Spring clean with dandelion root

Your liver performs more than 700 different functions in its work as a miniature chemical processing plant.

by Curt Burbach — 

The time for spring cleaning is here again, and with it, we must realize that our bodies need cleaning too. Just like your house, your yard, your pantry and every other organic organism in this world, your body will benefit tremendously if you take a little time and effort to cleanse it.

Your liver performs more than 700 different functions in its work as a miniature chemical processing plant. One of the most popularly discussed functions is its responsibility for cleansing the blood. You can just imagine how hard this amazing organ must work to keep your blood clean and at the proper alkaline level. With all the toxins, chemicals, viruses, bacteria, parasites, morbid wastes and impurities we are exposed to every day, your liver can use all the help it can get. When your liver is in trouble, all the glands, muscles and joints strain and congest, causing stiffness in your body.

For centuries, cultures in both North America and Asia have been using the dandelion plant as a whole-body tonic to purify and cleanse the body — more specifically, to clean the blood. Dandelion leaves can be harvested and eaten in salads or steamed like spinach. Sometimes the root is dried and powdered, and added to the diet that way. Fortunately, many quality herbal companies organically grow, harvest, prepare and market dandelion root for us in capsule form.

Herbologists teach us that nature provides the necessary herbs to acclimate the human body to its environment. In other words, the herbs that help you adjust to the local environment can be found locally. Dandelions are an excellent example of this; every spring they pop up, as if to say, “Here I am — eat me!” And, wouldn’t you know it? Turns out that the dandelion plant is outstanding for helping your body adjust to the change in climate by nourishing and balancing your blood.

The dandelion is literally food nourishment for your liver which, in turn, produces white blood cells for fighting infection; detoxifies and eliminates heavy metals; produces the chemistries that cause your blood to clot; and secretes the bile used to emulsify and digest fat. These are just a few of the more than 700 functions your liver performs.

A healthy way to spring-clean your liver is by opening up five dandelion root capsules and pouring the contents into your morning cup of green or black tea (also good for cleansing your liver). You can add Stevia for sweetness, as it also helps balance your pancreas. Then, drink it on an empty stomach. Follow this routine for three to 14 days. Feel free to add one to two capsules to your daily diet as part of a healthy maintenance program.

Dandelion can also help you by:

• Destroying acids in your body
• Acting as a whole-body tonic
• Building healthy blood in your circulatory system
• Nourishing your body’s immune system and producing disease-fighting T-cells
• Providing very high calcium, potassium and sodium levels
• Producing phosphorus, iron, protein and vitamins A, B, C and E
• Assisting your body to eliminate skin problems
• Helping remove toxins and morbid wastes from your body
• Safely nourishing children and pregnant mothers

Cleansing your liver by nourishing it with dandelion root is a wonderful, non-toxic, natural way to add some spring to your step.

Curt Burbach is completing his doctorate degree in natural health and working toward becoming a certified traditional naturopath. 480-272-4044, burbacasaur@gmail.com or www.healwithlori.com.

Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 26, Number 2, April/May 2007.