Everything You Need to Know About Liver
Table of Content:
What Is Liver The Relationship Between Dysfunction And Toxicity
Liver Detox Routine
Methods Of Using Essential Oils As Liver Cleanse Remedy
Best Liver Detox Foods
Liver Supplements
Signs Your Liver Is Healing
Signs Your Liver Needs Detoxing Immediately
Liver is one of the hardest working and most important organs in human body. It performs hundreds of functions in our body every single day, and when it starts malfunctioning we become prone to develop diseases. Every part of our lives depends on it. Unfortunately, there are many things that can damage your liver – from alcohol to plastic food storage to all types of chemicals we expose ourselves to!
What Is Liver?
Liver is the largest organ in human body, second only to skin. It weighs ~4.5 pounds for average adult which is about the size of a football, located on the right side of abdomen under the ribs.
It plays a crucial role for our well-being, as it produces bile to aid digestion, stores nutrients, helps control blood sugar levels, removes toxins from blood, and produces amino acids necessary for protein biosynthesis.
Think of your organs as a car spare-parts: when it’s a new car, everything works at its peak. With time, more driving, weather conditions, road bumps, etc, parts become looser and weaker where you better fix each before you end up having to replace them. We do not have this luxury of organ replacement (to an extent?), and when we do, they cost a fortune, AND we don't wanna get there!! The best way in this case is to “reboot” an organ which is in this case a complete flush to the engine of your body. In other words, if you want to fix your metabolism, energy levels, and hormones then you need to detoxify and cleanse your liver from time to time. That’s what we are going to do here!
The Relationship Between Liver Dysfunction And Toxicity
We need to do a little maths here: imagine a well-functioning organ operates at 100%. This means there would be 0% toxicity. Rock the balance and it starts to dysfunction and operates at just 90% bringing the toxicity level up to 10%. The dysfunction leads to toxicity where the last makes the organ dysfunction even more!
Liver Detox Routine
As shown in the figure above, you need to:
1. Stop/Reduce Exposure To Chemicals And Replace Them With Natural Stuff. Examples of toxins/chemicals: Chemical Ingredients In Self-Care Products, Perfumes, Processed Food, Alcohol, Cleaning Products And Detergents, Prescription And OTC Medicines (Over-The-Counter), Etc. Read More On Harmful Chemicals Here 2. Pick Your Best Method of Detoxification From The Methods Below
3. Take Supplements To Nourish Your Brand New Liver
4. Maintain Healthy Liver By Repeating The Above Twice a Year And After Any Exposure To Harmful Chemical (see number 1👆🏼)
Now let's have a closer look at methods of detoxing liver by incorporating essential oils, foods, and supplements.
■ Methods Of Using Essential Oils As Liver Cleanse Remedy
Method #1: Topical Use
In your hand palm, add 1 teaspoon of a carrier oil and
add to it 2 to 4 drops of any of the essential oils: Lemon, Juniper Berry, Cypress, Patchouli, Coriander, Grapefruit.
You may also create a bottle of a blend for easier use. To do so, you will need a 30m amber dropper bottle, a carrier oil, and the essential oils available amongst the above.
How:
Fill half the bottle with the carrier oil, then add a total of 18 drops of essential that is 2% strength. Top it up with the carrier oil and then secure-close the bottle and shake vigorously. Now it's easy to use.
Place to apply: Locate the liver on the very top right of the abdomen
/right below the ribs. In your hand palm, add a full dropper of the blend and then apply to that place and massage in circular motion until the oil is fully absorbed. Repeat daily for 2 weeks.
Method #2: Internal Use
Mix 1 drop of essential oil to 1 tablespoon of honey and eat. Take 1-3 times a day and follow with water if needed
Add 1 drop of an essential oil to your salad, soup, pasta, etc. Make sure you don't include the oil during the cooking as essential oil loses its properties with high heat. Also, make sure to mix it with the food so you don't get the drop right on your tongue/lips which may be irritating
Enteric Coated Capsules: this comes in packs. What you need is to add a total of up to 3 drops of essential oils in a capsule and consume it with water. Do this for not more than a week ahead, or just daily
Essential oils that can be consumed: Turmeric, Rosemary, lemon, lime, and grapefruit
Method #3: Compresses
Get 2 big bowls: one has 4oz of warm water and another with cold water
Put 10 drops of essential oil in the warm water bowl
Soak a towel in the warm water, squeeze off excess water and then apply it to the upper right area below your ribs (where the liver is). Leave for 5 min
Soak another towel in the cold water, squeeze, and replace the warm one. Leave it on for for 5 other min
Keep alternating them (use microwave for warming it up) for 45 min
This method takes longer time and more effort yet is super effective. For it leads to a continuous opening and closing of the pores creating a “suction action” and drawing toxins to the skin surface.
Method #4: Detox Bath
1 cup Epsom Salt
1⁄4 cup Organic Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)
1 tablespoon of carrier oil (ex. olive oil, almond, coconut, etc)
2 drops of lemon essential oil
5 drops of lavender essential oil
Mix the essential oils and carrier oil in a glass or a cup
Add in ACV and Epsom salt
While filling your tub with warm water, pour in mixture slowly while the water is running
Now is the time to get in the bath tub and start relaxing and enjoying the benefits, allowing your body to soak for 20 to 30 minutes.
■ Best Liver Detox Foods
Here is a quick list of best foods that are rich in antioxidants for a healthy liver:
1. Coffee: it is one of the best, if not the best, amongst drinks that protects liver
2. Green tea
3. All types of berries
4. Grapefruit
5. Grapes
6. Prickly pear
7. Beetroots and beetroot juice
8. Cruciferous veggies such as broccoli,
Brussels sprout
9. Nuts
10. Fatty fish (ex. salmon)
11. Olive oil
12. Citrus fruits
13. Garlic
■ Liver Supplements
Once detoxified, the liver will need to be re-nourished to help recover from the strain. Taking a Vitamin B-Complex will help with this. Always go by the manufacturer's dosage for safety. Fish oil/Omega 3 supplements are also a great addition.
Signs Your Liver Is Healing
In addition to the direct way of doing blood tests, the following physical signs mean your liver is healing:
Healthy looking skin and eyes
Increase in energy levels
Decrease in stomach pain and swelling
These signs mean you succeeded to reverse the damage in your liver! Yay!
Signs Your Liver Needs Detoxing Immediately
Fatty floating stool
Over exposure to toxins and chemicals
White or yellow-coated tongue
Weight gain around the abdomen
Blood sugar issues
Headaches
Poor digestion
Being overweight
Having bad breath
Cravings sweets
Feeling tired all the time
Developing new allergies and sensitivities
Getting nauseas after fatty food
Although whenever we suspect an issue wit our liver, doctors ask about the below as symptoms of liver problems before they sort it out, the below are actually signs of a damaged liver:
Yellow skin and eyes (jaundice)
Abdominal pain and swelling
Legs and ankles swelling
Itchy skin
Dark urine color
Pale/whitish stool color
Chronic fatigue
Nausea or vomiting
This happens when the liver is barely able to function i.e. less than 30% of its full strength and so you may end up in need of transplant. Our aim is not to get there, so start working now!
Conclusion
The most important thing we need to know as humans is that we can undo what we have previously done wrong. This is true for so many parts of life and this is true for our bodies as well. Take care of yourself and your liver will take care of you for the rest of your life. Make this a new year resolution that you stick to! 🤩
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