Spring Detox: Do You Really Need It?

Initially posted 3/10/2018  Updated 3/8/2021

There are a whole lot of ways to be perfect, and not one of them is attained by punishment.                     

Ursula K Le Guin

Angry? Too much Liver Heat!

Mother Earth is rousing from her Winter slumber and it’s time to get your liver and gall bladder cleansed. Or so they say. Aren’t those two organs already in the business of breaking down “stuff” and helping us digest? How much more cleaning do they need?!

In Chinese Medicine each Season is associated with an organ system(s). Spring is the time of the Liver and Gall Bladder and the associated emotion is anger. There‘s a lot of rising energy (think of Dandelion pushing its’ way through the cracks in the pavement) this time of year and one can easily get swept up into this heating dynamic.  This is the best time to do a detox program to help move this heating energy up and out and ease you into the warming days ahead.

There’s various detoxifying and cleansing programs being touted on the Internet and social media, ranging all the way from a vigorous cleanse (i.e., don’t be far from a bathroom. Sort of like prepping for a colonoscopy. Only longer. And less fun...) to very mild (pass the lemon water and bitters, please.) Sometimes there’s fasting involved or a few days of only liquids.  

Should You do a Detox Program?

Regardless of the steps involved, it comes down to why do it at all? You may consider a detox program if you experience the following:

·         Frequent bloating after meals

·         Feel tired during the day

·         Have low energy

·         Easily constipated or have slow transit time

·         Skin is dry

·         A tendency to feel cold, especially in your hands and feet

·         Headaches that feel better with the application of cold

·         Interested in natural health and wanting to feel your best

·         Want to hit a reset button when entering a new season

·         Help get things back on track, physically and emotionally, especially if there has been overindulgence in food, alcohol, or general habits (too much social media, anger, frustration, or lack of tending to oneself)

 You do NOT want to do a detox program if you have the following:

·         Pregnant or breast feeding

·         Recovering from surgery or a major illness

·         Undergoing radiation or chemotherapy

·         Younger than 16 years old

·         Difficult or poorly controlled blood sugar levels

·         History of or a current eating disorder 

Detoxing can be a time to unstick the underlying physical and emotional imbalances that feed one another. By using bitter/sour foods and herbs that support the liver (milk thistle, dandelion root, burdock root, gentian, to name a few), we can cool this hot energy and see things with clearer eyes.

By using a combination of gentle herbs and diet changes for a few days, one can reset and help bring clarity and a new perspective. Foods that tend to cloud and heat us or dampen us over time are those foods associated with causing inflammation such as:

·         processed sugar

·         gluten/grains

·         dairy

·         eggs

·         nuts

Detox programs DO NOT have to involve physical purging. The liver and kidneys do a good job of detoxing and yet even they can be stressed when presented with poor food choices or overdoing certain things. Detoxing is a temporary activity, not a diet to continue over time. Once it’s over, it’s about transitioning back to more sustainable eating. The point is to become more mindful of what you eat and being in touch with HOW your food choices feel in your body. What drives you to make the food choices you do? There are always choices, and some involve more effort than others. Sometimes it’s about picking the best option within a place of  limited options.

 How Long Should I Detox?

It depends on what you want to achieve and how much energy and effort you want to put into it. If you want to use it as a seasonal transition time, it can be as short as 3 days or as long as 2 weeks. If it’s all about the reboot aspect, 10-14 days may be a better option.  Some recommend a 6-week option for long term dietary changes to more likely succeed. The longer you do it, the easier it will become for you to transition into better eating habits that will last. Bottomline: Make the decision based upon what YOUR goals are. Below is a basic plan for detoxing that can be used for a 3- 40-day detox program.

 Suggested Detox Steps

1.      Pick a timeline for starting and ending the detox program. Gather the ingredients you need to make your meals. This does require some pre-planning to cover those times when you’re too busy or too tired to cook meals every day. A lot of prep work can be done on the weekends which speeds up the cooking process. Remember, this detox plan can be anywhere from 3 - 40 days in length, your choice. There are no set rules, listen to your body!

2.      Remove those items you want to delete from your diet for the remainder of your detox time. These can be put in a place where they’re not staring you in the face every day during this experience. You may decide at the end that you either want to go back to them or realize you feel better without them and toss them or give them away.

3.      For those who already have a warm/hot constitution and dislike the upcoming warming days, avoid alcohol, caffeine in any form (includes caffeinated teas and chocolate), sugar, turkey, avocados, spicy foods, fried/greasy foods, nuts, and nut butters. This may be your 3 - 10- or 40-day detox program.

4.      Seriously consider eliminating one of the above big 5 digestive intolerances (dairy, gluten, eggs, sugar, nuts). Line up substitutes for these items. Initially focus on adding what you need for your diet rather than focusing on what you’re taking away or ‘missing’.

