I’ve got a conversation here that will be mostly interesting for the ladies… for any gentlemen? Not so much. If you’re a squeamish dude who doesn’t like to talk about girlie stuff, you might want to exit to your right. For my homegirls who want to read about how to detox your liver in sync with your period… read on.

I knew that after our “summer of fun food” was drawing to an end, I not only needed to clean my diet up, but that I needed to do some cleansing as well. I did a little research and chatted with my favorite herbalist and before I knew it, I had a plan. First, I had to learn how to detox my liver.

If you want to learn more about how to detox your liver, I’ve got a great tip for you: sync it with your cycle.

How to detox your liver in sync with your menstrual cycle

First, there’s something important we have to understand: your body goes through natural cycles of detoxification. I recently learned about how to best use this to my advantage.

How the menstrual cycle works with your body’s natural detoxification mechanisms

Day one of your menstrual cycle is the first day of your period. During this time, your body is sloughing off the lining of your uterus, as well as excess blood and tissue that is no longer needed when a pregnancy does not occur during ovulation.

During your fertile days (ovulation), your body begins to store up nutrients and prepare for a pregnancy. It doesn’t dump toxins at this point anymore.

Think of your body as being in two modes at any given time: nourishing mode and detox mode. During times you may become pregnant, your body stores up nutrients and your detoxification mechanisms are shut off. If you don’t become pregnant, your body begins the cycle of detoxification, getting rid of both toxins and nutrients your body would have needed for a pregnancy, such as excess blood and tissue.

If you want to get the most bang for your buck when you detox your liver, do it when your body is in detox mode. Trying to detox while your body is trying to nourish itself goes against nature and will have lesser results.

Why does your liver need detoxification?

The liver is the primary detoxification organ of the body. It filters out toxins and helps our body use the good stuff.

Our modern living conditions, however, make it so that our livers are always having to work harder than they should have to: we breathe, drink, and bathe in toxins all day. Most of this is inevitable, so instead of feeling overwhelmed and helpless about our predicament, we can be proactive and protect our bodies the best we know how. One way to do this it to do regular detoxifying of the liver.

If you’ve never done a liver detox, you may have years of toxins to contend with. That’s ok. Just take it slow and don’t push your body to detoxify faster than it’s capable of.

How to love your liver

First, you’ll want to start your detox around the beginning of your period, when your body will be releasing toxins on its own.

There are a number of modalities for detoxing your liver. Here are a few:

• Do an herbal liver cleanse. There are a number of herbs that are great for nourishing and detoxifying the liver, including milk thistle, dandelion root, barberry root, and burdock root. 
• Juice. This easy and inexpensive liver detoxifier is gentle while giving your liver the nutrients it needs to release toxins. Juicing beets, dandelion greens, and leafy greens are especially helpful. This is the juicer I have and love.
• Make a GAPS shake, which includes fresh-pressed juice, a raw egg yolk, and a dollop of creme fraiche.
• Drink lots of water to flush toxins. Bonus points for a squeeze of lemon juice in each glass.
• Eat right. Avoid conventional foods with pesticides, hormones, and other unhealthy food additives.
• Filter your water. Both the water you bathe in and drink likely have chlorine, fluoride, and other toxins like heavy metals lurking. Using a black carbon filter will ensure that your water is cleaner for your family while leaving minerals intact. Try this filter for your shower, add bentonite clay to your baths, and invest in a drinking water filter like this.

Are you ready for a detox?

If so, now you know how to detox, you just have to decide where you want to start. If you’re just transitioning to a healthier diet, try juicing and GAPS shakes. If you’re ready for a more intensive detox, jump into using herbs.

Although detoxing your liver may sound scary, just jump in and start supporting it with these easy ways. When you love your liver, the rest of you gets healthier too, so you’ve got nothing to lose and lots to gain!

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