Liver Cleanse and Detox

As mentioned in my previous posts about colon and kidney cleanses/detoxes, performing a cleanse or detox is a way to clean out the debris in your body and revitalize your systems and organs. Toxic waste from heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides and other chemicals in our food and environment can have your body working at sub-optimal levels and cause some serious health conditions. Cleansing and detoxing will allow your immune system to take a break, flush the toxins out and get your organs and systems working as they should. The third cleanse that I will focus on in this series is a liver cleanse. If you plan to do a series of cleanses, start with the colon, then kidneys and next move onto the liver.

Function of the Liver

I consider the liver to be the most important organ in the body. The liver is involved in every metabolic process in the body, processing nutrients as you take them in. There is a direct route from the digestive organs into the liver called the portal vein. The liver filters and cleans the blood and breaks down toxic substances including medications, heavy metals and chemicals. It stores sugar as triglycerides to create energy when the body needs it. The gallbladder stores bile that is produced by the liver. An unhealthy liver can lead to problems with the gallbladder.

Signs and Symptoms that you Need a Liver Cleanse

If you are experiencing any of the below, it would be helpful to do a cleanse:

• Storing fat, especially around the mid-section; chest distended/breasts enlarged

• Flagging energy/fatigue

• Goiter/enlarged thyroid

• Skin conditions: acne, eczema, psoriasis

• Visual abnormalities: cataracts, glaucoma, inflamed/red/dry eyes

• Allergies

• Menstrual changes

• Headaches

• Dizziness

• High blood pressure

• Colitis/enteritis

• Insomnia

Goal of the Liver Cleanse

When doing a liver cleanse, the goal is to reduce toxic burden and provide the liver with the essentials needed to cleanse the blood. The cleanse may result in increased energy and increased fat burning.  

Things to Eliminate from your Diet

While performing the cleanse work to avoid late meals and make your final meal of the day a small one. Reduce snacking and try to eat less. Eliminate highly processed foods, hydrogenated and saturated fats, refined sugars, mammal meat, processed meat (bacon, lunch meat), alcohol, cheese, eggs, excess nuts, hot peppers, crab and buckwheat for the length of the cleanse.

Things to Add to your Diet

Be mindful to add many of the following to your diet:

• General: cruciferous and root vegetables, fresh fruits and vegetables, organic food, fermented food, sprouted grains, beans and seeds

• Fruits: apple, avocado, blackberry, blueberry, cherry, coconut, grapefruit, huckleberry, lemon, lime, peach, plum, raspberry, red grape, strawberry

• Vegetables/herbs: alfalfa, asparagus, artichoke, basil, bay leaf, beet, broccoli, broccoli sprouts, Brussels sprouts, burdock, cabbage,  carrot, cauliflower, celery, collard green, cucumber,  daikon, dill, fennel, garlic, ginger, greens, horseradish, kale, kohlrabi, kuzu, lettuce (romaine), marjoram, mint (peppermint), mung bean sprouts, mushroom, mustard green, onion, parsley, red skinned potato, rhubarb, rosemary, sage, seaweed, sweet potato, taro, turnip, watercress, wild yam

• Grains: amaranth, barley, brown rice, millet, oat, rye, wheat

• Legumes: beans, lentils, mung bean, quinoa, soybean (black), tempeh, tofu

• Nuts/seeds: black sesame seed, chestnut, pine nut, walnut

• Other/spices: anise, black pepper, blackstrap molasses, cardamom, coffee, cumin, extra virgin olive oil, fenugreek, tea (green), turmeric/ curcumin, vinegar (apple cider, brown rice, rice wine)

Herbs and Supplemental Support

The below herbs and supplements may help cleanse your liver:

• Alpha lipoic acid

• Angelica root

• Betaine

• Black currant seeds

• Borage

• Borututu bark

• Bupleurum

• Burdock root

• Chamomile flowers

• Chanca Piedra

• Chlorella

• Dandelion root

• Dang gui root

• Evening primrose

• Lemon balm

• Licorice root

• Lobelia

• Magnesium

• Milk thistle

• N-acetyl cysteine

• Nettle

• Omega 3

• Oregon grape root

• Peony root

• Prickly ash bark

• Probiotic

• Rehmannia root

• Saw palmetto

• Selenium

• Skullcap

• Spurilina

• St. John’s Wort

• Valerian

• Vitamin C

• Vitamin D

• Vitamin E

Lifestyle Support and Other Therapies

Other therapies that may help with a liver cleanse are:

• Coffee enema

• Epsom salt bath

Summary

The liver is a vital organ that filters blood, processes nutrients and breaks down toxic substances in the body. It is important when cleansing to avoid overeating and late meals so that the liver has ample time for regeneration through the sleep cycle. A liver cleanse/detox is a way to reset and get on track if you are experiencing the signs and symptoms listed above. I recommend following this cleanse/detox for five to seven days.

Kidney Cleanse and Detox

As mentioned in my previous post about colon cleanse/detox, performing a cleanse or detox is a way to clean out the debris in your body and revitalize your systems and organs. Toxic waste from heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides and other chemicals in our food and environment can have your body working at suboptimal levels and cause some serious health conditions. Cleansing and detoxing will allow your immune system to take a break, flush the toxins out and get your organs and systems working as they should. The second cleanse that I will focus on in this series is a kidney cleanse. If you plan to do a series of cleanses, start with the colon and then move onto the kidneys.

Function of the Kidney

The kidney performs a few important functions. They clean the blood, help regulate blood pressure, and moderate the volume of water in the body. They also remove waste and help to utilize Vitamin D, which in turn helps maintain calcium levels in the body.