5.      Eat nutrient dense foods such as grass-fed meats, farm-raised eggs, and bone broth-based soups.

6.      Eat healthy fats such as coconut, avocado, and olive oil; rendered tallow and lard from grass-fed animals.

7.      Incorporate more bitter and sour tastes into your meals using vegetables that share this flavor such as arugula, Belgium endive, dandelion greens, radicchio, and endive.

8.      Increase your intake of dark green leafy greens such as kale, collards, chard, mustard, watercress, lambs’ quarters, chickweed, nettle, purslane and dandelion.

9.       Use lemon juice or the juice from fermented vegetables as a base for your salad dressings.

10.  Use your favorite bitters daily. These are concentrated extracts that taste…bitter! It’s one of the best ways to wake up your body as you come out of Winter.  Bitter stimulates your gut to produce its own digestive juices to help breakdown and absorb food in addition to optimizing liver health. Your gut (along with your lungs and sinuses) has bitter receptors  scattered throughout. We evolved to taste these flavors and need them to enable good digestion. When using bitters, put them either directly on the tongue or under the tongue and hold until you start to feel “juicy”, then swallow. Mixing them in water  dilutes the bitter flavor. (We make several blends of bitters here at The Elderberry.)

11.  Go to sleep by 11 PM as the liver peaks between 11 PM and 3 AM. You’ll feel more rested than if you went to bed later and got the same number of hours of sleep. Directing the liver’s energy into other activities during these hours diverts it from cleansing and renewing the blood causing tiredness, toxicity, and stagnation.

12.  Refrain from eating cold foods and drinks such as iced drinks and soy milk.

13.  Use a small amount of ferments daily. Our local Farmstead Ferments has a great variety including  wonderful seasonal ones.

14.  Limit screen time. Are screens taking over your life? How could it not during the pandemic? Consider limiting the extraneous time spent with screens. Replace that time with something you love. Or go outside and enjoy the beautiful Spring weather.

15.  Find an exercise that makes you feel good and you can do most days of the week. Walking, yoga, Tai Qi, Qi Gong – all these get you up and moving and get the lymph to flow which also helps with detoxification.

16. Consider using some daily herbal tea blends such as Dandelion Root and Burdock Root with a little Fenugreek or a little dried Orange peel. Roasted Chicory Root is another favorite liver supporting tea.

To get you started I have included a few recipes. You can access them here.  

Whether you‘ve done detoxing before or if it’s your first time, be gentle with yourself. And most importantly, be aware of judging yourself. Sometimes when working with the liver, feelings of anger and frustration get released. Flower Essences can help. The dosing is 2 drops 4 times/daily. However, you can put 16 drops in a large container with tea that can be sipped throughout the day. You can blend up to 5 essences at a time (more than that muddles the effect). Journaling while using can help track the subtle changes. Use for 2 weeks and then re-evaluate their effects. The following are a few suggestions for use during the detoxing program:

·         Rescue Remedy – for when there’s panic, feeling loss of grounding, not in control of emotions and need help now.

·         Walnut – Helps with ease and grace when moving through transitional times. Is a spell-breaker of inertia and help moves one to new state of behavior.

·         Star of Bethlehem – Changes relationship to food especially if there’s long-held or unknown trauma/grief/loss that needs to be addressed.

·         Agrimony – Helps with emotional honesty and dealing with attachment and addiction issues.

·         Crabapple –Supports positive self-image. Releases need for perfection and negative self-talk.

·         Pine – Helps connect with underlying Issues of guilt and shame surrounding  attachment and addiction. Encourages connection with inner self.

·         White Chestnut Bud – Helps to break unhealthy links to habits and relationships.

·         White Chestnut - Helps with monkey mind and difficulty sleeping. Use this to be fully present for mental peace.

·         Rock Rose - Used when developing new habits. Helps you feel calmer especially when feeling panicked by release of emotions.  

·         Sweet Chestnut – Feeling stuck?  Emotions are clouding the vision and need connection to Spirit to shine a light and to connect with something greater.

·         Cherry Plum – When feeling like you’re spinning out of control and desperately wanting to control emotions,  this essence helps you feel you can change your responses to emotions.

·         Honeysuckle – Helps to stay in the present moment if we’re feeling stuck.  Assists in being fully present to the now.

·         Gentian – Restores faith and optimism when feeling discouraged. Helps with resolve.

·         Aspen – Helps with vague fears/state of anxiety.

·         Larch – Helps move past self-doubt, fear of failure. Helps one trust in their ability to deal with changes.

·         Centaury – Helps maintain boundaries. If you know you need to change but are not honoring the process, this is the essence for you.