To cleanse your liver, natural drainage (or detox) helps eliminate waste and toxins, while storing the vitamins the body needs. When to drain your liver? How ? With which plants?
After overeating, copious meals or too rich in alcohol, the liver may be engorged and it takes time to time cleanse or detoxify it. How to drain your liver naturally? What is the best detox for the liver? When to do it? How long does it take to cleanse the liver? With what plants ? Natural or grandma’s methods?
Why drain your liver?
Pollution, industrial food, stress… The liver is put to the test throughout the year. Myriam Zlotnik, naturopath, advises performing liver drainage in order to regain form and energy. But be careful, detoxify your liver is not done anyhow. The older you get, the more signs of liver fatigue you will have. Taking care of your liver is essential for the preservation of your health and guarantees the good balance of the organism. We can easily observe the signs of liver fatigue such as bad breath, a coated tongue, nocturnal awakenings between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m., or even headaches.
It is advisable to drain his liver in early spring.
At what time of the year should you drain your liver?
The change of season is ideal for performing liver drainage. In traditional Chinese medicine, it is recommended the transition from winter to spring. Indeed, during the winter the body puts the organs dedicated to elimination to rest and it is in the spring that they will be very stressed and will have the most strength. Drainage boosts the process of eliminating toxins already naturally started in the spring. In addition, the winter period is conducive to the production and especially the storage of waste which will accumulate in the liver and eventually invade the blood if they are not eliminated.
How long to cleanse your liver?
Detoxifying your liver is not done in a day! The detox must last at least 2 to 3 weeks to observe the effects. Between each detox cure, it is advisable to respect a period of time of at least 1 month.
To eliminate toxins and gently regenerate the liverit’s necessary :
► Eliminate dairy products, refined products that are too fatty and too sweet, stimulants (alcohol, coffee, tobacco, etc.) or grilled meats.
► Favor foods rich in fiber (cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli…), preferably raw.
► Drink 2 liters of water per day.
What are the best plants to drain your liver?
It is advisable to bet on the plants once the cleaning has started and the machine has started. The choice of suitable plants will be made with the support of the naturopath. Some plants help cleanse the liver at night:
- L‘artichoke (to be taken in the evening in seeds, herbal teas or capsules)
- Boldo (to be taken in the evening in seeds, herbal teas or capsules)
- the fumitory (to be taken in the evening in seeds, herbal teas or capsules)
- Rosemary (take after meals to release bile)
- black radish (take after meals to release bile)
- Milk Thistle (to be taken after meals to release bile).
► Apply a hot water bottle on his liver every evening (respecting the precautions for using the hot water bottle).
► Opt for the saunasophrology, meditation, yoga or facial reflexology to relax in order to avoid stress and eliminate even more toxins.
► Do not waste energy unnecessarily in order to concentrate everything on the work of the liver. A good vitality will therefore be necessary to have the resources necessary for this detoxification. If you already feel tired or stress that consumes a lot, drainage can have the opposite effect. It will therefore be necessary to revitalize in order to regain sufficient energy to carry out this detox correctly.
► Relieve stress by practicing the appropriate activities and lighten your diet so as not to consume all your energy capital in digestion.
► Practice the dry brushing before the shower with a soft natural bristle brush: perform the movements from bottom to top, always in the direction of the heart. This daily reflex will make it easier to evacuate toxins through the skin.
What are the precautions and contraindications when performing a liver detox?
An accompaniment in a detox of the liver is more than recommended. Indeed, the drainage must be done correctly taking into account his physical condition at the time. Liver drainage is totally contraindicated:
► For pregnant women (on the other hand, a global detox to prepare for a future pregnancy is ideal)
► If you suffer from lesions or specific disorders in the liver.
What are the risks and side effects of a liver detox?
One should be aware that releasing toxins from the body can have somewhat unpleasant consequences like pimples, smellier sweat, dark urine. Even if these inconveniences are a sign of the proper functioning of the process, they can be worrying when one faces its drainage alone. Hence the interest once again to be accompanied. Moreover, changing your diet and adopting a new lifestyle is not always easy to put in place and a naturopath will be able to assess the risks, but also the success of the drainage before starting, and will be able to offer you a personalized detox.
Thanks to Myriam Zlotnik, certified and validated therapist from the Médoucine network (network of practitioners who offer appointments in alternative medicine)