Spring Cleansing by Elwin Robinson
Dearest ChocoLovers,
I've had the honor of meeting Elwin Robinson of Lion Heart Herbs. He is a Taoist herbalist and is here to empower you with all the most revelant, high-quality information and products to optimise your health and transform your energy levels. I asked him to write a bit on Spring Cleaning.
In Taoism - the ancient wisdom based on being aware of and aligning with the currents of nature in order to live a longer and healthier life - springtime is the perfect time to be cleansing the body, especially the liver.
In springtime we automatically get a new burst of energy, as the natural world around us comes to life again after its winter dormancy. The sun starts shining, the birds start singing their mating song, and we feel more inspired, creative and hopeful. We also feel more inclined to clear away all the junk we’ve been accumulating over winter, whether it’s toxins in the body or clutter in the house.
The Taoists related this time of year to the element Wood, and to the Liver and Gallbladder organ system. One really simple thing to do to get into alignment with this time of year is to find some wood in nature, maybe hugging or climbing a tree (yes, we said it!).
Here are my top three tips for Liver health this spring:
1. Drink enough good quality water.
Most of us are chronically dehydrated. Not drinking enough obviously leads to this, but so does stress which causes us to be dehydrated on a cellular level. When this happens, everything stops working properly, and we often end up in a situation where our cells are low in energy, and drowning in their own waste as there’s not enough fluid to keep the cellular waste flowing out. Even worse, usually the more dehydrated you are, the less you want to drink water. Many people mistake their thirst for hunger, and eat instead.
Drink top quality spring water. Even if you don’t like water, you’ll love real, freshly collected spring water. If you haven’t tried this before, you’ll probably find you’ll feel satisfied in a way you’ve never felt before. For more info, and to find out the spring closest to you, check out findaspring.com
Drink enough! The best time to drink is first thing in the morning, and before meals, ideally not after. Drink your water pure, or with a little MSM and fresh lemon juice if you want to give your liver an extra treat. I recommend at least one quart of water, followed by some fresh juice ideally, before you eat anything in the morning.
2. Show your liver some love with top quality herbs. My top two recommendations are:
Schizandra This herb is truly awesome, and probably my favourite herb of all time. Because it’s a tonic, what Taoists called a ‘Superior Herb’ this means that you can have it for as long as you like with no danger of side effects. Whereas some cleansing herbs can be quite harsh, schizandra can profoundly regenerate the liver. It also has myriad other health benefits according to Taoist herbalism, it would probably be quicker to ask what it doesn’t do than what it does!
Bupleurum This herb is less tonic and more of a cleanser for the liver. It has an action similar to dish soap in that it can clear away toxic deposits from the liver which would otherwise be hard to shift, like baked cheese on an oven dish. It also has a very powerful ‘cold’ energetic quality, which means it helps to disperse heat in the liver, which in the west we would call inflammation. This is important as any stress, including cleansing, can aggravate and over heat the liver, commonly leading to issues like headaches, bad circulation and emotions like anger and jealousy. Because it’s so effective at getting stuff moving, it’s excellent to combine Bupleurum with ‘blood tonic’ herbs like Dang Gui, White Peony and He She Wu (aka Fo Ti), which help to transport toxicity out of the body with a minimum of fuss.
3. Top Liver Foods
My favourite liver food of all time is globe artichokes. Artichoke is awesome for stimulating bile production by the liver, the substance we tend to not have enough of that helps us digest fats well. It’s also famous for helping to decrease cholesterol production.
Lemons are also awesome for helping to tonify the liver and dissolve gallstones.
Any type of radish, whether whole or sprouts, is a powerful liver cleanser.
You can combine all these to make this awesome liver juice:
Lion Heart Liver Rejuvenation Juice
1 Cucumber
1 Head of Celery
1 Lemon
1 small bunch of radish
1 globe artichoke
1 pinch of celtic sea salt.
Instructions: Put all these through your juicer and drink immediately. Be careful with using artichoke with a cheap juicer because it’s pretty hard. Enjoy!
To sum up:
Drink at least two quarts of fresh spring water a day, at least one in the morning before solid food.
Drink a liver boosting tea that features Bupleurum, Schizandra and supportive herbs like Dang Gui and White Peony.
Drink a green juice with some globe artichoke, radish and lemon juice.
Your liver will love you for it!
Learning to love and be aware of the signals coming from all your organs is one of the most important keys to health. Learn to love your liver this spring and it will reward you with abundant passion, excitement and creativity in your life.
ABOUT ELWIN:
Elwin Robinson is a motivational speaker, the founder of Lion Heart Herbs and Lion Heart Solutions, author of the forthcoming 'The Official Detox Programme' and creator of 'The Easy Exhaustion Cure For Workaholics and Overachievers' as well as being a regular contributor to the magazines 'Get Fresh' and 'Passion'.
Elwin feels his main purpose in life is to help people restore their health, to regain their energy and love for life, so that they have the energy and drive necessary to persist in living their true purpose and feeling deeply fulfilled. He does this through reconnecting people to what's natural, within a modern environment, restoring balance and thereby health to his clients. While he recommends every style of healing that he feels is truly relevant, his main expertise is in Taoist Tonic Herbalism, holistic nutrition and energy work.
For more information from Elwin, visit http://www.lionheartherbs.com