Liver problems: Congestion, Stagnation

[Guest guest]

Liver problems: liver congestion and stagnation

Liver congestion and stagnation are common liver problems. Yet

conventional medicine does not understand them and has no test to

detect them. In hepatitis or liver inflammation, liver enzyme levels

in the blood are elevated because of the ruptured liver cells which

contain high contents of liver enzymes. However, in liver congestion

or stagnation, liver cells are still intact and liver enzyme levels

in blood are normal. Therefore normal clinical tests which rely on

liver enzyme levels as a measure of liver condition cannot detect

liver congestion or stagnation.

I had blood tests performed a few months before I was diagnosed with

badly congested liver by a traditional Chinese medicine

practitioner. These tests showed no abnormal liver condition because

they simply could not detect liver congestion. I never knew I had

liver problems until the Chinese doctor correctly diagnosed my

congested liver condition. This was the turning point for my health

problems. When my liver became healthy again through a lengthy

jouney of self-healing (see Liver cleansing section below), most of

my chronic health problems disappeared.

According to Chinese medicine, all internal organs work as a team in

the body; the liver is considered the " General " or " Chief of

Staff: " . Unfortunately, many of our modern prescription drugs are

damaging to the liver or kidneys. Over the counter drugs such as

painkillers can also cause liver toxicity. Therefore it is not

surprising that many people over the age of 50 develop liver

weakness or toxicity. Even among healthy people who are not

dependent on drugs, the liver has been filtering blood day and night

throughout life without being " cleansed " . Over the years,

circulating blood has deteriorated in quality which goes unnoticed.

The end result is often a feeling of sluggishness and heaviness due

to poor circulation. Studies linking liver damage to excessive or

long-term use of painkillers have been reported.

I come from a family with weak livers. My father died of a stroke at

the age of 59. It was very likely related to liver problems as he

had been diagnosed as having a weak liver. My uncle became quite

sick at the age of 67. His extremities were dark in colour due to

poor blood supply and he was very tired and weak. He went to see a

western medical doctor and was told that he was beyond help and

would not live much longer. He decided to seek a second opinion from

a traditional Chinese medical doctor who prescribed a liver

cleansing herb (Chinese Gentian) which purges the liver. He is now

over 80 and is still healthy.

Weakening of the liver and eventual toxicity are usually slow

processes. In many cases the only sign of liver weakness is poor

digestion and low energy level. Most people pass this off as

something that happens with age. As a result they do little or

nothing about it until it is too late. Fortunately, nature has

endowed our liver with excellent regenerative powers. If we are able

to understand the early signs of degeneration, we have an excellent

chance of restoring it to optimal functioning with proper care.

Liver cleansing

The liver is the most important organ for hormone regulation.

Because of my weak liver, I had severe hormone imbalance resulting

in many " women's problems " . Although the Chinese medicine

practitioner correctly diagnosed my congested liver condition, his

treatment actually made my problems worse! He prescribed several

herbs including Dong Quei, licorice and ginseng which contain plant

estrogens. Although these had beneficial effects initially because

they improved my blood circulation, the plant estrogens eventually

aggrevated my hormone imbalance problems. I realized Chinese

medicine does not understand hormones and conventional medicine also

offers no help for my chronic liver congestion problems. I therefore

decided to treat myself, using my combined knowledge of clinical

chemistry and Chinese herbs.

At first I tried several commonly used liver cleansing herbs such as

dandelion, chrysanthemum and Swedish Bitters. Dandelion and

chrysanthemum were too weak. Swedish Bitters helped for about 3

weeks but my condition became actually worse because there are 3

herbs in it which contain plant estrogens. I searched Chinese herbal

medicine literature (including some ancient Chinese texts) on liver

remedies. Several herbs are mentioned as beneficial to the liver

including Coptis, Gentian, Self-Heal and Scutellaria. Chinese

Gentian (Lung-tan Tsao) has been known for thousands of years to be

useful in the treatment of fever, rheumatism and general debility.

