thats how they did their swf. Well ! I’m here to tell you that I tried that this morning and I threw it up and my laxative tea that I already had this early morning. It could not be helped. It came up by itself. I tried to keep myself from throwing up, but nature took care of itself. Im on my 16th day and I have not been doing the smf and I will not be doing it. The swf just won’t go down. The master cleanser BOOK(buy at your health food store or order on line) by Stanley Burroughs says you can do the organic Smooth Move herbal laxative tea. at night and morning. From my understanding the smf is a alternate cleaning aid. Get the book “The master Cleanser” by Stanley Burroughs and read page 21 AND page 22 It states word for word.(“It is quite advisable to take the herb laxative tea at night to loosen, then the salt water each morning to wash it out. If for some reason the salt water cannot be taken in the morning, then the herb laxative tea must be taken night and morning.:) I quess I’m one who cannot take the salt so I will stick to my laxative tea. I’ve been eliminating at least 3x a day and feel great. But my experience with the swf was revolting. The tea just takes longer to eliminate the waste, but seems to be doing ok by me.
Glad to know I’m not the only one struggling with the SWflush. I too remembered reading that you could take the tea (smooth move) for the same elimination results. And you’re right anonymous, it does work just a little slower. The important factor is detoxifying by elimination and the tea allows for that. Thank you for that information, I had forgotten about reading this. I’m having such a hard time with desiring to stick to the diet due to the way the salt makes me feel and the medical results I got in lab work I believe due to the intake of the salt. This may not be everyone’s case, and at this conjecture I want to add this statement, “everyone chosing to exercise this diet, Please listen to your body! Physical rejection is a sign of something going awry” I’m not saying not to do the diet, just that one should definately tred carefully, our bodies are all different. While I agree, you should not modify the diet, you should investigate what you can do to maintain it and it’s effects safely. As for Shannons’ advice, Shannon is that safe the way you drink your , what do you call it? I would be afraid to try that due to it not sounding like it envolves enough volume to encourage elimination. The drink sounds flavor tolerable, but…..I don’t mean to sound insulting, I’d just like to understand what your drink is replacing, The cleanse formula, or the smoothe move tea? Thank you…
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