I've written many times before on oxalates either on here or on my social media, so if you aren't aware of oxalates and how they can seriously harm us, please see my previous posts.

Many of you will understand that plants protect themselves from herbivores by optimizing the distribution of chemical defenses. Oxalates are one of the most common plant defenses. When we regularly consume plants, nuts or grains that are high in oxalates, unlike other plant toxins, they can accumulate in the blood and precipitate with calcium in any body tissue. Oxalates bound with calcium form crystals that under a microscope resemble small pieces of crushed glass. They can end up in joints, the eyes, the heart, blood vessels, gut, kidneys and bladder. Chronic pain and inflammation then begins to take hold. Nano oxalate crystals are also a significant problem as they can penetrate the cells and interfere with the production of energy (ATP), and other vital cell functions.

The long term, accumulative effects of oxalate crystals in various parts of our bodies are unlike other plant toxins. It can take months or even years to eliminate them from the body. This process is called oxalate dumping. During the dumping process, people often experience worsening symptoms.

As far as I'm aware, there is no specific detoxification process or protocol for oxalate poisoning, although Sally K Norton's book, Toxic Superfoods, and Emma Goodwin of Timeless Cookery, have given some excellent advice on how to dump oxalates safely. Unlike other plant toxins, oxalate crystals are not processed by the liver or kidneys which make them much harder to eradicate.

Another reason why oxalates are the worst plant toxin to deal with is that they are extremely difficult to identify or test for and there is virtually no data to work for. Most practitioners still don't believe that oxalates cause significant health problems and this probably stems from the fact that current research is focused on kidney stones only despite the fact that there is overwhelming evidence for the accumulation of oxalate crystals in multiple other organs and tissues.

As a result, the vast majority of cases are still being missed.

Please check out our supplement that's been specifically formulated to help with oxalate dumping: Oxbusters!

Paul