I’ve been on a spring cleaning kick in my home for about 4 weeks now. 

I’m clearing out closets, drawers, moving furniture and deep cleaning those part of any room that get dusty and accumulate crud over time (Helllllooo under the dresser and nightstand dust 😳!).

This is also the time of year to consider doing some gentle spring cleaning for your body, too.

Chinese medicine tells us that spring is the season when the liver and gallbladder need the most attention during the year. 

Did you know your liver is responsible for over 600 different functions in your body, including the cleaning and filtering of your blood? It’s a serious form of self-care to offer a little assistance to our liver and gallbladders every spring.

It’s also a beautiful way to honor our bodies and how the cycle and seasons of the year affects us on every level.

Doing something to lighten the work load that the liver and gallbladder take on every day can be super helpful to your body. You can think of it as a way to clear the cobwebs, clean out the gunk, and get your body humming with energy and health as we come out of hibernation and move through the season of spring.

Some simple things you can do to gently cleanse your liver and gall bladder are…

1) Drink a glass of warm water with a squeeze or two of lemon or lime juice first thing in the morning before you eat anything.

This will stimulate your gall bladder to release bile and wake up your digestion before you start eating. It also hydrates the body and skin. You may also feel the urge to have a bowel movement right after you do this – another bonus, especially if your digestion and/or elimination is sluggish or slow.

This is a practice you can do daily, but it’s especially appreciated by the body to do it in spring.

2) Drink Gaia Herb’s Clean & Detox tea for a week. Drinking 2-3 cups a day for 7 days can also offer some gentle cleansing and nourishing support to your gall bladder and liver. The herbs in this tea blend are gentle, nourishing and effective.

3) 2-3 hours after eating, place a castor oil pack over your liver (on your right side, just under your rib cage in both the front and back). Cover the oil soaked flannel with a plastic bag and then a towel to protect your clothing, and then put a heating pad on medium-high over the towel. Lie down or sit quietly for 30-60 minutes. Castor oil is great at drawing out toxins and providing a gentle cleanse to the liver.

Drink plenty of water during and after your castor oil pack. Water will help you flush out any toxins that were released and help you feel amazing.

Here are some great instructions on how to do a castor oil pack: 

https://heritagestore.com/blogs/heritage-store-blog/how-to-use-a-castor-oil-pack

4) Eat more leafy greens! Think variety and increase the quantity. Leafy greens are the #1 food that support the health and function of the liver and gall bladder. Bonus points if you squeeze a lemon or lime on top, as the liver and gall bladder love sour flavored foods.

There are many simple ways to get more greens into your diet. You can drink freshly pressed juices with leafy greens. Eat more fresh or roasted salads with a variety of leafy greens in them. There are so many leafy greens to choose from. My favorites this time of year include dandelion greens, arugula, chard, sprouts of any kind, and lettuces – including baby mixed greens and the organic Power Greens blend of leafy greens you can buy in big bags from Costco.

You can also drink a green smoothie in the morning right after your warm water with lemon, or any time of the day. My green smoothie guide is a great resource for this. Grab yours for free here!

NOTE: Sometimes doing something as gentle as what I’ve recommended above can lead to headaches, a tickle in the throat, or a feeling like you’re coming down with a cold. 

This is often a sign that your liver is kicking toxins out faster than your body is able to eliminate them through the skin, and via bowel movements. It’s a sign to keep going with what you’re doing, but to help your body eliminate the toxins better.

Drink more water than you usually do. If your bowel movements happen less frequently than once a day, consider drinking more green smoothies or increasing your fiber and water intake to help your body eliminate waste more quickly. 

Dry skin brushing can also be a fantastic way to help the body release toxins through the skin.

Sweating can also be a helpful way to help the body shed toxins through the skin. Saunas are great for this – even time spent in a sauna blanket can be really helpful. 

To support your liver and gall bladder well, the key is to do what you can easily and readily incorporate into your lifestyle. 

Sometimes we tell ourselves we have to do the hard thing or the “big” thing to take care of our bodies. But then we never get around to doing anything because there are too many things to consider, too many things we don’t know how to do well, and too many steps in the process to make that thing happen.

Keep it simple. This is about supporting your body, and doing what you can – not what you think you should do. 

Let me know how you choose to support your liver and gall bladder this spring – and how you feel after you’ve given your body this kind of gentle support to do what it does best.