The Drink for Immediate Digestion Relief

A simple and pleasurable way to alleviate digestive pain and speed up healing

For most people, starting in on the basic The 28-Day Cleansing Program is the way to go. However, for those whose digestive tract is causing them pain and severe symptoms, there are a few tricks that should be used immediately to speed up the healing and get you out of pain.

One of the best ones I've is the Ume-Kuzu drink. I first heard about and used this drink at the Kushi Institute in Boston, when I studied there in 1984 for their 9-month program. Once you get the ingredients in your pantry, it's easy to prepare, quite delicious, very calming, and can eliminate stomach and digestion pain often within the first hour of using it. For worst-case scenarios, it'll take a few days.

It is meant to be the first food put into one’s stomach in the morning, as well as before meals and before going to bed at night. Its main purpose is to help alkalize one’s body fluids and to strengthen the stomach and intestines.

Ingredients:

Umeboshi (or pickled Japanese plum)
Kuzu (Japanese arrowroot powder)
Fresh Ginger Root
Water

Umeboshi is a green plum that is pickled in sea salt and shiso (beefsteak plant, which gives them their red color). Highly alkaline, it aids in digestion and promotes a healthy intestinal flora. Umeboshi has a wide range of uses; Japanese people eat them like we eat a normal pickle, but for this drink, you'll be mixing it with other ingredients. You can get umeboshi plums online, or at your local health food store. It usually comes in either the whole pickle or in a paste. I vastly prefere the paste, just because it's so easy to use (no need in removing the pit each time). But either will do. As a side note, I use some form of umeboshi (paste, pickle, or brine (aka vinegar) virtually every day in my home cooking. It's one of my favorite culinary tastes (a sour-salty mix) and it's delicious in grains, soups, vegetables and even this tea.

Kuzu is a white starch made from the root of the wild kudzu plant. It comes in cubes and powder that easily dissolves in cool or cold water. As a starch it thickens liquids, so it is often used in soups, sauces and desserts. It is also an alkaline-forming food, useful for strengthening the intestines.

Ginger root is one of the most famous digestive repair foods known; even in modern America, many people know that ginger will quell an upset stomach. It's actually the only cure that was proven to work on a recent episode of The Myth Busters for seasickness. As noted in the books of the 28-Day Cleansing Course, you *always* want to have a chunk of fresh ginger root around. Easy to use: the juice from the ginger root that is extracted by grating the root and squeezing the pulp with your hands. This is very strong tasting, so just a few drops are needed for each cup of this ume-kuzu drink (it's also the one ingredient that you don't have to have, if you don't have any around).

Procedure for one serving (you can multiply it for more)
1 teaspoon of umeboshi paste (about)
8-12 ounces of pure water (about)
1 teaspoon of kuzu powder (about)
3-5 drops ginger juice (about)

Place water in a sauce pan. Mix in the umeboshi plum (in paste or plum form, whatever you are using). Add kuzu to water and dissolve completely (takes just a few seconds). Next bring to a boil and simmer for just under a minute, or until the kuzu thickens. Take off the stove, squeeze in your ginger drops, stir, and drink.

For severe digestive problems, drink this 2 or 3 times a day, once first thing in the morning, and at least before going to bed at night.