The Liver and Gallbladder Flush - Chapter 4
Ridding the liver and gallbladder of gallstones is one of the most important and powerful approaches you can take to improve your health. The liver and gallbladder flush requires 6 days of preparation, followed by 16 to 20 hours of actual cleansing. To remove gallstones, you will need the following items:
- Apple juice - six 32 oz. containers (6 x 1 liter) or Sour/tart cherry juice – six 8 oz. portions (6 x 240 ml) or choose from other alternatives listed under “Alternatives to Apple Juice or Sour Cherry Juice”
- Epsom salt* (or magnesium citrate) - 4 tablespoons (60 g) dissolved in 24 oz. (about 710 ml) of water**
- Pure extra virgin olive oil, 4 oz. (120 ml) Fresh grapefruit (pink is best) - enough to squeeze 6 oz. (about 180 ml) of juice or use the same amount of fresh lemon and orange juice combined***
* You can find Epsom salt in most drugstores or natural food stores. Some packaging labels describe it as a natural laxative, oral laxative, or for internal use. Do not use Epsom salt labeled not to be taken internally or for baths, since it contains impurities! If you cannot find Epsom salt, use magnesium citrate instead (same dosage, or if it comes in liquid form, take 3-4 fl. oz. (90-120 ml) at each of the four specified times).
** One tablespoon of Epsom salt equals 3 teaspoons of 5 grams each. The total amount of Epsom salt per tablespoon is 15 grams. Four tablespoons equal 60 grams. If your body weight is below normal, use a total of 40 grams; this amount will still give you frequent watery bowel movements necessary to help expel the released toxins and stones from the liver and gallbladder.
*** If you cannot tolerate grapefruit juice, you may use equal amounts of freshly squeezed lemon and orange juice instead. The effect is the same with either choice. For best results, use organically grown fruits.
Preparation
Drink 1 container of 32 oz. (1 liter) of packaged or freshly prepared apple juice (ideally from organically grown apples) or 8 oz. (240 ml) of unsweetened sour/tart cherry juice (see other options below) per day for a period of 6 days. The malic acid in the apple juice or sour cherry juice softens the gallstones and makes their passage through the bile ducts smooth and easy. Sour cherry juice has about 4 times the concentration of malic acid that apple juice has, and is usually better tolerated by those who cannot deal with the large amount of sugar contained in apple juice. Both apple juice and sour cherry juice have a strong cleansing effect. Some sensitive people may experience bloating and, occasionally, diarrhea, while on this much apple juice. While some of the diarrhea is actually stagnant bile, released by the liver and gallbladder (indicated by a brownish, yellow color), it may also be due to fermentation of the sugar in apple juice. If this becomes somewhat uncomfortable, you can dilute the apple juice with any amount of water, switch to sour cherry juice, or use any of the other options described later. I found that apple juice and sour cherry juice are equally beneficial in preparing your liver and gallbladder for an effective flush. Drink either of these juices slowly and in small portions spread throughout the day, between meals. You want to make sure there is a continuous supply of malic acid almost throughout the day, which is required to help soften the stones. Avoid drinking the juice during, just before, and in the first 1-2 hours after meals, and in the evening past 6 p.m. This is in addition to your normal daily water intake of 6 to 8 glasses. Note: During Day 6 of the preparation, drink the entire amount of juice during the morning hours only.
What you need to know about apple juice:
- If you choose apple juice as your preparation method, use organic juice; freshly pressed apple juice from organic apples is ideal. Although for the purpose of the flush, any good brand of commercial apple juice, apple concentrate, or apple cider works well, too; commercially produced apple juice may contain high amounts of inorganic arsenic - a naturally occurring mineral that can be toxic in high concentrations.
- It may be useful to rinse your mouth out with baking soda and/or brush your teeth several times per day to prevent the acid from damaging your teeth. The same applies to the alternative options.
- Some people should not drink apple juice in the large quantities required for the liver flush. These include those who suffer from diabetes, hypoglycemia, yeast infection (Candida), cancer, and stomach ulcers. ***
What you need to know about sour/tart cherry juice:
- Tart cherries should not be confused with the sweet, black cherry variety.