It is also said to benefit the liver, aid digestion, strengthen the

memory and give lightness and elasticity to the body. It is

primarily used in the treatment of acute hepatitis, acute

conjunctivitis, acute tonsillitis, jaundice and most liver disorders

(Ref. 2, 5 ). It is also helpful in alleviating " sluggish liver "

which can be caused by hormone therapy, medications or other

problems such as stress or poor diets.

I recalled my uncle's very postitive experience with the herb

Chinese Gentian and decided to try it. From my research, I knew that

the Chinese herb Bupleurum increases " energy flow " in the liver. I

decided to use a combination of Chinese Gentian and Bupleurum

prepared in an alcoholic tincture. I reasoned that alcohol is a

better carrier than water for the herbs through the liver because

the liver detoxifies water-insoluble toxins for which alcohol is a

better solvent. Within a few months of using this mixture in

conjunction with daily morning exercise and diet control, I

experienced significant improvement as judged by reduction in

menstrual pain from endometriosis, arthritic pain, stiffness and

improved quality of sleep. This improvement was gradual but steady.

I then came across information on apple juice fasting and olive

oil/lemon juice liver and gallbladder cleansing. I decided to give

it a try. The result was dramatic. After just the first cleanse, my

pains, alergies and arthritis all disappeared. Apparently, malic

acid in apple juice is excellent in dissolving the stagnant bile

accumulated in the liver. I was really amazed by the amount of

stagnant bile driven out by the apple juice. Details of the apple

juice fasting and olive oil/lemon juice cleansing procedures are

given in gallbladder flushing.

After my experience, a friend of mine who had gallstones for years

decided to try this liver and gallbladder cleansing procedure. She

did not get any result the first time. There was one difference

between her procedure and mine. She did not use the Chinese Gentian

and Bupleurum tincture before the cleansing, like I did. I reasoned

she probably had a congested liver (many people with gallstones are

likely to have congested livers) which made it difficult for the

apple juice to penetrate. She took my advice and used the Chinese

Gentian and Bupleurum tincture for about one month before her second

cleansing. This time it was successful.

I have subsequently prepared the Chinese Gentian and Bupleurum

tincture in commercial form (called " Chinese Bitters " ). For certain

conditions such as gallstone problems or absence of gallbladder

(removal by surgery), it is best used in conjunction with another

herbal tincture called Coptis which stimulates bile flow. Both these

tinctures are available exclusively from Prime Health Products ,

Tel: 416-248-2930.

Restoring my liver health

Nutritional deficiency is a common problem for individuals with

liver disorders. Most nutrients pass through the body without being

assimilated if the liver is weak. I was taking many vitamins,

minerals, and herbal supplements for years without any effect. My

improvement came only after my liver was cleansed and strengthened.

It was after my experience that I realized that supplements taken by

individuals with weak livers may end up as waste products for the

body to dispose because the supplements cannot be digested or

assimilated.

As described above, I restored my liver to health in less than a

year by cleansing it with Chinese Bitters, by liver and gallbladder

flush and by eliminating all liver and kidney weakening foods such

as white flour, white sugar, caffeine, chocolate, deep fried foods,

all citrus fruits, tomato, banana, cold drinks and foods which chill

the liver and kidneys. I took supplements or foods rich in Vitamin

B's, C and minerals to nourish my organs and used the various

Chinese herbs to increase " Chi " (energy flow) in the liver. I also

perform daily morning exercises which involve stretching and deep

breathing, based on an exercise regimen widely practiced in Taiwan

called Y-Dan (a simple and easy to learn alternative to Tai Chi with

only 19 movements). A videotape that provides clear, easy-to-follow

instructions on Y-Dan is available from Prime Health Products ,Tel:

416-248-2930.