Signs and Symptoms that you Need a Kidney Cleanse

If you are experiencing any of the below, it would be helpful to do a kidney cleanse:

• Frequent urination or clear urine

• Hair loss, split ends, premature graying

• Dizziness

• Dry mouth

• Low backache

• Spontaneous sweating

• Bone and teeth problems

• Hearing loss or ear infections

• Lack of sexual desire

• Irregular menstrual periods

Goal of the Kidney Cleanse

When doing a kidney cleanse, the goal is to eliminate toxic waste from the kidneys, and to regulate the water in the body. Good kidney health can lead to improvement in hair, nails, bones, and teeth. The kidneys are linked to the adrenal glands, so improving the function of the kidneys will have a positive impact on energy levels.

Things to Eliminate from your Diet

While performing the cleanse work to avoid overeating. Eliminate coffee, alcohol, tobacco, salt, refined sugar, meat and greasy/oily foods for the length of the cleanse.

Things to Add to your Diet

Be mindful to add many of the following to your diet:

• Fruits: blackberry, blueberry, cranberry, huckleberry, juice (cranberry, lemonade), lemon, melon (watermelon), mulberry

• Vegetables: asparagus, carrot, celery, chive, garlic, ginger, kuzu root, leek, mung bean sprouts, mushroom, onion, parsley, potato (with skin), scallion, seaweed, string bean, water chestnut, winter squash

• Grains: barley, millet, quinoa, wheat berry, wheat germ

• Legumes: beans (black, black soybeans, kidney, lima, mung), tofu

• Nuts/seeds: anise, black sesame, fennel, fenugreek, walnut

• Other: black peppercorn, cinnamon, clove, water

Herbs and Supplemental Support

The below herbs and supplements may help cleanse your kidney:

• Aloe vera

• Asparagus root

• Chlorella

• Marshmallow root

• Rehmannia root

• Silver colloid

• Spirulina

Lifestyle Support and Other Therapies

Other therapies that may help with a kidney cleanse are:

• Reduce use of aluminum cookware

Summary

The kidneys are a vital organ in ensuring that blood is cleaned. They work to ensure proper water volume and electrolyte balance. The key to keeping healthy kidneys is to consume whole foods that are plant based while staying hydrated with water. A kidney cleanse/detox is a way to reset and get on track if you are experiencing the signs and symptoms listed above. I recommend following this cleanse/detox for five to seven days.

Colon Cleanse and Detox

Performing a cleanse or detox is a way to clean out the debris in your body and revitalize your systems and organs. Toxic waste from heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides and other chemicals in our food and environment can have your body working at suboptimal levels and cause some serious health conditions. Cleansing and detoxing will allow your immune system to take a break, flush the toxins out and get your organs and systems working as they should. The first cleanse that I will focus on in this series is a colon cleanse. If you plan to do a series of cleanses, this is the place to start.

Function of the Colon

The colon performs a few important functions. It extracts water, salt, vitamins and nutrients from food and eliminates solid waste from the body. It also drains waste from metabolic functions and drains toxic substances that are absorbed by our lungs and skin.

Signs and Symptoms that you Need a Colon Cleanse

If you are experiencing any of the below, it would be helpful to do a colon cleanse:

• Headache

• Bloating

• Constipation

• Gas

• Weight gain

• Low energy

• Fatigue

• Chronic illness

Goal of the Colon Cleanse

When doing a colon cleanse, the goal is to eliminate toxic waste, improve digestion, replenish friendly bacteria cultures, draw mucoid plaque off the walls of the colon and increase the flow of bile. You may lose weight when performing a colon cleanse.

Things to Eliminate from your Diet

While performing the cleanse work to eliminate cooked foods for the first few days while cleansing and processed food for the length of the cleanse.

Things to Add to your Diet

Be mindful to add many of the following to your diet:

• General: fermented food, fiber

• Fruits: apple, avocado, cherry, fennel, juice (apple, lemon)

• Vegetables: barley grass, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, garlic, ginger, horseradish, hot pepper/chili, juice, kale, mustard green, parsley, pumpkin, radish (daikon), seaweed (kombu), turnip, watercress, wheatgrass, winter squash

• Grains: oats

• Nuts/seeds: chia, fennel, flax

• Other: apple cider vinegar, cayenne, fenugreek, sea salt, water (10-12 glasses per day), white peppercorn

Herbs and Supplemental Support

The below herbs and supplements may help cleanse your colon:

• Activated charcoal

• Aloe vera

• Barberry root bark

• Bentonite clay

• Buckthorn

• Cape aloe

• Cascara sagrada

• Chlorophyll

• Humic acid

• Licorice root

• Marshmallow root

• Montmorillonite clay

• Pau d’arco

• Probiotics

• Psyllium

• Senna

• Slippery elm bark

• Terminalia chebula

Lifestyle Support and Other Therapies

Other therapies that may help with a colon cleanse are:

• Epsom salt bath

• Enema

• Colon Therapy

Summary

I once read that for every ounce of fiber that you take into your body, two ounces comes out through digestion. Fiber encourages healthy bacteria growth, which helps the digestive system absorb nutrients from the food eaten. Fiber increases the speed and bulk of the food moving through your intestines, which then doesn’t allow for harmful substances to build up in the colon. The key to keeping a healthy colon is to eat fibrous food and drink generous amounts of water. A colon cleanse/detox is a way to reset and get on track if you are experiencing the signs and symptoms listed above. I recommend following this cleanse/detox for three to five days.