- Sour cherries contain 4 times the amount of malic acid than found in apples. Hence, you only need a fourth of the quantity, i.e. 8 oz. cherry juice versus 32 oz. apple juice during each of the 6 days of the cleanse preparation.
- Make certain to only buy sour cherry juice in glass bottles! Most health food stores stock organic, preservative-free tart cherry juice.
- Studies suggest sour cherries may help reduce risk factors for type 2 diabetes, which makes tart cherry juice a good option for diabetics who wish to do the liver flushes and cannot use apple juice because of its high sugar content.
- The juice has also shown to help reduce inflammation of joints and inhibit tumor growth, improve blood flow, lower blood pressure, and increase heart and brain health.
- It can be used by those suffering from Candida problems.
Dietary recommendations (for the first 5 days):
During the entire week of preparation and cleansing, avoid foods or beverages that are ice-cold; they chill the liver and, thereby, reduce the effectiveness of the cleanse. All foods or beverages should be warm or at least room temperature. If you are used to eating only raw foods, you may continue doing that. To help the liver prepare for the main part of the cleanse, try to avoid foods from animal sources, including meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy products (except butter), fried food items, and refined sugar or foods that contain it. Otherwise, eat normal meals, but avoid overeating. It is best to consume fresh salads, cooked vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, natural fats and oils, herbs, spices, and fruits during the preparation time. Please note the important dietary instructions for Day 6 of the preparation phase below.
The best times for cleansing:
The main and final part of the liver flush is best done over a weekend, or when you are not under any pressure and have enough time to rest. Although the liver flush is effective at any time of the month, it should preferably coincide with a day between full moon and new moon, or new moon and full moon. If possible, avoid doing the actual flush on full moon day when the body tends to hold on to extra fluids in the brain and tissues and is, therefore, more reluctant to release toxins 190.
The days around new moon are the most conducive for cleansing and healing.
Please read this if you take any medication!
While some people on prescription medication have done liver flushes successfully, others have reported that they did not release any stones, or felt very sick for a day or two. In 99 percent of all cases, pharmaceutical medications are merely symptom-suppressive and non-cause-oriented, and therefore, useless, unnecessary, and increasing harmful, especially if taken long-term.
For instance:
- blood pressure medication is now known to cause congestive heart failure, hypertension, and kidney disease;
- arthritis medication damages the liver and kidneys and causes more pain and more arthritis;
- statins increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, and liver damage;
- anticancer drugs cause more cancers and spread them in the body, etc. (for more details, see Chapter 3)
There are numerous simple, proven, and completely natural methods of restoring balance in the body that are far more effective and also void of any harmful side effects.
For instance, vitamin D alone, which the body produces in response to regular sun exposure, can balance blood pressure, normalize blood sugar and cholesterol, prevent and reverse cancer, stop infections such as tuberculosis, heal skin diseases, and help with almost every other illness.
In many cases, hypertension is just due to chronic dehydration and can be corrected in a matter of days. This book contains plenty of information you can use to make the necessary changes to your diet and lifestyle and escape the vicious cycle of taking toxic drugs that only further the occurrence of illness and debility and which, in turn, requires new drugs that cause further symptoms of disease.
If you have already become drug-dependent, I recommend you work under the supervision of a naturopathic doctor to gradually wean yourself off the medication while you also follow the guidelines for diet and lifestyle outlined in this book, or in greater detail, in my book Timeless Secrets of Health and Rejuvenation.
While liver flushes help the body to detoxify and heal itself, medications like antidepressants, anti-inflammatory drugs, or antibiotics do the exact opposite. It is risky for the body to undergo two incompatible and opposing processes at the same time. In fact, taking medication while doing a liver flush, may alter its concentration in the blood to undesirable levels; hence, the warning.
Once off pharmaceutical drugs, you can then safely do liver flushes.