Exercise stimulates blood circulation. When blood circulates better,

all organs function better. Stretching and deep breathing kind of

exercises early in the morning provide the most benefit for anyone

with sluggish liver. According to Chinese medicine, the liver works

hard to filter our blood between 1 to 3 am during our sleep. A fair

amount of blood may be still retained in the liver when we wake up

in the morning if the liver is congested. Early morning exercises

help to bring the blood out of the liver into the circulating

system. One of the symptoms for the excess blood retained in the

liver is waking up in the morning with stiffness or numbness in the

fingers or dizziness due to lack of blood circulation.

Because of my high estrogen levels, I also had to avoid foods or

herbs that have estrogenic activities such as Don Quei, Licorice,

Ginseng, Royal Jelly, fennel, anise, flaxseed oil, clover, red

clover, evening primrose oil, etc. I avoided taking all

pharmaceutical drugs because most of them are weakening or damaging

to the liver or kidneys.

Stress congests the liver and constricts the blood vessels. It

causes poor blood flow and the whole body becomes sluggish.

Furthermore, it is believed in Chinese medicine that anger

(especially suppressed anger) injures the liver, grief injures the

lungs, fear or fright injures the kidneys and worry injures the

spleen. As mentioned earlier, all these organs support each other

and work together. Disharmonies in one of these organs tend to

produce an imbalance in the corresponding emotions and vice versa.

According to Chinese medicine, cold and raw vegetables such as

salads tend to weaken the spleen unless the individuals who consume

them are robust and strong ( " Yang " type person). This could be the

reason why many vegetarians look pale because of their weak spleen

although Vitamin B12 deficiency may also be responsible. One of the

common signs of weak spleen is dry lips or frequent thirst. Chronic

diarrhea or loose bowel may be another sign of weak spleen. Since

the spleen is an important organ for red cell production, weak

spleen is a common cause of anemia, especially in cases that do not

respond to iron supplements.

I suffered from heart palpitations since my early teenage years. I

fainted for the first time in my life in school at the age of

eleven. It was due to a hereditary weak heart according to the

doctor who saw me. He warned me that I might faint easily throughout

my life. He was right in that prediction until the health of my

liver was restored in 1989. I never fainted again and my heart

palpitations disappeared.

When my liver became healthier my vision also improved and is

actually better than it was in 1989 when I was still suffering from

liver congestion. I had never used eyeglasses at any time during my

life and I still don't need them. The Chinese have a saying: " The

liver opens into the eyes. When the liver is harmonized, the eyes

can distinguish the five colors " . Clean and nutrient-rich blood from

a healthy, efficient liver can flow easily and nourish the eye

tissues better. Stimulation of blood flow to the eyes by massaging

also helps. I massage the pressure points for blood circulation to

the eyes twice daily, morning and night when I lie flat in bed. In

this position blood does not have to flow against gravity.

References:

Harper, H.A., Review of Physiological Chemistry, 14th ed., Lange

Medical Publications (1973).

A Barefoot Doctor's Manual, the American translation of the official

Chinese Paramedical Manual, Running Press, Philadelphia (1990).

Neufeld, W.P., The Liver Causes Heart Attack, Morning Dawn

Publishing Company, Surrey, B.C., Canada (1987).

Selkurt, E.E. (editor), Physiology, 2nd edition, Little, Brown and

Company, Boston (1966).

Chinese Medicinal Herbs, compiled by Li Shih-Chen, translated by F.

Porter , M.D., and G.A. Stuart, M.D., town Press, San

Francisco (1973).

[Guest guest]

Many thanks for this wealth of information!!

Conventional medicine does not recognize my problems, but I know they

are there... Need to do more detoxing!

