Spring time, the season of Liver love.
In Chinese herbal medicine, spring is the best time to do a cleanse. One of the areas that we are focusing on supporting when we do a cleanse is the liver. Most of the time, when we think of the liver, we are thinking of its detoxifying actions in the body. But it does so much more.
The liver is our largest solid organ (inside the body) and works on both the endocrine and exocrine systems. This means that not only does it excrete substances into the GI tract but also into the bloodstream as well. Along with a role in detoxifying the body, it also plays a key role in digestion, metabolism, blood sugar, and hormone regulation. It's no surprise that the liver plays a role in over 500 vital functions within the body.
When we get into digestion, bile is manufactured by the liver and then stored in the gallbladder for secretion. Bile is important in our digestion because it plays a key role in how we break down and absorb certain lipids, minerals, fat-soluble vitamins, proteins, and carbs.
The liver will also store vitamins and minerals like vitamin D, B-complex, copper, zinc, and iron. It controls the simple and complex sugars stored as well to use when we need energy.
It is also the filter for excess and mutated hormones affecting our hormone and neurotransmitter balance.
It's safe to say that the liver does a lot! When our livers become overworked and stagnant, it can be shown like this in the body:
Menstrual issues
Peri and menopausal issues
Fatigue
Headaches
Allergies
Skin issues
Digestive issues
Insomnia
Dryness and brittleness in hair, skin, and nails.
Quick to anger
Chronically stressed
Unfortunately, it is one of the most overworked and congested organs in the body. Which doesn't really come as a surprise when we look at modern lifestyles alongside our environments.
Common stressors that many people are aware of are things like an excess of alcohol, drugs, overuse of medications, processed foods, and rich and fried foods. Other things that can play a role in this are also environmental pollutants like car exhaust, second-hand cigarette smoke, chemicals found in personal hygiene products, and conventional cleaning products.
Ahh, life as we know it! That's fun, eh?
The liver is a strong organ; it can go through a lot, but when we take the time to incorporate foods and other practices into our day-to-day lives, it can help support the liver in doing what it needs to do.
Bitter greens:
Bitter-tasting foods are not a popular flavour in the standard North American diet. Typically, people tend to gravitate toward sweeter things. Bitter foods, however, help to directly stimulate the liver along with bile production, not only helping us to detox but also break down and assimilate our food better. There are many bitter greens that will be coming up around the area soon, like ramps, dandelion, and mustard greens. We can also add radicchio, radishes, artichokes, and arugula to our shopping carts to incorporate into our meals as well.
Fibre:
Consuming plenty of fibre not only helps keep our bowel movements regular, but it also helps to remove toxins, fats, and excess hormones from the body. When increasing your fiber, make sure you don't overdo it, as it can also cause constipation when we have a big shift like that in a diet. Raw beets and carrots are a great source of fibre to add in, as they also help stimulate bile flow and promote enzymatic activity as well.
Sour foods:
Pucker up, buttercup! Including sour citrus like lemon, lime, and grapefruits not only helps stimulate and support the liver but also prevents fat buildup in the body, helps to repair the liver from alcohol damage, and restores liver function.
Castor Oil Packs:
Castor oil packs have been around for a long time and have a great ability to reduce inflammation, get the liver to move particles, and cleanse the body. You can mostly likely buy a castor oil pack at your local health food store, buy one online, or make one yourself!
Expressing or processing anger
Anger and frustration are two of the emotions that are linked to the liver. Making sure that we have a good outlet to process and express anger can help the liver move things as needed as opposed to staying stuck inside. This can look like journaling, punching into a pillow, working with a therapist, screaming in your car (when safe to do so), or expressing to a friend or family member more of what you need.
Dirty Dozen:
The dirty dozen are 12 different foods that have the highest pesticide count out of 46 fruits and vegetables tested. These are foods that we may want to keep in mind when we are deciding to either buy organic or conventionally grown food.
