Spring cleaning isn't just for your home: Sandi Ford recommends adding a liver cleanse to your to do list this season.

As spring, with all its growth, movement and renewal bursts forth, it is a great time to consider a gentle liver cleansing regimen. For most people, winter tends to be a time of little exercise and heavy foods. We also live in a very toxic world where we are exposed on a daily basis to unwanted chemicals, poor air quality, pesticides and hormones in food and our water supply. For these reasons, whether a person exhibits overt signs of liver stagnation--such as frequent headaches, acne and other skin ailments, or sluggish digestion--everyone can benefit from giving some focused attention to one of the most incredible, overworked and under appreciated organs in our bodies. Think of your body as a tree. As the weather warms, it's time to get the sap flowing! The liver flush and herbal therapies recommended here can do just that.

Many people experience a variety of positive effects from following a liver flush regimen, including increased energy, clearer thinking, the loss of cravings for sweet, greasy or salty foods and improvement in skin disorders such as eczema and psoriasis. It is believed that repressed emotions such as anger and sadness can be stored in the liver, and some people have reported decreased irritability and a sense of relief from old emotions.

Some negative effects can also occur during a liver cleanse, including reduced tolerance for strong smells or chemicals, anger or other strong emotions, headaches, tiredness and mild insomnia. These reactions occur because stored toxins in the liver and other tissues of the body are released into the bloodstream; they should be temporary. For this reason, drinking teas and plenty of good, clean water is important, as they aid the body during its elimination process. Mild exercise such as walking or hiking is also important for stimulating lymphatic flow and working out any irritation or anger that may arise.

Despite the somewhat ominous name, a liver flush can be a very gentle, nourishing and satisfying experience. Though most of the herbs and techniques recommended here are appropriate for most people, always remember that we are unique individuals and that no one plan is exactly right for everybody. If you are regularly exposed to chemicals, either in the workplace or in a diet composed of mostly nonorganic meat, dairy, vegetables or fast food, it would be wise to consult with an experienced practitioner before embarking on a deep cleansing program. In this case, side effects can be much stronger, and it is best to prepare for a flush beforehand with supportive nutritional and herbal therapies.

May this season inspire you to give your body some well-deserved attention.

THE LIVER FLUSH

This liver flush recipe comes from Christopher Hobbs' book entitled Natural Liver Therapy: Herbs and Other Natural Remedies for a Healthy Liver. According to Hobbs, "liver flushes are used to stimulate elimination of wastes from the body, to open and cool the liver, to increase bile flow and to improve overall liver function. They also help purify the blood and the lymph." Hobbs recommends doing the liver flush twice a year (once in the spring and again in the fall) for two ten-day periods with three days off in between. If one ten-day period is all you can manage, it will still be beneficial; try the flush in spring, as it's the most ideal season.

Instructions:

1. Mix fresh-squeezed citrus juices of your choice together to make one cup of juice. Orange and grapefruit juices are good, but always mix in some lemon or lime. The final mix should have a sour taste--the more sour, the more cleansing and activating. This mixture can be watered down to taste with spring or distilled water.

2. Add one or two cloves of fresh-squeezed garlic plus a small amount of fresh ginger juice. You can obtain the juice by grating ginger on a cheese or vegetable grater and then pressing the resulting fibers in a garlic press.

3. Add one tablespoon of high-quality olive oil. Blend (or shake well in a glass container) and drink first thing in the morning.

4. Follow the liver flush with two cups of cleansing herbal tea (such as the combinations I recommend below or Hobbs recommends in his book).

5. Do not eat any food for at least one hour.

CLEANSING TEAS

Important to the "flushing" process are the tea blends recommended here. These teas are meant to be enjoyed liberally (two to four cups a day is fine). They can be alternated every other day, or enough made to last for two days. These blends can also be used throughout the year as nourishing and strengthening tonics for the liver and kidneys.

LIVER LOVE TEA

  2 part burdock root
  1 part dandelion root
1/4 part licorice root
1/8 part sassafrass root bark

Place one tablespoon of dried herb mix to one cup
water in a saucepan with cover on the stove. Bring
to a boil and then immediately turn down to a low
simmer for twenty minutes. Strain and enjoy.

KIDNEY CLEAR TEA

  2 parts nettle
  1 part alfalfa
1/4 part horsetail
1/4 part licorice
1/8 part schisandra

Place one tablespoon of dried herb mix to one cup
water into a teapot or mason jar and cover with
boiling water. Let sit for at least twenty minutes and
up to four hours. Strain and enjoy.

FURTHER SUPPORTIVE THERAPIES

Though not necessary, the following therapies are certainly helpful. Give them a try and see how you feel!

Fresh wild spring greens such as chickweed, violet leaf and flowers, nettles, and dandelion leaf and flowers are healthful and medicinal greens that can stimulate lymphatic flow, cleanse the blood and aid the liver and kidneys in elimination. They are also highly nutritious.

Seaweed (used in the salad above) is known not only for its incredible nutritional value, but also its ability to bind with heavy metals and other toxins and aid the body in eliminating them through the bowels.

Milk thistle is a liver regenerative herb and is especially good for people who work in toxic environments.

Turmeric is anti-inflammatory, an antioxidant, and a blood purifier, and also aids in decongesting the liver.

Vitamins C and E are antioxidants and free radical scavengers.

Epsom salt and baking soda baths once or twice a week can aid in drawing out toxins through the skin.

Castor oil packs over the liver once or twice a week stimulate and detoxify the liver and can aid in breaking up stagnation.

Sandi Ford is currently working on her master's in holistic nutrition education and has been working with plants for beauty, food and medicine for over fourteen years. President of the NC Chapter of the American Herbalist Guild, she maintains a clinical practice and teaches at various herbal schools in Asheville. She also leads medicinal plant walks and workshops throughout the east coast, as well as designs and promotes edible, medicinal and native landscapes. She can be reached for consultations or classes at 828-299-1479 or at [e-mail].