HUGS! Rosie =)

> Liver problems: liver congestion and stagnation

> Liver congestion and stagnation are common liver problems. Yet

> conventional medicine does not understand them and has no test to

> detect them. In hepatitis or liver inflammation, liver enzyme

levels

> in the blood are elevated because of the ruptured liver cells which

> contain high contents of liver enzymes. However, in liver

congestion

> or stagnation, liver cells are still intact and liver enzyme levels

> in blood are normal. Therefore normal clinical tests which rely on

> liver enzyme levels as a measure of liver condition cannot detect

> liver congestion or stagnation.

>

> I had blood tests performed a few months before I was diagnosed

with

> badly congested liver by a traditional Chinese medicine

> practitioner. These tests showed no abnormal liver condition

because

> they simply could not detect liver congestion. I never knew I had

> liver problems until the Chinese doctor correctly diagnosed my

> congested liver condition. This was the turning point for my health

> problems. When my liver became healthy again through a lengthy

> jouney of self-healing (see Liver cleansing section below), most of

> my chronic health problems disappeared.

>

> According to Chinese medicine, all internal organs work as a team

in

> the body; the liver is considered the " General " or " Chief of

> Staff: " . Unfortunately, many of our modern prescription drugs are

> damaging to the liver or kidneys. Over the counter drugs such as

> painkillers can also cause liver toxicity. Therefore it is not

> surprising that many people over the age of 50 develop liver

> weakness or toxicity. Even among healthy people who are not

> dependent on drugs, the liver has been filtering blood day and

night

> throughout life without being " cleansed " . Over the years,

> circulating blood has deteriorated in quality which goes unnoticed.

> The end result is often a feeling of sluggishness and heaviness due

> to poor circulation. Studies linking liver damage to excessive or

> long-term use of painkillers have been reported.

>

> I come from a family with weak livers. My father died of a stroke

at

> the age of 59. It was very likely related to liver problems as he

> had been diagnosed as having a weak liver. My uncle became quite

> sick at the age of 67. His extremities were dark in colour due to

> poor blood supply and he was very tired and weak. He went to see a

> western medical doctor and was told that he was beyond help and

> would not live much longer. He decided to seek a second opinion

from

> a traditional Chinese medical doctor who prescribed a liver

> cleansing herb (Chinese Gentian) which purges the liver. He is now

> over 80 and is still healthy.

>

> Weakening of the liver and eventual toxicity are usually slow

> processes. In many cases the only sign of liver weakness is poor

> digestion and low energy level. Most people pass this off as

> something that happens with age. As a result they do little or

> nothing about it until it is too late. Fortunately, nature has

> endowed our liver with excellent regenerative powers. If we are

able

> to understand the early signs of degeneration, we have an excellent

> chance of restoring it to optimal functioning with proper care.

>

> Liver cleansing

> The liver is the most important organ for hormone regulation.

> Because of my weak liver, I had severe hormone imbalance resulting

> in many " women's problems " . Although the Chinese medicine

> practitioner correctly diagnosed my congested liver condition, his

> treatment actually made my problems worse! He prescribed several

> herbs including Dong Quei, licorice and ginseng which contain plant

> estrogens. Although these had beneficial effects initially because

> they improved my blood circulation, the plant estrogens eventually

> aggrevated my hormone imbalance problems. I realized Chinese

> medicine does not understand hormones and conventional medicine

also

> offers no help for my chronic liver congestion problems. I

therefore

> decided to treat myself, using my combined knowledge of clinical

> chemistry and Chinese herbs.

>

> At first I tried several commonly used liver cleansing herbs such

as

> dandelion, chrysanthemum and Swedish Bitters. Dandelion and

> chrysanthemum were too weak. Swedish Bitters helped for about 3

> weeks but my condition became actually worse because there are 3

> herbs in it which contain plant estrogens. I searched Chinese

herbal

> medicine literature (including some ancient Chinese texts) on liver

> remedies. Several herbs are mentioned as beneficial to the liver

> including Coptis, Gentian, Self-Heal and Scutellaria. Chinese

> Gentian (Lung-tan Tsao) has been known for thousands of years to be

> useful in the treatment of fever, rheumatism and general debility.

