Spring Cleaning The Liver By Rosanne Lindsay, Naturopath via Natural Blaze
Spring has sprung!
‘Tis the season for rebirth and regeneration.
Spring is ruled by the wood element which is associated with the liver and its complementary organ, the gallbladder. What better time to reset and rejuvenate body, mind, and spirit than through the liver, an organ known to regenerate itself if a portion is surgically removed?
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It was at one time considered the seat of life; hence its name— liver, the thing we live with. -Ambrose Bierce, The Devil’s Dictionary, Tales and Memoirs
As the body’s largest filter and gland, the liver is a detox powerhouse responsible for more than 500 – possibly 5000 – functions. Your liver filters 1 liter of blood every minute from the digestive tract before it flows to the rest of the body. The liver holds about one pint, or 13%, of your body’s blood at any given moment. It detoxifies, nourishes, replenishes, and stores blood. It also energizes the blood by releasing stored sugar (glycogen) as glucose. Other jobs of your liver include:
- metabolizing drugs and detoxing chemicals,
- synthesizing glutathione, an important antioxidant that removes toxins (heavy metals and chemicals),
- converting sunlight to vitamin D3, critical to the immune system function,
- producing bile, which helps break down fats in the small intestine during digestion, and carry away wastes,
- making amino acids which become protein,
- converting T4 thyroid hormone to T3,
- making steroid and sex hormones that affect libido, menstrual cycle, and timing of menopause,
- creating digestive enzymes and immune cells, and storing vitamins.
The liver is also responsible for the smooth flow of Qi (energy) throughout the body and balancing emotions. The liver accumulates emotions of anger, irritability, resentment, and frustration, all signs that our Qi is not flowing smoothly. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the body works according to the meridian clock when each organ is most active. If you find yourself waking up between 1am and 3 am in the morning, your liver could be trying to tell you something.
- 1am-3am – Liver
- 3am-5am – Lungs
- 5am-7am– Large intestines
- 7am-9am – Stomach
- 9am-11am – Spleen & pancreas
- 11am- 1pm – Heart & mind
- 1pm-3pm – Small intestine
- 3pm – 5pm – Bladder
- 5pm -7 pm – Kidneys
- 7pm – 9pm – Pericardium
- 9pm- 11pm – Triple heater (related to metabolism)
- 11pm- 1am – Gallbladder
Liver Congestion
The liver accumulates toxins from exposures to food, pesticides, GMOs, water, air, aluminum and mercury from injections, medications, dental amalgams, make-up, lotions, alcohol, byproducts of metabolism, as well as emotions from the effects of stress. If your liver isn’t happy, neither are you. Signs of a sluggish liver include:
- Sallow skin color and poor skin tone
- Dark circles under the eyes
- Yellow-coated tongue
- Bitter taste in the mouth
- Headaches
- Constipation
- Stomach ache that worsens with anger
- PMS or Irritability
- Irregular or painful periods
- Depression
- Pain or discomfort along sides of body
- Arthritis
- Inability to digest fats
If you experience any of these signs, it is time to thank your liver for working so hard and consider some spring cleaning and detoxification protocols. Key health benefits of detoxification allow you to:
