The Master Cleanser: With Special Needs and Problems

by Stanley Burroughs

Provides a diet and health plan based on a lemonade drink designed to cleanse the body of unwanted toxins, thereby losing weight and making it harder to put the weight back on.

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Food, Self Help, Reference

50 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 24, 1976

Reviews

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've done the master cleanse 1/2 a dozen time now... though it's been about 2 years since the last one. I just picked up another copy of it yesterday to check back in. I'm feeling like it's about time to do it again. The longest I've done is 11 days on the lemon-maplesyrup-cayenne juice. I highly recommend it - you'd be surprised how good you feel.

For me - days 2 & 3 are the toughest... that's when I'm breaking through the psychological need for food - my hands and mouth keep thinking they need food. Once I'm past that, it's smooth sailing.

Day 7 is a big one, too -- I think that's when my body goes deep and starts liver cleansing. Getting through that wall is awesome though.

[David Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

i did the 7 day fast and it really brought clarity of mind, body and spirit...i felt so much better afterwards...when not eating one can really become aware of our psychological relation to eating--eating when we are happy, say or bored...
this diet is intended to remove toxins from the body and just overall give the organs of the body a rest...it works best if your able to meditate/pray daily while your doing it...the deprivation of food can give you a great feeling...there are down times where its a struggle...in the end you will be glad you did it!

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book before you attempt the cleanse. For real. It's short and will only take a day. Then when you do the cleanse go to curezone.com and search for master cleanse support. It's a pretty amazing forum.

[Michael · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book recommends starvation and laxatives to cure... well, everything. Burroughs bases his miracle diet on the stirring premise of "raising vibrations," a principle presumably borrowed from homeopathy. To qualify that, most people think homeopathy means natural or holistic, when it has a very specific meaning. Western medicine is allopathic; which means it treats the symptom with, surprise, something that alleviates it. Homeopathy takes the opposite approach: using something that causes the symptom to treat it, albeit in small amounts. Really small amounts. Like, nonexistent. It's basically a half-assed take on the concept of vaccination, but with chemicals and shit, diluted to the point they're no longer actually present at all.

Records can be found on the author's trial for plying his "methods" to a cancer patient, with the expected results.

[Saskia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is easy to read. What I love about all these books, is they bring God into the mix. One more reason why I choose to eat the way I do, and feed my family the way I do.

[Linda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Followed cleanse to the letter. After three days, found myself unable to think clearly at work and felt very strange. Went off the cleanse (by eating something) with scary consequences. Would never do this again.

[Desiree Valdez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the language was difficult to understand

Especially in the section with the recipes, the grammar was difficult to follow
Somme of the claims seem a little far fetched

[Shelonda Omarde · Rating 5 out of 5]

Detox

This book helped me detox in 10 days. Diid not feel hungry the whole time. It’s a must read, if your looking to lose weight and detox your body

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good knowledge that few want to listen to.

[Aurora Shele · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read it once. Done it for three days. I'm thinking of doing it again now that we're in quarantine.

[airrunkle · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are a number of small typos.

I've done a 14 day master cleanse a couple years ago and felt great. This short book inspired me to plan out a 40 day version.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unsure about this cleanse nowadays. But boy we were obsessed with it when it first came out!

[Tafvolaun Comminey · Rating 5 out of 5]

It helped me back in the day! Hard to do, but if you can stomach it, it may work for you like it worked for me...

[Destiny Dawn Long · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got this book about 7 years ago while I was working at The Whole Grocer, in Maine. A lot of my friends had gone on the lemonade fast, and I was curious.

At the time, I mostly skimmed the book, and checked out the guidelines for the fast. I never ended up successfully completing the fast, and the book was packed up during multiple moves.

Some folks around me have mentioned the Master Cleanser recently, and it made me decide to read the whole book, just because. Most of it sounds a bit nutso, and Burroughs comes off as a bit of a whacko. Still, I plan on trying the fast, for the cleansing and health benefits.

For people who are interested in the fast, I'd recommend skimming for the relevant information.

There are a couple of recipes that I might try, though. Also, there's some recommendations on natural remedies that had some helpful information.

If you can get past all of the new age/religious propaganda, there is some interesting stuff in this short volume.

