Day 219 of 365 - Liver Love

It's a major gatekeeper for the body, filtering all toxins and foreign substances from the blood, breaking them down and excreting them.  It's your liver, the biggest internal organ in your body.  The liver is one of the main organ targets of spring digestive cleanses.  It deals with waste products produced internally from your metabolism, and also with toxins that come into you from outside, via your food and your environment.

This organ has hundreds of jobs, many of which have to do with digestion.  The enzymes it produces help break down the food you place in your stomach.  Molecules from digestion are released through your gut into your blood.  The blood then goes back through the liver to be filtered.

Excess glucose not used by the body is stored in the liver in the form of glycogen.  Bile used in breaking down of dietary fat, is created in the liver and stored in the gall bladder.  The liver manages fat levels in the blood, and also helps manage blood sugar.  It also helps in the breakdown of protein and storage of its products.

There are many ways to love your liver which do not involve a drastic cleanse:


  • A castor oil pack - It's messy, but effective in supporting liver function, elimination and cell renewal.  I have yet to try it, but intend to do so.  You need a hot water bottle or heating pad, castor oil, and an old washcloth or small towel.  Rub a small amount (about a 1 inch circle) of castor oil in the area under the bottom rib on the right side.  Drape an old washcloth over the oil.  Lay the hot water bottle over that and lie down and relax for 15 to 20 minutes.
  • Another way to love your liver is, to eat dark leafy greens, like spring mix lettuce, arugula and any of the bitter leaf greens.  The bitters are a great liver tonic, enhancing the flow of bile and releasing built up liver congestion.
  • Good fats, like coconut, avocado and olive oil are good for your liver.  Bad fats - you know what they are- are not.
  • The liver regenerates between 11 p.m. - 3 a.m. To give it a digestive break, avoid late night snacking.  An overworking liver is often the culprit of those who are having trouble sleeping.
  • Cruciferous vegetables, like broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, cabbage and bok choy are also friends of your liver.
When I was on a strict ketogenic diet for several months, I eventually noticed ongoing tenderness around my right ribs.  Because the ketogenic diet is, by definition, high in good fats, my liver was working hard to process them, and it became congested.  Though I was taking a digestive enzyme capsule before my highest fat meal of the day, it was not quite enough.  I began also using a liver support capsule which contained derivatives of many of the bitter greens.  Also, I made up a batch of Swedish bitters, a liquid tonic which I add to a small glass of water before a high fat meal.  The sprouts I grow weekly also contain bitter greens which support my liver.  Though I'm no longer eating a strict ketogenic diet, I still use many of these dietary supports in a preventive way.

So, if you have been overindulging in high carbs, bad fats, excess sugar, protein or alcohol, you may want to show your liver some love with any of these strategies.  Supporting your liver can help you feel remarkably better.  It's a powerhouse that works hard for us and is often taken for granted.  It deserves some love.  


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