Twice a year now I also do a liver cleanse, which releases bile from the liver. That phrase releases bile says it all. If there is stuff clogging up your liver it not only damages your immune system and life expectancy, it is also irritating – physically and psychologically irritating. So it is very useful to flush your liver out regularly, perhaps once a year. I use a classic strategy which takes seven days.

 

NB HEALTH AND SAFETY
If you have any concerns or caution about doing it, then do not do it.
If your health is fragile then consult a medical doctor first.

So here is the process that many of my friends and I use. It is simple and effective.

Ingredients Needed:

 

DAYS 1-6

Clean up your diet. Don’t overeat. Avoid dairy, wheat, sugar, salt, alcohol, processed food, stimulants, red meat.

Every day spread throughout the day drink 1-2 litres of organic apple juice. (All of this softens the stones and opens up the bile ducts.)

Every morning shortly after you have woken drink a half litre glass of warm water.

15 minutes later swallow a tablespoon of organic olive oil mixed with a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice.

Wait 20 minutes before drinking anything else. Some people wait up to two hours before eating anything because they report feeling nauseous.

Four times a day take 3 drops of Black Walnut Hull tincture either in water or the apple juice. (This helps kill any bacteria and may be particularly helpful for candida.)

 

DAY 6

Do not eat anything after 2.00pm. You may drink water.

Around 6pm mix 4 tablespoons of Epsom Salts (these used to be called liver salts) with 3 cups of water in a suitable container. This makes 4 servings of 3/4 of a cup. Drink your first serving now at around 6pm. This will taste a bit bitter.

Around 8pm drink your next cup of the Epsom Salts. The Epsom Salts will flush through you, usually triggering dramatic bowel movements.

If by 10pm you haven’t had a bowel movement give yourself an enema to start the flushing process.

Around 10pm squeeze 2 fresh organic grapefruits to make a cup of juice. Pour this into a container (with a screw top) with a cup of organic olive oil. Add to this 10 drops of Black Walnut Hull Tincture. Shake the container vigorously to blend it all.

Get ready to go to bed. (You may need to visit the bathroom a few times first as the Epsom Salts pass through your bowels.) Now stand by your bed and shake the container again. Standing up, drink it all down in one go.

Lie down immediately flat on your back and relax. Have a kind and compassionate attitude towards your body, especially towards your liver. Impressions and images may arise. Sense, visualise and feel the mixture passing effectively and smoothly through your liver, removing all impurities.  Watch, breathe and enjoy. Go the bathroom if and when you need. Sleep well.

DAY 7

Between 5.00 and 7.00am have your third cup of Epsom Salts. Rest.

Between 7.00 and 10.00am have your last cup of Epsom Salts. Rest.

During this period you may now drink as much water as you want – especially as you may be feeling dehydrated.

You may start eating lightly from mid-morning.

With all your bowel movements you may want to take a torch into the bathroom to see what you are expelling. You will see gallstones floating and sinking, ranging in colour from white to green to brown, as well as the white foam of tiny cholesterol crystals.

You may experience some headaches and discomfort during and immediately after the whole process, but this is completely normal during any detox. It is also possible that your anus may feel sore; if this is the case you can apply a healing ointment such as calendula cream.

If you discharge a very large quantity of stones and pellets, this is a sure indication that you need to do the process again. The timing is up to you but I would suggest you give yourself a break of three months. What you want to see finally is a liver flush in which hardly anything comes out, after which you just do a liver flush as an occasional process.

The result of this? A healthy liver, stronger immune system and much better mood.

I received a letter from a 72-year old who felt frail and asked whether she ought to go ahead with the cleanse because she was feeling nervous about it. I replied:

Thanks for your email and enquiry.

With all these cleansing strategies you need to make careful decisions after careful research. You know your own body and what it can handle better than anyone else. You also know whether in recent years you have been eating good food or rubbish. Equally its important to maintain a strong constitution through exercise and stretching.

If in doubt, back off from a dramatic cleanse. BUT you can clean up your diet. You can also read up about teas that cleanse the kidneys and liver. Then when you are feeling more confident, you might choose to move ahead.

Managing your own body is a thoughtful business of trying out new things and noticing what makes you feel good.

I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful.

I received a similar letter from a young mother who was still breastfeeding. I absolutely advised her not to do the cleanse until she was strong and ready.

If in doubt please consult your medical doctor.

There is also some sceptical comment passing around saying that a liver flush is a waste of time and the results are ineffective. These comments suggest that the stuff you can see in the lavatory after the flush is not discharge from the liver but the effects of the olive oil. — I don’t agree with this for two reasons. First, on each occasion that I do a liver cleanse I feel substantially better afterwards (better mood, more energy) and I am very mindful and aware of the possibilities of a psychosomatic effect. Second, when I first started doing the cleanse I experienced a huge ammount of discharge and pellets. After several cleanses there was very little or none.