[Aiesha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd been wanting to do a cleanse for the right reasons (improved health, clarity, etc.) and I didn't want to have to really think about it, as I have lots to do and am not interested in measuring every meal or doing a lot of chopping and preparing.

I decided the best time to do this was after my birthday, in the summer, when I eat less anyway. And, I am working to transition into a real healthful way of eating and being and figured that this would give me a jump start.

Burroughs' language usage vibes with a lot of contemporary new thought language -- some of which I've been reading and absorbing. And he make sense. He doesn't sound like a nut job or wacko.

If you are going to do this, get the book and read it first. It's a quick read. Make sure you taper off your consumption of meats and heavy foods for about a week and then prepare your "lemonade" in large batches. Use the ingredients Burroughs uses, no substitutes.

Good luck!

[Will W · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another diet fad, only this one’s thirty years old. AKA The Lemonade Diet. I saw it ranked high on yahoo books, so I bought it. We’ll see how it goes... It’s very extreme, which suits me just fine. I don’t buy a lot of what this guy says, but I do very much like the idea of “cleansing”. This book probably won’t cause any long term weight loss, but it might prove to be a good catalyst for just that end.

Update: I made it for 10 days. Feel great. Highly recommend, particularly if you’re interested in finding an alternate self-flagellation technique. It’s torture that’s good for you!

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sure to be a popular book in January, when everyone is opting to diet and lose weight after the holiday eating-frenzy...
This book is very informative about doing the 10-day "lemonade" cleanse and also explore healing and whole body well-being. I'm doing the cleanse and so far it's not so bad. I even like the spicy lemonade cocktail! The book is short, very vegetarian friendly and if you are thinking about doing a cleanse you should read it.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've done the MC three times now and am about to embark on my fourth next week. I can't recommend it enough! !!Spoiler Alert!! Everyone should try the Master Cleanse just once in your life to experience the lightness of body, mind and spirit that accompanies it. You will have energy, you will give your body a break, you will reconnect with your body and the food you put into it. Your body will thank you. Your spirit will rejoice!

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

To be honest, reading this book gave me the impression that Stanley Burroughs is a nut case. Had I only been given a copy of this book with no background information, I would have thrown it in the trash. Buuuuutttt.....I've heard good things from friends, so here it goes. The fast starts on Monday (tomorrow). I'll update after I've tried it and let you know how it goes.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know two fairly sane people who've had great experiences from doing the cleanse - so great, in fact, that they've done it more than once, or soon shall. So I figured I'd give it a shot myself.

UPDATE: Finished the cleanse. It was neither overly detrimental nor beneficial. I guess everyone's experience is different. In any case, I don't think I'll do it again anytime soon.

[Strangecrabbe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick, easy read. Highly recommend this book for anyone thinking of following the cleanse. Not sure I buy all the religious mumbo jumbo and the stuff about vibrations, but everything else he had to say about modern medicine and our approach to health and nutrition was interesting. I'm looking forward to starting this cleanse after the holidays.

[Rosalind Matthews]

Definitely a good read

I had heard about this book from YouTube everyone kept saying get the book for a better understanding, and indeed I do have a better understanding as to why I should continue this Fab cleanse. I only did 3 days of this because I was weak, but from what I just read I will continue and complete it

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good reference if you are looking to improve your overall well being by doing the cleanse. My husband and I have done it twice, just starting our third cleanse. Somehow we have convinced ourselves to do it about every three months. It really does make you feel good on multiple levels.

[elise · Rating 3 out of 5]

i recently detoxed six days with a similar syrup-y mix called neera. i slept well, had a lot of energy throughout, and convinced that there are wonderful benefits. it's interesting- the things he says- i may argue that honey can't be all that bad...

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting book and I am contemplating doing the master cleanse. The only problem with the book was it had a lot of typos and that drives me crazy. I guess they didn't have spellcheck when this book was written.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spicy Lemonade!

[Crystal · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Lemonade diet is evil. Never in my life have I been so nauseous as the 4 hours spent on this diet. This book should be destroyed.

[Alan Culler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, Sweet, and spicy. A must read for anyone who likes to feel good and be healthy.

[Calin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very descriptive and straightforward on what you should expect during the master cleanse. It didn't make it any easier though!

[Cristina López · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm currently on this cleanse, i've decided to do it, because i've been feeling sluggish, sick, and in need for change- I'll let you know how it goes!
Day 1 is on!
:D