Gentle Liver Cleansing Tea

Why cleanse the liver? Your liver is one of the most important organs in the body, performing over 500 functions to keep you alive! It's responsible for filtering the blood, breaking down hormones (like estrogen), metabolizing fats, proteins, and carbohydrates from our diets, storing fat-soluble vitamins such as D and K, among it's many roles. In Eastern medicine, the liver is also the organ that stores certain unresolved emotions such as anger, bitterness, and rage. With all of the toxins and toxic emotions existing in today's world, it is of utmost importance that liver cleansing be done on a regular basis. 

A huge caveat about liver cleansing that I learned from firsthand experience is that drastic detoxification methods can actually harm more than help if the body's detox and elimination pathways are not fully functioning at the time. For this reason, I recommend much milder detoxification protocols like the tea recipe below over strict fasts or extreme cleanses. This tea can save you money because, although you can find many pre-made detox products in health food stores and online, this liver cleanse uses readily available, natural ingredients found in many people's pantries! Even if you don't have the essential oils in the recipe, just the warm lemon water can be a beneficial beverage. This tea is safe and effective to drink daily and does the liver, and thus, the whole body good!

Ingredients:

1/2 fresh squeezed lemon, preferably organic

1 drop peppermint essential oil (therapeutic grade like Young Living or Do Terra)

1 drop lemon essential oil (sometimes I substitute orange)

1 t unrefined coconut oil

stevia or raw honey to sweeten if desired

1 c boiling water

This tea can be consumed daily. It is best to wait 20 minutes before eating anything after drinking.