Liver Cleansing Herbs for Spring
The Spring season is so exciting and refreshing. It represents release and shedding of the old to make space for the new. Spring also inspires the essence and energy of re-birth, renewal, cleansing, and the synergy of water, earth merging with fire. Spring season is also associated with the liver organ and is an excellent time to cleanse the liver. In Ayurveda, the liver is the seat of our anger, aggression, irritability, frustration, stagnation or resentment.
The function of the liver is to filter through the substances moving through the body and metabolize all toxins, pollutants, drugs, cholesterol proteins, blood clotting agents, carbohydrates and fats. If the liver is over working to try to compensate excess accumulation of toxins, it can begin lose its ability to filter toxins out from the bloodstream. Maintaining a healthy liver throughout the year is important, however, actively introducing a gently liver cleanse during the spring season can help clean your internal organs in coherence with nature. Is performing a liver cleanse necessary to a healthy individual? Probably not. If you wish to include liver cleansing herbs this Spring season to gently cleanse the liver, I strongly recommend taking the following herbs regularly for 15-30 days in March-April. Before starting a spring cleanse, it is SO important to reflect on your lifestyle choices and habits to see if they are healthy and supportive. Simple, yet effective. These practices include; exercise, good sleep, healthy food, hydration, and positive relationships. These all contribute to maintaining a healthy and balanced liver.
There are three types of liver cleansing herbs and they can be used for a variety of different purposes.
Movers + Alterative Herbs: referrs to the herbs that help tonify the blood and gradually restore the balance of the body.
Liver Protector Herbs: referrs to the herbs that help strengthen, protect and nourish the liver to support its natural function
Lymph Cleansing Herbs: referrs to the herbs that help achieve an enhanced flow of the body’s lymphatic fluids throughout the lymphatic system.
Liver Alterative + Mover Herbs
Dandelion leaf/root
Burdock root/leaf/fruit/seed
Yellow dock root
Turmeric root
Schizandra berry/fruit
Artichoke flower head/seeds
Ginger rhizome
Red clover flower head
Liver Protector Herbs
Turmeric
Schizandra berry/fruit
Artichoke flowerhead/root/leaf
Ginger Root
Milk Thistle
Lymph Cleansing Herbs
Burdock Root
Red Clover flowers
Calendula flowerhead
Echinacea root/flower
While there is no specific time of year to cleanse and detox the liver, however spring is perhaps the most potent. In Ayurveda, Springtime governs the liver organ. This is simply because we tend to eat heavier, richer, more nourishing foods during the autumn and winter months. These heavier foods put more work and emphasis on the liver, whereas the lighter foods we often consume during spring is naturally cooling and cleansing for the liver. Its important to give the liver a resting period, since it is constantly filtering toxins and metabolic wastes out of your blood before it enters the rest of your body.
A simple way to identify great liver cleansers are any bitter herb. They are incredible at supporting your liver’s natural detoxification function, encouraging the organ to clean blood more efficiently and excrete more bile for digestion. If the liver is overworked and isn’t working efficiently, toxins can enter blood stream. It is beneficial to also consume blood cleansers, herbs such as dandelion and burdock root. These herbs can promote detoxification of several channels to open a pathway for waste and toxins to be removed from your body. Turmeric, milk thistle, ginger, schizandra, and artichoke leaf can aid in liver protection and regeneration post-cleansing.
The large intestines play a crucial role in detoxification and support the liver. Yellow dock is especially potent in stimulating movement of the large intestines on its own or combined with other herbs such as burdock and dandelion roots. Yellow dock can improve the flow of bile, therefore contributing to its detoxifying abilities.
Dandelion and Calendula are both great aids in supporting the cleansing and purifying of the liver. They have the ability to gently stimulate the liver and gallbladder, encouraging the removal of waste from the body and the ability to excrete bile when needed for digestion.
Why should I do a liver cleanse or consume liver cleansing herbs?
During winter season, excess Kapha dosha can accumulate ama in the body, specifically in the blood, lungs, chest, and colon. To balance this dense and heavy energy, eating light and fresh foods can be supportive alongside rising early and increasing activity levels. If you continue to accumulate ama in the body, this leads to all chronic disease. Depending on your innate tendencies, disease can manifest in different parts of the body.
Whether or not you decide to take part in a cleanse or simply adapt your habits and meal choices to be liver cleansing, it is really beneficial to tonify and clean the blood seasonally. Consider participating in a mental and spiritual cleanse by slowing down, adopting a meditation practice, and reflecting on your previous season to clarify what you wish to keep and what needs to be removed to create more space for new things to unfold.
Q: What is one thing in your life right now, that you wish to release from your grip? What is one thing you would like to adopt as a habit or choice? write about what this process might look like for you.
Ayurveda classifies the liver as a fiery, hot organ. In regards to this fact, it signifies that there is an intimate relationship between the liver, Agni (the digestive fire), pitta dosha, as well as the energy of transformation.
In traditional Ayurvedic teachings it is believed that the following substances, channels, and energies are directly influenced by the liver:
Agni
Agni is best described as our metabolic fire within. It has a multitude of functions, but regardless of where it manifests in the body, it’s purpose is to be a catalist of transformation.
There are many manifestations of agni, but specifically 40 physiological manifestations of agni. Five of which (the bhuta agnis) are located in the liver. Essentially, the bhuta agnis are responsible for assimilating and then transforming food into energy.
This digestive process breaks our food down into the five basic universal elements (earth, water, fire, air, and ether). The bhuta agnis located in the iver are what help transform this food into practical uses in the body and mind. Only once processed by the liver, can our food offer sufficient energy and nutrience to the blood, plasma, muscles, and tissues.
Emotions and the Liver
We often think of digestion and processing in relation to the food we consume, however, the liver plays an equally crucial role in the processing of emotions.
In Ayurveda, the liver is associated with emotions such as anger, hate, resentment, envy, irritability, frustration, impatience, and excessive ambition. These emotions have a hot and fiery quality to them, which are an imbalanced expression of pitta dosha. A balanced pitta dosha and healthy liver will manifest as willpower, courage, confidence, contentment, enthusiasm, acceptance, and surrender.
Conclusion
The liver is our primary organ of detoxification, so its job is to protect the deep tissues from impurities that can potentially enter the blood stream. Overexposure to toxins, such as alcohol, drug abuse, or excessive toxic emotions, can weaken and overwork the liver itself and hinder it from doing its job.
Thankfully, the liver possesses a remarkable ability to heal and rejuvenate itself. This is something that sets the liver apart from other organs and tissues.
If the liver is in a state of stress and overwork, it is important to allow periodic rest times. This can be done through small daily habits, herbs, and rituals guided by an Ayurvedic practitioner. This can also be done more intensely as a long periodic detoxification or cleanse.
Whether you are currently experiencing symptoms of a weak or tired liver, or you simply want to maintain an already healthy liver, introducing cleansing and purifying habits in the springtime is especially effective.
