Spring Medicine: Liver & Gallbladder Health

It feels so good to be back in the woods.

The trees are still bare, but the forest floor is incredibly productive with food and medicine. Ramps, trout lilies, garlic mustard, dandelions, and bloodroot are just a few!

Spring is a wonderful time to refocus our minds on the importance of seasonality for our health, and to give your liver and gallbladder some love.

During winter our bodies adapt to cold weather and stagnation, our metabolism is slower and our liver adapts to manage higher amounts of cholesterol and sugar to keep us warm. Compound this with increased indulgence, more comfort food, coffee, alcohol; these things put an extra toll on the liver.

Spring is a season all about transition. Now the weather is changeable, it is impossible to predict, and this can be hard for the immune system. Though with more sunlight, the ground warms and triggers growth of fresh produce that provides the nutrients we need at this time.

Consider foods containing allium, found in garlic, onions, and ramps. This compound supports immunity, aids in cholesterol metabolism, and is rich in fibre, useful for detoxification.

Eat bitter foods to stimulate the liver and gallbladder in detoxification. Spring veggies like dandelion greens, radishes, and arugula. These are also rich in nutrients including vitamin A and C, supportive of the immune system.

Please join me for a forage on Sunday, May 17 at 11AM EST as I gather some of this year’s bounty of ramps, and learn more about your health during spring.

Dr. Cristina Allen, ND