Liver Cleanse
Welcome!
All herbal traditions and systems agree that springtime is the perfect time to cleanse the liver and release accumulated toxins. The earth is coming alive, and it’s time to reset, renew, and bring our bodies to life as well. Think of “spring cleaning” internally after coming off of sluggish winter hibernation, holiday parties, and heavier winter eating.
The liver has over 500 known functions. The liver processes everything—food, herbal remedies, supplements. It cleanses our blood by breaking down and neutralizing alcohol, drugs, medicines, chemicals, and toxins. The liver is the
body's primary filter that processes most of the daily toxins we are exposed to in the modern world. These include pesticides, herbicides, glyphosate, vegetable oils, fried foods, detergents, BPA in plastic, heavy metals, medications, chlorine, air pollution, car exhaust, body care products (even organic ones), and cleaning products.
It’s vital to keep the liver functioning at its best. When the liver is clean, nourished, and functioning properly, all of our other systems function better. A clean liver supports balanced hormones, thyroid, adrenal hormones, energy levels, moods, skin, digestion, and metabolism. A functioning liver produces bile, which is essential for breaking down fats and eliminating toxic substances. A healthy liver also helps the body absorb nutrients.
With all the liver does, we want it to function properly, which is vital for our health.
This can be done by eating the liver organ itself, following a whole-food nourishing diet, properly hydrating, and taking liver-supportive herbs.
A liver that’s not clean and supported can lead to fatigue, seasonal allergies, skin issues, inflammation, indigestion, brain fog, depression, back pain, and anger. A very unkept liver can lead to cirrhosis, which is severe scarring of the liver.
The liver is an amazing organ that can even regenerate itself. But after a long winter and the onslaught of daily toxins and alcohol, it often needs a little extra support.
After doing a spring liver cleanse, my sleep is deeper, I have more energy, my skin is clear and glowing, I jump-start weight loss, and I feel clearer and brighter.
It’s Time To Cleanse!
This is a gentle liver cleanse to remove toxins from the liver. The focus of this cleanse is the liver and gallbladder.
The cleanse lasts 10 days. You’ll use your blender each morning to make a fresh liver cleanse drink.
You will also eat a clean, whole-food diet. Have you ever done the Whole 30? It’s basically no packaged foods, just whole foods. A lot of protein, fresh fruit, and steamed veggies or veggies cooked in some way. Cooked veggies are way easier on the digestive system, and if we actually digest our food, we can get the nutrients from them. Smoothies are great with a raw milk base. It’s super helpful to get 25-30 grams of protein in the morning. If you eat 4 eggs, that puts you at 28 grams. Skip the bread! More eggs!
Wake up, consume the liver cleanse drink, eat whole foods, and cut back on coffee, please. I do 1/2 cup of coffee and 1/2 cup of my Blissful Brew Latte Powder. Move and stretch your body every day, and walk for at least 45 minutes a day. Not much else changes during the 10 days.
Here are the health benefits of the ingredients in the liver cleanse drink you’ll make every morning.
Lemons help stimulate and flush out the liver. Sour foods are the most cleansing to the liver. Lemons have strong antibacterial properties. Purify and detox with lemons. Fresh lemon juice can also help protect your liver from any alcohol damage.
Citrus helps chelate heavy metals from the liver.
Garlic contains selenium and sulphur, which cleanse the liver and naturally flush toxins out of the body. Garlic protects the liver and helps it function better. It also helps fight bacteria, viruses, and fungi and clears out parasites.
Olive oil helps signal the flow of bile, dissolving waste and allowing it to flow out easily.
Ginger gets the blood moving and moves toxins out.
These ingredients will make you feel vibrant!
Eat A Whole-Food Diet
Remove processed foods! Remove processed sugars. Remove foods in packages. Remove bread and gluten. Eat grass-fed & grass-finished meats, pastured eggs, organic fruits, organic vegetables (lightly steamed), fermented vegetables, and raw dairy.
Drink Herbal Tea
Two of my favorite herbal teas to support and nourish the liver are burdock root and dandelion root. 2-3 cups per day during a cleanse is helpful. Add raw honey to taste. Honey is also associated with liver health.
If you can get fresh burdock root at your local health food store- chop it up and pour hot water over it. Allow to steep for 20 minutes.
I like to drink extra water when cleansing to help flush toxins. Aim for 1/2 gallon of water per day. Add some minerals to the water to ensure the absorption and hydration of the cells. Daily Minerals Electrolyte Powder.
Move The Body
Remember to stretch daily. Lift your arms up to the sky. Sit up, open your chest up, and bring your shoulders down. Swing your arms. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, stretching is considered an important way to balance the Liver.
Get outdoors! Breathe fresh air, walk, hike, or run.
Cleanse Negative Emotions
A liver cleanse is also a good opportunity to cleanse emotions that aren’t serving our health. Anger, frustration, resentment, and unforgiveness are very toxic emotions that can be directly harmful to the liver. Work on forgiveness with a counselor. Gratitude is one helpful practice for detoxing negative emotions.
Supplements
Milk thistle (tincture or capsule), burdock root tincture, dandelion root tincture, desiccated liver pills. Let me know if you need a liver cleanse tincture made up.
Liver Cleanse Recipe
1 orange, juiced
1 lemon, juiced
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tiny piece of ginger
1 dash of cayenne pepper
Blend all ingredients in a vitamix or blender for a frothy, deliciously powerful drink!
Drink right away upon waking. After drinking- lay on your left side for 10 minutes. Wait 30 minutes to eat.
Do this for 10 days straight or until your body feels the cleanse is complete. It's important to listen to your body.
Shopping List
For 10 days you’ll need 10 lemons, 10 oranges, 10 garlic cloves. I would buy decent-sized lemons and oranges.
Feel free to contact me with any questions. Happy shopping and happy cleansing!
In Gratitude,
Melissa Henig
(For educational purposes only)