Love your liver

Our livers are such vital organs. They do a massive important job of detoxing our bodies. Of course we all know the obvious ways we can look after this important piece of equipment, reducing alcohol consumption, drinking more water and eating a clean diet.

What else can we do?

💚 Bitters have an affinity with the liver. Bitter is a flavour that Western tastebuds rarely eat. It is associated with the liver as it is believed to stimulate bile. When it's been absent from my diet, I do welcome that taste.

🌱So what plants are bitter in taste?

Some I use as herbs in tincture form for clients, these include 'King of the bitters' Andrographis (I welcome it's earthy bitterness), Globe artichoke leaf, St Mary's thistle, gotu kola and dandelion. Several of these grow easily in my garden too. Others such as the Artemisia family like wormwood and mugwort are abundant in my garden, I pick off a leaf here and there of gotu kola, in spring I enjoy globe artichoke buds as a vegetable.

🌼Dandelion is a prolific 'weed' in my garden. All of it is edible. The flowers are a wonderful bee food, the leaves are great in stirfries and the hens, parrots and my friend's rabbits love it too. The root is delicious harvested in autumn, washed, then roasted and chopped finely and made into a 'coffee'.

🌞Yellow is the colour associated with the liver, think sulphur rather than bananas! Yellow flowering plants such as the cabbage family, kawakawa and wonderful herbs like turmeric for liver support.

💚Like supports like with beef liver being packed full of nutrients for liver function and saturated fats to enable easier detox.

🌱Teas like Artemis Liver Detox tea are a wonderful way to get bitters into you, or turmeric lattes. Nadia Lim’s recipe is a yummy one.

https://nadialim.com/spiced-turmeric-latte/

Dandelion is such a wonderful support for the liver. Note the indented leaves.