Are you struggling with symptoms of mold toxicity such as fatigue, brain fog, memory issues, or anxiety? If so, your body may need some powerful detox support. Enter sulforaphane – the plant compound that gives broccoli sprouts its potent detox powers.
If you’re familiar with my site, you may know I’m a huge broccoli sprouts fan. They were a gamechanger for my own detox from mold illness – all thanks to that daily dose of sulforaphane. So let’s explore what sulforaphane is and how it can help you detox from mycotoxins.
What is Sulforaphane?
Sulforaphane is a sulfur-rich compound found in all cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, kale, arugula, collards, bok choy, and more. It's linked with a bevy of benefits, including anti-cancer properties, improving heart health, and my personal fave…detox! (1)
Yet all that sulforaphane power needs to be unlocked. Glucoraphanin is a compound in the glucosinate family and the inactive form of sulforaphane. To be activated, glucoraphanin has to come in contact with myrosinase, an enzyme involved in plant defense.
When a plant is damaged by cutting, chopping, or chewing, myrosinase is released, and voila, sulforaphane is activated!
How Does Sulforaphane Support Mycotoxin Detox?
Now that you know what sulforaphane is let’s dive into how it supports mycotoxin detox. Here are five ways:
1 - Supports Phase 1 Liver Detox
Sulforaphane activates the NrF2 pathway, which supports phase 1 liver detox. The NrF2 pathway, known as the “master redox switch,” activates your DNA to produce more antioxidants, including glutathione.
In fact, research shows sulforaphane has more potent effects on Nrf2 than milk thistle, curcumin, and resveratrol! (2)
2 - Supports Phase 2 Liver Detox
Sulforaphane supports phase 2 liver detox as well, especially the glucuronidation pathway. This pathway is crucial for mold illness, as glucuronidation helps remove mycotoxins. (3)
Glucuronidation also helps your body detox excess estrogen, which is especially helpful if you’re prone to estrogen dominance.
Other foods and nutrients that support glucuronidation include:
Broccoli Sprout Benefits
All cruciferous veggies (broccoli, of course, but especially broccoli sprouts)
Citrus fruits
Dandelion
Rosemary
Resveratrol
Curcumin
Rooibos tea
Astaxanthin
While I typically tell our mold patients to take our Broccoli Sprout & Seed to aid mycotoxin detox, its liver-protecting effects support chemical detox as well. Win-win!
3 - Prevents Constipation
Getting ‘backed up’ is the last thing you want when detoxing from anything, including mycotoxins! When you’re not pooping every day, toxins stay inside recirculating, wreaking havoc in the process. So having regular bowel movements is critical to get those mycotoxins out of you!
So if you struggle with staying regular, sulforaphane may help. Research shows consuming broccoli sprouts can normalize bowel movements. (4)
4 - Reduces inflammation
Living in a moldy environment or being overloaded with mycotoxins from a previous exposure can lead to chronic inflammation. This may manifest as pain, moodiness, fatigue, brain fog, and more.
Thankfully, sulforaphane lowers inflammation by activating the NrF2 pathway. This blocks the release of inflammatory cytokines. (5)
5 - May Ease Depression
Many people with mold illness struggle with depression. Living in a moldy home creates a chronic state of inflammation that can cause anxiety, brain fog, and yes…depression.
Although the science is new, there is evidence that sulforaphane may reduce symptoms of depression. (6) Inflammation is often linked with depression. And as stated before, sulforaphane offers potent anti-inflammatory effects. (7, 8)
How to Get More Sulforaphane Into Your Life
Ready to reap the benefits of sulforaphane? You have a few options:
Eat more cruciferous veggies such as broccoli, cauliflower, kale, arugula, Brussel sprouts, watercress, collards, cabbage, and bok choy. Be sure to chew well, so you’re unlocking all that sulforaphane magic!
Grow broccoli sprouts (or buy them at the store). Broccoli sprouts boast up to 100 times the sulforaphane power of regular broccoli (9) This post walks you through how to grow them step-by-step.
Take a broccoli sprout supplement for an easy on-the-go daily dose of sulforaphane. While I used to grow my own sprouts, over time it ended up being another chore on my list. Now I go the easy route and take a supplement each day.
Caution: While broccoli sprouts offer a ton of benefits, if you’re on medications you’ll need to be cautious, as glucuronidation metabolizes medications as well. As always, talk with your doctor first.
Try Broccoli Seed & Sprout for Potent Sulforaphane Power
Sulforaphane was crucial to my recovery from mold illness. When I got my daily dose of sprouts, I felt the difference! But not everyone has time to tend to DIY sprouts. And while broccoli sprouts are powerful, you have to eat A LOT of them to reap those benefits.
That’s why I turned to supplements to get my broccoli sprouts fix. Our Broccoli Sprout & Seed offers a potent dose of sulforaphane all in one handy capsule. Myrosinase is included to unlock that sulforaphane magic.
And for a limited time, we’re offering 25% off our Broccoli Sprout & Seed! Grab a bottle here and get ready for better detox!
Bridgit Danner, LAc, FDNP, is trained in functional health coaching and has worked with thousands of women over her career since 2004. She is the founder of Women’s Wellness Collaborative llc and HormoneDetoxShop.com.
Grab Bridgit’s list of 5 Easy Detox Swaps for Women’s Health to start clearing out the toxins and reset your system to feel better today!
I was introduced to CoQ10 as an supplement about 4 years ago. At the time, I was in the middle of detoxing from mold, and I had already spent a lot of money on trying to heal. I was skeptical to try yet another thing, but the truth was that I was only about 50% better, which is not enough at all. So I tried it…