Welcome to the first part in a new series of blog posts on Seasonal Living. I’ll be sharing some tips handed down from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), but still applicable today.
The Seasonal Mandate of Spring: Birth
Crocuses and other early flowers represent the uprising growth energy of Spring.
What the heck is a seasonal mandate? The term in Chinese is shi ling (时令) and it indicates the things we do in response to what is happening in the natural environment. The fundamental enterprise of spring is birth, and it has a strong uprising energy. This is the time that plant shoots pop out of the ground, and gain height in a relatively short time. Days are getting longer and temperatures are starting to rise. We are waking up from winter sleep, and suddenly have the energy to deep clean our houses.
In TCM, the organ system that has the most energy in spring is the liver and it’s buddy the gallbladder. The liver is so important for many metabolic functions in the body, one of chief ones being detoxification. Spring is a great time to “deep clean” our bodies by supporting the liver.
Change your Diet to Love your Liver
It should come as no surprise, that diet changes are one of the most powerful ways to support liver detoxification. After all, if it’s garbage going in, then garbage is coming out. Interestingly, many of the foods that enhance liver function are also foods that are seasonal in spring. Some easy ones to find are asparagus, water cress, edible sprouts of all kinds, snow peas, parsley and radishes. Other great foods for the liver are artichoke and beets. If you like to forage, some wild foods you might find are the highly nutritious stinging nettle (edible once cooked, but be careful to use gloves when picking), miners lettuce and dandelion greens (also available in some grocery stores).
Nettles are a spring time super food that support liver detoxification.
Foods that harm the liver and gallbladder are usually those that are considered inflammatory: dairy–especially cheese, alcohol, refined sugar and carbohydrates, fried foods, fatty foods, very spicy foods, corn products and sometimes foods like tomatoes, potatoes and eggplant. Oh, and please put down the roasted salty peanuts.
Exercise to Love your Liver
In winter, many of us have lowered our activity and feel stiff and sluggish. Spring is a great time to start stretching and increasing our activity. Whether that means hitting the gym, picking up yoga again or just going for long walks. Qigong is a Chinese mindful movement practice that can be tailored specifically for supporting the liver and waking up stiff tendons. For those of us who have totally dropped exercise over the winter, remember to start gently and gradually increasing your activity. It feels great to move again, but over-enthusiastic exercise can lead to injury, especially in tendons and ligaments.
Sleep to Love your Liver
Good quality sleep is important for all kinds of regenerative functions in the body, but especially the liver. The liver is most metabolically active between 1am and 3am. If you tend to wake at this time, it may be a sign your liver is over working to get the job done. To get the best quality sleep in spring, rise earlier and be active in the morning, but make sure you aren’t staying up late. You can end up feeling sluggish through out the day if you over sleep in the morning, as your circadian rhythm is closely linked to sunlight.
The Next Level of Liver Support
Many of you may need or desire more specific guidance for liver detoxification practices. Please schedule an appointment to get more personalized help on your health journey.
Disclaimer: The above are general lifestyle guidelines, not hard fast rules, and may not be appropriate for those with moderate to severe illness or disease. These suggestions should be adapted to what is realistic for your own personal situation and health condition. If you are unsure, ask your trusted health care professional.
