Spring Liver Cleanse

You might not have given this much thought, but are you aware of all the amazing things your liver does for your health? It is probably the ultimate in unsung hero with 500 known functions in the body.

The liver can carry us through long periods of hunger because it stores glycogen, a sugar needed to fuel the body. It protects us from the toxins in our environment, and excess alcohol, rich food, and drugs. It creates important nutrients for the body and can store them for long periods of time. The liver also aids in digestion, assimilation, elimination, detoxification, and filters out unwelcome invaders that can create illness.

The liver holds about one pint of blood, and has three pints circulating through it each minute. It receives freshly oxygenated blood from the heart and nutrient rich blood from the stomach, each from a different circulatory system. The liver has two lobes, and each one of these components is made up of tiny parts that look like filters under the microscope. The liver can continue to function with up to 75% of its mass destroyed or removed, and it can even regenerate itself.

The liver stores vitamins A, D, B complex, and the minerals iron and copper. It makes and recycles proteins and steroidal hormones. It also makes high-density lipoproteins (HDL).

The liver is most well known for “cleaning” the blood, and this function cannot be overlooked today with the rising number of cases of liver disorders.

Many things can affect the cleansing ability of the liver including high fat diets, poor nutrition, too much alcohol, pharmaceutical drugs, and stress. Symptoms of a sluggish liver may include high cholesterol, headaches, poor digestion, low blood sugar levels, eye problems, high blood pressure, hormone imbalances, thick or furry tongue coating, and inflammatory skin conditions.

Here are some things you might want to consider to keep your liver working at its best, or help it heal from a troubling disorder:

Start off each new season with a liver cleansing program.

A good diet is the most important thing you can do to keep your liver healthy. Organic food reduces liver stress because there are no pesticides or hormones used in raising or growing the food. Adding dark green leafy vegetables is very important. Reducing fatty and fried food is important; consider reducing or eliminating sugar too.

Eat liver friendly foods. Artichokes (a member of the thistle family) for tone, peppermint for stimulation, white beans, butternut, apricots (without sulfur dioxide), pineapple, casaba melon, carrot juice, apple juice, citrus like lemon and grapefruit, kiwi, and stewed tomatoes.

Learn about liver friendly herbs. Dandelion root strengthens the liver and helps balance blood sugar; Goldenseal stimulates bile and helps gall bladder inflammation, fights infections, promotes digestion, and helps cirrhosis. Goldenseal herb is endangered because of over harvesting and make sure you choose one that says it is from organic farmed sources).

Golden Rod helps reduce what is called liver or digestive “cold and dampness”, so it is called a warming herb, as is clove. Ginger and Cayenne are also warming herbs. Cayenne helps by stimulating digestion by enhancing the pancreas’ ability to secrete digestive enzymes, and supplying vitamin C. Burdock is always the herb to think of when the skin is showing outward signs of liver congestion. It is a helpful herb for psoriasis. Also equally important are Astragalus and Black Radish.

The Magic of Milk Thistle

This may be the best ally for liver health. Herbalist Christopher Hobbs includes it in his suggested herbs for those of us who are over forty. Since the environment is so polluted using milk thistle daily helps your body stay free of the many toxins found in our air, water, and food.

For hundreds of years Milk Thistle has been used as a liver and gall bladder tonic. One of the component substances in Milk Thistle, silymarin, has the ability to counteract the effects of alcohol, Tylenol overdose, carbon tetrachloride, and the deadly Amanita (deathcap) mushroom. Silymarin, along with the other constituents in Milk Thistle, acts to prevent liver cells from absorbing toxins. It will also help in the regeneration of liver cells.

Milk Thistle is a member of the thistle family and has been studied extensively in scientific studies for more than thirty years. In these studies it has been shown to be helpful for inflammation, ulcers, chemical sensitivity, allergies, heart disease, blood sugar regulation, water retention, psoriasis, protecting the liver and kidneys from damage caused by aspirin and other types of anti-inflammatories (NSAIDS), antibiotics, alcohol, anti-depressants, and cholesterol lowering drugs. It has shown promise for some in the treatment of cancer. For most herbalists, and other natural health oriented practitioners, it is also used when treating hepatitis.

When purchasing herbs make sure that you look for organic sources and properly manufactured brands, or ask your herbalist.

Gayle Eversole, DHom, PhD, MH, NP, ND, is a natural health educator and advocate. She is the founder and director of Creating Health Institute and The Oake Centre for natural health education. Celebrating 50+ years blending science and the natural healing arts. Sign up for her herbalYoda newsletter.

This article is for educational and informational purposes only and does not take the place of a consultation with a qualified health care professional. Always consult a physician or other qualified health care professional before taking any herbs or applying any therapies. The reader must assume full responsibility for verifying any information or therapies with a qualified physician or health care professional.

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