Cooling the Liver

The liver is naturally a fiery, hot organ due to the powerful metabolic and detoxifying activities it performs.  When we acquire too much heat (a.k.a. pitta) in our system, it can cause damage to the tissues of the liver.

Some of the ways we can acquire too much heat in the body and liver, and adversely affect and stress out this detoxifying organ are things like:

• Eating a diet high in processed foods & unhealthy fats

• Alcohol & recreational drug consumption (toxic byproducts)

• Medication use (like acetaminophen, statins, anti-depressants, to name just a few - esp in high doses and/or prolonged use)

• Chronic stress (oxidative stress leads to inflammation)

• Obesity & being overweight (metabolic syndrome, fatty liver)

• Dehydration

• Heatstroke

How do we cool & cleanse this organ?

Cleansing doesn’t always have to be an event by setting aside special time with a special diet, although there is surely a time and place for that. See my article on Ayurvedic cleansing here.

As Ayurveda tells us, by regularly eating a diet that contains supportive cooling and cleansing foods, herbs, and spices, particularly with the bitter taste, we can naturally cleanse and cool the liver and the rest of the body daily.  Food truly is medicine!

Bitter taste supports liver function and promotes bile production by purifying the blood, removing excess heat and toxins, and scraping mucus from the body.

Here are some simple ways to get bitter in your diet so you can cool the liver and thereby help support this critical organ to detoxify the body more efficiently.

Eating foods like leafy greens (kale, swiss chard, spinach, arugula, collard greens, mustard greens - any of the leafy greens!)  Cruciferous veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage, also zucchini, eggplant, basil, cilantro, parsley, dill, turmeric, burdock & dandelion root, milk thistle, chicory, cumin, neem, aloe vera, and fenugreek seeds are full of the bitter taste, just to name a few.  Even a little bitter chocolate is part of this list! :)

Using these herbs and spices in your meals and making teas with them is a simple, natural way to bring in the bitter. 

Try this Pitta Soothing Summer Pasta:

Pitta Soothing Summer Pasta.pdf

Download PDF • 23KB

This recipe combines many bitter ingredients to satisfy the tummy and help keep the liver cool during hot weather.

Here's one I created with what I had in my fridge that is chock-full of cooling and cleansing ingredients, including coconut milk - always a winner for pitta dosha!

Green Coconut Soup with Beet Greens & Zucchini.pdf

Download PDF • 42KB

Below is a lovely tea recipe for liver cooling and cleansing.  All of these ingredients have hepatoprotective qualities (protect the liver from toxicity) and help facilitate cooling and cleansing in the body and support a healthy digestion.

In general, most of us could benefit by increasing the bitter taste in our diet, particularly during the hot Summer months.  If you are naturally a pitta type dosha, bitter is especially one of your power tastes to help bring in more balance. 

As always, there is no one-size-fits-all.  We are all so unique.  If you’re looking for a more individualized diet and lifestyle care plan, connect with me and let’s talk about it.