> It is also said to benefit the liver, aid digestion, strengthen the

> memory and give lightness and elasticity to the body. It is

> primarily used in the treatment of acute hepatitis, acute

> conjunctivitis, acute tonsillitis, jaundice and most liver

disorders

> (Ref. 2, 5 ). It is also helpful in alleviating " sluggish liver "

> which can be caused by hormone therapy, medications or other

> problems such as stress or poor diets.

>

> I recalled my uncle's very postitive experience with the herb

> Chinese Gentian and decided to try it. From my research, I knew

that

> the Chinese herb Bupleurum increases " energy flow " in the liver. I

> decided to use a combination of Chinese Gentian and Bupleurum

> prepared in an alcoholic tincture. I reasoned that alcohol is a

> better carrier than water for the herbs through the liver because

> the liver detoxifies water-insoluble toxins for which alcohol is a

> better solvent. Within a few months of using this mixture in

> conjunction with daily morning exercise and diet control, I

> experienced significant improvement as judged by reduction in

> menstrual pain from endometriosis, arthritic pain, stiffness and

> improved quality of sleep. This improvement was gradual but steady.

>

> I then came across information on apple juice fasting and olive

> oil/lemon juice liver and gallbladder cleansing. I decided to give

> it a try. The result was dramatic. After just the first cleanse, my

> pains, alergies and arthritis all disappeared. Apparently, malic

> acid in apple juice is excellent in dissolving the stagnant bile

> accumulated in the liver. I was really amazed by the amount of

> stagnant bile driven out by the apple juice. Details of the apple

> juice fasting and olive oil/lemon juice cleansing procedures are

> given in gallbladder flushing.

>

> After my experience, a friend of mine who had gallstones for years

> decided to try this liver and gallbladder cleansing procedure. She

> did not get any result the first time. There was one difference

> between her procedure and mine. She did not use the Chinese Gentian

> and Bupleurum tincture before the cleansing, like I did. I reasoned

> she probably had a congested liver (many people with gallstones are

> likely to have congested livers) which made it difficult for the

> apple juice to penetrate. She took my advice and used the Chinese

> Gentian and Bupleurum tincture for about one month before her

second

> cleansing. This time it was successful.

>

> I have subsequently prepared the Chinese Gentian and Bupleurum

> tincture in commercial form (called " Chinese Bitters " ). For certain

> conditions such as gallstone problems or absence of gallbladder

> (removal by surgery), it is best used in conjunction with another

> herbal tincture called Coptis which stimulates bile flow. Both

these

> tinctures are available exclusively from Prime Health Products ,

> Tel: 416-248-2930.

>

> Restoring my liver health

> Nutritional deficiency is a common problem for individuals with

> liver disorders. Most nutrients pass through the body without being

> assimilated if the liver is weak. I was taking many vitamins,

> minerals, and herbal supplements for years without any effect. My

> improvement came only after my liver was cleansed and

strengthened.

> It was after my experience that I realized that supplements taken

by

> individuals with weak livers may end up as waste products for the

> body to dispose because the supplements cannot be digested or

> assimilated.

>

> As described above, I restored my liver to health in less than a

> year by cleansing it with Chinese Bitters, by liver and gallbladder

> flush and by eliminating all liver and kidney weakening foods such

> as white flour, white sugar, caffeine, chocolate, deep fried foods,

> all citrus fruits, tomato, banana, cold drinks and foods which

chill

> the liver and kidneys. I took supplements or foods rich in Vitamin

> B's, C and minerals to nourish my organs and used the various

> Chinese herbs to increase " Chi " (energy flow) in the liver. I also

> perform daily morning exercises which involve stretching and deep

> breathing, based on an exercise regimen widely practiced in Taiwan

> called Y-Dan (a simple and easy to learn alternative to Tai Chi

with

> only 19 movements). A videotape that provides clear, easy-to-follow

> instructions on Y-Dan is available from Prime Health Products ,Tel:

> 416-248-2930.

