I found everything shared here very interesting! I'm with you Robin: if someone has SERIOUS candida concerns, yes, I think maple syrup(yes, Exit, you're right, it's nothing compared to industrial sweeteners but still........) could aggravate it but if you're not even sure if you have it, then it may not be an issue at all. After years of coaching people on the A&S cleanse, I'm fascinated by the idea of this "time honored" cleanse. One of the big things I learned while doing cleanse support at Arise & Shine was the huge electrolyte connection(the pH tests and need for electrolytes via juice, broth, alkalizing products before, during and after the cleanse). Most people are deficient(even vegans and raw fooders) and when we don't get enough electrolyte minerals(different than trace minerals), then the body begins to break our tissues, fluids and organs down to get them(ie. leeches calcium from bones and joints!). Ok, so back to the Master cleanse: lemon juice is acidic by nature and will immediately cause the body to pull elec's and bring them to the mouth to buffer those acids. The tricky thing about electrolyte depletion is you can feel ok/fine while it's happening so sometimes I wonder if folks could be really acidic while on the Master Cleanser and just not know it? This is one of the huge things I talk to customers about the most: don't just "alkalize" with greens and alkaline foods but introduce CONCENTRATED amounts of electrolyte minerals into the body via fresh, raw veggie juice, vegetable mineral broth and suppplements which do this. Most folks don't know this but electrolyte minerals govern brain, heart, nerve and hormone functions to name a few. They also buffer acids in the body(which is why they're so critical on a cleanse because when we cleanse, we dump even more acids into the body than on a normal daily basis). No electrolyte minerals? The body is then just forced to extract them wherever it can find them. That's why if a person doesn't pay attention to this critical aspect of daily nutritional support and cleansing, they can also end up with compromised brain, heart, nerve and hormone functions, some serious brain fog(and believe me, after years of coaching people, I saw it a lot!) or even worse, land in the hospital with electrolyte depletion(don't get scared, that's just the worst case scenario for folks who completely ignore this aspect when doing hard core cleansing). Your ideas Exit?