When I began my studies in Naturopathy, I did not fully appreciate the role our Liver plays in the body. Did you know that this 3-pound organ performs several vital roles that are vital to the body? The Liver breaks down toxic substances from medications as well as alcohols. You might say “but I don’t not drink alcohol”. Ahh that can be true, but did you know that high intakes of carbohydrates (which include sugar) ferment into alcohol that the Liver must convert to ammonia for disposal via the kidneys?
Many Liver cells act like blood filters or “sorting centers” like a post office. These cells determine which nutrients should be processed or stored, which should be eliminated by the stool and which need to return to the blood. The Liver also breaks down proteins and turns toxic ammonia into urea for kidney disposal. If this is not enough, the Liver creates immune system factors that fight against infection, create proteins for blood clotting when needed and break down old and damaged red blood cells.
The most important thing the Liver does is to provide a capacity for cell regeneration. This amazing organ can regrow within a week to its original size after having two thirds of itself removed and can repeatedly regenerate even after 12 surgeries of partial Liver removals. The Liver is also the cell creator for the entire body. It is called upon when any cells of an organ, structure, or muscle need replacement after they are damaged. The Liver does this by cannibalizing its own cells for the benefit of the needed organ, structure, etc. The Liver’s intelligence knows how to create these specifically needed cells for each requirement and sends them out accordingly.
You might ask “how or what can we do to help keep this key organ happy and healthy?” Well, the first thing I would do each morning is to simply cleanse the Liver by enjoying a fresh squeezed lemon in warm water (no sugar or sweetener please). If you do this, you will be refreshing the Liver with the cleansing properties of Lemon which is comprised of vitamin C, essential oils, pectin, and flavonoids.
So, keep your Liver happy and enjoy some lemon in water daily and be healthy.
Always in Infinite Love & Gratitude!