>

> Exercise stimulates blood circulation. When blood circulates

better,

> all organs function better. Stretching and deep breathing kind of

> exercises early in the morning provide the most benefit for anyone

> with sluggish liver. According to Chinese medicine, the liver works

> hard to filter our blood between 1 to 3 am during our sleep. A fair

> amount of blood may be still retained in the liver when we wake up

> in the morning if the liver is congested. Early morning exercises

> help to bring the blood out of the liver into the circulating

> system. One of the symptoms for the excess blood retained in the

> liver is waking up in the morning with stiffness or numbness in the

> fingers or dizziness due to lack of blood circulation.

>

> Because of my high estrogen levels, I also had to avoid foods or

> herbs that have estrogenic activities such as Don Quei, Licorice,

> Ginseng, Royal Jelly, fennel, anise, flaxseed oil, clover, red

> clover, evening primrose oil, etc. I avoided taking all

> pharmaceutical drugs because most of them are weakening or damaging

> to the liver or kidneys.

>

> Stress congests the liver and constricts the blood vessels. It

> causes poor blood flow and the whole body becomes sluggish.

> Furthermore, it is believed in Chinese medicine that anger

> (especially suppressed anger) injures the liver, grief injures the

> lungs, fear or fright injures the kidneys and worry injures the

> spleen. As mentioned earlier, all these organs support each other

> and work together. Disharmonies in one of these organs tend to

> produce an imbalance in the corresponding emotions and vice versa.

>

> According to Chinese medicine, cold and raw vegetables such as

> salads tend to weaken the spleen unless the individuals who consume

> them are robust and strong ( " Yang " type person). This could be the

> reason why many vegetarians look pale because of their weak spleen

> although Vitamin B12 deficiency may also be responsible. One of the

> common signs of weak spleen is dry lips or frequent thirst. Chronic

> diarrhea or loose bowel may be another sign of weak spleen. Since

> the spleen is an important organ for red cell production, weak

> spleen is a common cause of anemia, especially in cases that do not

> respond to iron supplements.

>

> I suffered from heart palpitations since my early teenage years. I

> fainted for the first time in my life in school at the age of

> eleven. It was due to a hereditary weak heart according to the

> doctor who saw me. He warned me that I might faint easily

throughout

> my life. He was right in that prediction until the health of my

> liver was restored in 1989. I never fainted again and my heart

> palpitations disappeared.

>

> When my liver became healthier my vision also improved and is

> actually better than it was in 1989 when I was still suffering from

> liver congestion. I had never used eyeglasses at any time during my

> life and I still don't need them. The Chinese have a saying: " The

> liver opens into the eyes. When the liver is harmonized, the eyes

> can distinguish the five colors " . Clean and nutrient-rich blood

from

> a healthy, efficient liver can flow easily and nourish the eye

> tissues better. Stimulation of blood flow to the eyes by massaging

> also helps. I massage the pressure points for blood circulation to

> the eyes twice daily, morning and night when I lie flat in bed. In

> this position blood does not have to flow against gravity.

>

> References:

>

> Harper, H.A., Review of Physiological Chemistry, 14th ed., Lange

> Medical Publications (1973).

>

> A Barefoot Doctor's Manual, the American translation of the

official

> Chinese Paramedical Manual, Running Press, Philadelphia (1990).

>

> Neufeld, W.P., The Liver Causes Heart Attack, Morning Dawn

> Publishing Company, Surrey, B.C., Canada (1987).

>

> Selkurt, E.E. (editor), Physiology, 2nd edition, Little, Brown and

> Company, Boston (1966).

>

> Chinese Medicinal Herbs, compiled by Li Shih-Chen, translated by F.

> Porter , M.D., and G.A. Stuart, M.D., town Press, San

> Francisco (1973).