‘Ouch! Oh my liver’, said your body. Do you know how much your liver cares for you? Well, I would say A LOT. Let me briefly introduce our dearest liver, weighing about 4 pounds, liver is the largest gland in the body and the only internal organ that will regenerate itself if part of it is damaged. You may be surprised and think that this is cool.

Well, it goes beyond that. Up to 25% of the liver can be removed and within a short period of time, it will grow back to its original shape and size. ‘Ouch! Oh my liver’, said your body. Do you know how much your liver cares for you?

Well, I would say A LOT. Let me briefly introduce our dearest liver, weighing about 4 pounds, liver is the largest gland in the body and the only internal organ that will regenerate itself if part of it is damaged. You may be surprised and think that this is cool.  Well, it goes beyond that. Up to 25% of the liver can be removed and within a short period of time, it will grow back to its original shape and size.

The liver has many functions, one of the most important which is the secretion of bile for digestion of fats. Bile also assists in absorption of the fats soluble vitamins A, D, E and K and helps assimilate calcium. In addition to its important functions in digestion and energy production, the liver acts as a detoxifier.

You may run into trouble when your liver stops functioning properly. Liver cell can be destroyed resulting in fat deposit (fatty liver), and more seriously inflammation or permanent scarring (liver cirrhorsis) that may later form liver cancer.

Here’s some holistic view on liver The liver is responsible for the smooth flow of Qi and blood in your body. It controls the volume and smooth flow of blood in your vessels and also stores the blood.The eyes are the sensory organ related to the Liver.

Do you know that the sclera, or white coat of the eye can become yellow due to liver problems? If you have any eye issues, including blurry vision, red or dry eyes, itchy eyes, it may be a sign deep down that your liver is not functioning smoothly.

Now, wake up and start detoxing. No more excuses. Ask yourself how often do you get irritable, angry easily, have trouble unwinding from the day’s activities, and have trouble reasoning or going with the flow and letting things go? To make life easier for you, anger is the emotion associated with the liver. And yes, you are experiencing a liver function problem. Experiencing these emotions chronically or excessively can seriously unbalance the function of your liver.

Here the top 10 to do list to maintain a  healthy liver:

Stay calm and take things easy and go slow.

You may consider counselling to express your angry or frustration—those feelings are destructive to the liver. Alternatively, you could pay a visit to a TCM practitioner or Naturopath who could guide you to sort things out. A Naturopath is someone who look at the root cause of imbalances in your body offering dietary, lifestyle changes and nutritional supplementation.

Please avoid alcohol!

It is way too damaging because the liver is responsible for metabolising alcohol, drinking in moderation can go a long way towards preserving your liver’s energy and giving it a break. Best of all, stop drinking it.

Natural herbs as liver tonic.

Consider taking some of the commonly talk about herbs liver herbs like dandelion and milk thistle. It has been used as an herbal remedy for liver problems for many years. For chronic hepatitis B or C, milk thistle is an herb that protects the liver from toxic injury and stimulates regeneration of the liver.

Eliminate trans fats (hydrogenated oils) completely from your diet.

Choose healthy saturated fats like virgin coconut oil, and healthy monounsaturated fats such as olive oil. Increase fibre and omega-3 essential fatty acids by adding ground flax seed to your diet. Fibre helps eliminate toxins more effectively from the body. Please add organic sprouted nuts and seeds to your diet too.

Eat foods that can help excrete heavy metals.

Pectin, found in the rinds of green apples, cabbage, bananas, beets, grapes, carrots and the pith of citrus fruits has been found to chelate heavy metals and other contaminants from the blood stream.

Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, kale and cabbage contain antioxidants that increase the production of detoxifying enzymes in the body.

Increase intake of sulfur-rich foods, such as onions, garlic, cauliflower, eggs, brussels sprouts, broccoli and cabbage, help the body to eliminate heavy metals. This would lessen the burden of liver. Drink plenty of purified water. Water is an excellent detoxifier and helps eliminate toxins.

Engage in gentle exercise such as swimming or walking, instead of hard and fast exercises which overwork or overstretch.

Installing a pedometer apps in your mobile phone is a great way to track your daily activity. You’ll get to know how many calories and how active you are throughout the day.

Prepare your food using natural herbs and spices

Herbs such as cloves, ginger, onions, garlic, turmeric, and kaffir leaves to reduce the dependent on ready-made sauces to enhance your meal. Opt for home-made curry paste instead of commercial packed ones.

Start loving your liver and health. Your liver is a bit of an unsung hero. All day, every day, it works hard to clear the waste products and toxins your body produces, or takes in. Be grateful and live a happy healthy liver life.