Spring is the Best Time for Liver and gallbladder Support

Each season comes with its own set of helpful herbs and nutritional protocols. After a winter full of heavily warming foods, our liver and gallbladder usually need some support. Consistent consumption of comforting fatty foods can create congested gallbladders which lead to symptoms like feeling nauseous after eating, heartburn, or lots of burping after a meal. Sometimes it can even present itself as little circular bits of peeling skin on the palms of the hands or feet. This is your body telling you it needs some support. Maybe you only have one of these symptoms. Perhaps you have all of them. Either way, the Spring Equinox is a wonderful time to support your liver/gallbladder function. Not only is this good annual maintenance for your organs, but it’s also the foundation you need in order to shed that winter weight.

Bitter and sour are the flavors that commonly help create bile in the body. bitter foods are typically cooling and drying, energetically speaking. This means they help remove excess heat, or inflammation and dry up excess fluids. Here is a list of food and herbs that are a great addition to your spring meals.

• Radishes - bitter and a little spicy, a few raw radishes, grated or eaten whole and chewed well, can stimulate bile flow and cut through gallbladder stagnation.

• Lemons - bitter and acidic, lemon juice added to water or in salads stimulates the liver and assists in flushing out minor gelatinous congestion, unclogging your gallbladder.

• Beetroots - are the ultimate liver support. Mildly sweet and earthy, they activate liver enzymes and increase bile production. There are so many ways to consume them. The key is to eat them daily and often to feel the benefits.

• Horseradish - spicy and bitter it triggers a response in the gallbladder to produce more bile.

• Apple Cider Vinegar - If you really look into the history of ACV you will find that at some point it was used for almost every bodily ailment internally and externally. It contains friendly strains of bacteria and acids to help digestion, stimulate bile flow, and help colonize the gut.

• Fire Cider - Best friend and magical child of apple cider vinegar, fire cider is ACV infused with food, herbs, and spices that facilitate healthy digestion and immunity. It is usually taken before a meal. I like to add 1 tablespoon to 2 ounces of water to cut the acidity and get a better flavor profile of the ingredients like jalapeno, ginger, and turmeric.`

• Burdock Root - considered bitter but does not taste that way when roasted or added to soups and stews, it stimulates bile flow, improves lymphatic function, and improves digestion. Fresh roots can be bought in Asian markets and some American grocery stores. Dried roots can be purchased where medicinal herbs are sold and be added to any broth recipe or made into a decoction (a strong root tea) and drunk before meals. Dried root powder has a bland taste and can be added to just about anything at your discretion 6-18 grams per serving.

• Gentian Root - does taste bitter and is often used in tincture form before or right after a meal for digestive support and stimulating bile flow. Take the tincture alone or combined in a digestive tonic with other tinctures like ginger, chamomile, yellow dock, as well as the other herbs listed. Gentian should not be used if you have an ulcer or are pregnant.

• Dandelion Root - bitter but mild in taste, can be taken as a tincture, is a great addition to a fire cider recipe, or made into a tea to once again stimulate bile flow. Dandelion root is not recommended for people with a history of developing large gallstones.

With functional bile flow comes healthy digestion. Proper digestion is paramount in the process of easily shedding excess winter weight. Healthy bile flow is also connected to productive lymphatic drainage to ease fluid retention. This leads to feeling lighter, more energetic, and better sleep.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the liver is associated with the emotion of anger. As you decongest your liver/gallbladder you may find yourself releasing displaced anger as well. Understanding this while you make efforts to help your body gives you an opportunity to tend to any emotional stagnation that has been building up. Be gentle with your heart and your stomach as you go on this cleansing journey into Spring. Create healing meals in the kitchen and a safe space in your home to productively express any seemingly misplaced feelings that may come up.