herbs
Consume two or three garlic cloves a day, fenugreek seed and Chinese
licorice root along with burdock root, Siberian ginseng root, Schisandra
berry and Astragalus root. Add wild yam root because it helps normalize
blood sugar levels. Liver and colon cleanses will be vital (pay particular
attention to any colon congestion around the splenic fl exure, which can
press on the spleen and pancreas).
natural healing
Take hot and cold showers, but if you feel fatigued or experience
symptoms of low blood sugar such as light-headedness and dizziness,
concentrate more on cold than hot.
The Liver and Gallbladder
The liver is the largest organ in the body and one of the most important
for overall health. It is situated under the lower right rib cage. The liver is
capable of complete self-renewal at a faster rate than the rest of the body.
Given this ability to restore itself via good foods, rest, and herbs, the root
meaning of its name, “live” or “life,” is very apt. The liver makes and
releases into the body an amazing amount of useful substances and
sustains us in a myriad of vital ways. It also stores vitamins, minerals, and
sugars. Defi ciencies in any of these are due to a congested, poorly
working, and under par liver, and can contribute to a huge number of
conditions, including low blood sugar levels, diabetes, menstrual problems,
and other hormonal problems.
The raw material for all these chemical processes comes from food.
Nutrition is the key to keeping the liver healthy; it absorbs food via the
intestine and then releases it into the body at the necessary rate.
The liver is the body’s main detoxifi cation unit: using two specifi c
processes, it detoxifi es a range of internal and external toxins (of which
there are more and more in our modern, polluted world). The end result
of these detoxifi cation processes is the excretion of toxins, via the bile if
large and via the urine if small. Enzymes are vital to allow the phases of
detoxifi cation to be successful, and good nutrition plus herbs can greatly
help. Additionally, the gallbladder and bile production need to be at
optimum health in order for proper toxin elimination to take place.
The gallbladder is a small organ attached to the underside of the liver.
It is here that bile is condensed and stored until it is required, once it has
been received from the liver. The job of the gallbladder is to eject bile
into the duodenum when food passes from the stomach into the intestine.
158 The Complete Home Guide to Herbs, Natural Healing, and Nutrition