"Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished." - Lao Tzu, Chinese Taoist philosopher
Spring is considered a time of renewal for the seasons, mind, body, and emotions. Associated with the spring season and Wood element is the liver, an organ closely connected with the flow of qi in the body. The liver is responsible for bodily functions like detoxification, bile formation and secretion, digestion and metabolism, protein metabolism, regulating hormones, and various other important functions. Liver stagnation can cause problems like neck and shoulder tension, chest tightness, teeth grinding, eye issues (especially in right eye), feeling hot all the time, fibroids, prostate inflammation, hip pain, toenail discoloration, waking up between 1 and 3 am, digestive symptoms, PMS, migraines, poor sleep, irritability, impatience or frustration, anger, or feelings of being stuck in one’s life.
Spring is an ideal time to detox your liver to support your overall health and emotions. The word detox can imply that extreme measures need to be taken, but taking this kind of action is actually hard on the body and can cause negative detox symptoms. Practices like scalp massage and combing, daily movements like walking, qi gong or yoga, eating in season, addressing stored emotions, and castor oil packs are all holistic practices that encourage good liver blood movement and relieve stagnation symptoms. The idea is to support your liver in gentle ways that flow with the slow transition to spring. For severe cases of liver illness, seek professional help to be prescribed the best course of treatment.
Scalp Massage and Combing
Scalp massage is an ancient TCM and Ayurvedic practice that involves using a wood comb or brush to gently massage the scalp. Because there are 60 acupressure points and many meridians along the scalp, this practice relaxes the mind, increases blood and oxygen flow, opens blocked channels in the head, increases qi flow, and encourages hair growth. The gallbladder meridian curves behind the ear and down the neck. An imbalance of the gallbladder meridian can result in poor quality of sleep, lack of confidence, and pain in the rib area. Because the functions of the liver and gallbladder are closely related, an imbalance of the gallbladder can affect the liver. Scalp massage is a gentle way to open energy flow along the meridian and bring the body closer to well being. The best tool to use is a wood comb, because according to the Chinese theory of the 5 Elements, wood regulates earth, which is the element associated with skin. Wood is also gentle enough to effectively activate acupoints without scraping the skin.
Gentle Exercise
Exercises like yoga, qi gong, and walking can relieve liver stagnation by increasing blood flow, improving circulation, reducing stress, and regulating blood sugar. In TCM, it is not about how hard or long you workout, but is about consistency. Working out regularly moves qi energy throughout the body, unblocks anything stagnant, and restores proper energy flow to the body. Liver qi stagnation can be caused by a sedentary lifestyle, stress, or a lack of blood flow, but working out 4-5 times a week can increase energy and blood flow in the body. Symptoms of over exerting yourself in a workout include fatigue, headaches, inability to focus, or lightheadedness, and signal that your workout is not as beneficial as it could be. Yoga, qi gong, and walking are all gentle workouts that reap all the benefits of a workout without the negative side effects. Slow and gentle movements aid the body without over exerting it.
Eating in Season
Eating in season and liver friendly foods is an effective way to support your liver while detoxing. Avoiding foods that inflame the liver, while supplying it with foods that the liver can easily process will allow the liver to function at a higher level, instead of being overworked. Along with eating fruits, vegetables, and grains that are in season, there are certain flavors and foods that suit the wood element, and support the liver. Pungent tastes like ginger, peppers, clove, garlic, clove, and allspice increase heat and digestive action in the liver. Bitter and sour foods like green tea, lemon, bitter leafy greens, zucchini, guava, pomegranate, green papaya, green apple, and herbs like parsley, dill, and mint purge the liver and increase the flow of bile to help with cleansing and elimination. Seasonal foods like artichoke, eggplant, dark leafy greens, celery, green onion, cilantro, tangerine, rhubarb, kiwi, eggs, chicken, shrimp, and brown rice will be easier for your body to digest, allowing the liver a break from working too hard. Avoid alcohol and spicy foods in excess.
Processing Emotions
Every organ has an emotion associated with it, and anger, frustration, and impatience are associated with the liver and gallbladder. These emotions can be the trigger or symptom of an imbalance in the liver, and while the emotions themselves are not inherently problematic, the repression or inward expression of these emotions can have negative somatic results. When approached with compassion, curiosity, and patience, processing feelings of anger or frustration can have an upward momentum, allowing for growth and acceptance. Because spring is the time of upward growth and expansion, it is the perfect time to address any stored emotions that might be liver qi. Ways to process emotions include lifestyle changes, movement, social connection, speaking your truth, creativity, relaxation, and rest.
Castor Oil Packs
Castor oil is a vegetable oil pressed from castor beans, and has many medicinal uses, like castor oil packs. The use of castor oil packs to aid in liver detox is an ancient practice that helps support optimized liver function, improve detoxification and hormonal balance, and to reduce inflammation in the liver. A component of castor oil, ricinoleic acid, is known to help the body rid itself of excess toxins. It is recommended to use a castor oil pack 1-2 times/week to help support the liver if dealing with hormonal imbalance, detoxification issues, or fatty liver. When treating the liver, place the pack directly over the liver, on the right side just below the rib. Often used overnight, castor oil packs are beneficial during the hours of 1-3 am, which is considered the time when the liver is most actively detoxing and is highly active. Waking up during this time might signal that your body is ready to detox and needs extra support.
Allow your body to relax into the changing season by making small changes to your routine to support your body gently. Stimulate acupressure points and the gallbladder meridian through massage, add movement to your day, eat foods that are anti-inflammatory and encourage liver detoxification, process any stored emotions, and use castor oil packs to aid in liver detoxification at night. Gentle changes can have a significant and positive impact.
Resources
Fries, Hannah. “Your Liver, Your Emotions and the Flow of Qi”. Retrieved from https://mydaolabs.com/blogs/the-way/what-is-liver-qi-stagnation.
Kramer, Warren. “Love Your Liver: Lessons From Chinese Medicine (TCM)”. Retrieved from https://nutritionstudies.org/love-liver-lessons-chinese-medicine-tcm/.
Mischke, Michelle. “Love Your Liver: An Ayurvedic Guide to Fostering Liver Health”. Retrieved from https://www.banyanbotanicals.com/info/ayurvedic-living/living-ayurveda/health-guides/love-your-liver/.
Stills, Sharon. “How to add a castor oil pack to your liver detox”. Retrieved from https://www.womenshealthnetwork.com/detoxification/how-to-add-a-castor-oil-pack-to-your-liver-detox/.
“Are Your Workouts Working Against You”. Retrieved from https://www.herbandohm.com/blog-posts/are-your-workouts-working-against-you.
“Eat with the Seasons: Spring”. Retrieved from https://fiveseasonstcm.com/blogs/traditional-chinese-medicine-101/eat-with-the-seasons-spring.
“Functional Medicine and TCM Liver Detox”. Retrieved from https://healingpoints-acu.com/functional-medicine-and-tcm-liver-detox/.
“How To Detox your Liver and be Ready for Spring with Traditional Chinese Medicine”. Retrieved from https://www.academyhealingnutrition.uk/blog/how-to-detox-your-liver-and-be-ready-for-spring-with-traditional-chinese-medicine.
“Love your liver – cleanse your body”. Retrieved from https://www.8branches.com/articles/love-liver-cleanse-body/.
“Scalp Massage 101: The Easiest Guide to Massage Scalp at Home”. Retrieved from https://magnifissance.com/selfcare/rituals/easiest-scalp-massage-at-home/.
“Understanding Chinese Medicine: Liver Qi Stagnation”. Retrieved from https://www.holdenacupuncture.com/liver-qi-stagnation/.