Cautionary note about cancer drugs
Those who have undergone chemotherapy and wish to do liver flushes need to wait 6-8 months after the last round of treatment. Chemo drugs produce an excessive amount of intrahepatic gallstones because of their high toxicity, but it takes a while before all the chemical toxins are absorbed by bile and formed into stones. Doing a liver flush too soon after receiving these drugs would release much of the unbound poison into the intestinal tract and literally burn holes through it.
A Note on thyroid medication
Those who have had their thyroid removed (or have an under-active thyroid) and are taking thyroid medication will need to continue taking the medicine when doing the liver flushes. It is one of the few exceptions to the rule. I have not seen any diminished effectiveness of the liver flush when taking thyroid hormone.
Food supplements
If you take natural food supplements, such as minerals and non-synthetic vitamins, you may continue taking them, but it is best to avoid taking any supplements or medicines during the actual liver flush, unless they are absolutely essential. Besides, they are wasted as they are flushed out with the bile and Epsom salt.
Cleanse your colon BEFORE and AFTER you do a liver flush
Having regular bowel movements is not necessarily an indication that your bowel is unobstructed. Colon cleansing, done either a few days before or, ideally, on Day 6 of preparation, helps to avoid or minimize any discomfort or nausea that may arise during the actual liver flush. It prevents back-washing of the oil mixture or waste products from the intestinal tract into the stomach and it also assists the body in swiftly eliminating the released gallstones.
Most cases of nausea during liver flushes are due to not properly cleansing the colon beforehand. Colonic irrigation (colon hydrotherapy) is the most thorough method to prepare the colon for the liver flush. Colema-board irrigation is an almost equally effective method, followed by water enemas (see details in the section Keep Your Colon Clean in Chapter 5).
* Age Considerations: Children as young as 9 or 10 years old can do liver flushes, but they should only take half the amounts of cleanse ingredients (see separate instructions below). I have also had people in their 90s who also had excellent results with liver flushing.
This is what you need to do on Day 6 of the preparation:
Drink all the 32 oz. (1 liter) of apple juice or all the 8 oz. of sour cherry juice, or any of the other chosen options, in the morning. You may start drinking the juice soon after awakening. If you feel hungry in the morning, eat a light breakfast, such as fruit or a hot cereal like oatmeal. Avoid regular sugar or other sweeteners, spices, milk, butter, oils, yogurt, cheese, ham, eggs, nuts, pastries, cold packaged cereals, and other processed foods. Freshly-pressed fruit juices or vegetables juices are fine. For your lunch meal you may eat plain cooked or steamed vegetables with rice (preferably white basmati rice), buckwheat, quinoa or similar grains, and flavor it with a little unrefined sea or rock salt. If you prefer to eat fruit or raw vegetables, that’s fine, too. Please do not eat any protein foods, nuts, avocado, butter, or oil, or you might feel ill during the actual flush. The main thing is to save as much bile as possible for the liver flush, which is required to remove as many stones as possible from the liver and gallbladder. Eating fat or oilcontaining foods would use up that bile and render the liver flush ineffective. Also, do not eat or drink anything except water after 1:30 p.m., otherwise you may have difficulty passing stones! Follow the exact schedule below. Please do not attempt the liver cleanse until you have carefully read the rest of this chapter!
The Actual Flush
Evening
6:00 p.m.: Add 4 tablespoons (a total of 60 grams) of Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) to a total of 24 US-fluid oz. (710 ml) of filtered water in a glass jar. This makes four 6-oz. (180 ml) servings. Drink your first portion of 6 oz. (180 ml) now. You may take a few sips of water afterward to neutralize the bitter taste in your mouth, or add a little lemon juice to improve the taste. If you still cannot stand the taste, you may add a small amount of apple juice.
Some people drink it with a large plastic straw to bypass the taste buds on the tongue. Closing the nostrils while drinking it works well for most people. It is also helpful to brush your teeth afterward or rinse out the mouth with baking soda. One of the main actions of Epsom salt during the liver flush is to relax and dilate (widen) the bile ducts, as well as the sphincter of Oddi191, thereby making it easy for the stones to pass. Epsom salt also causes the gallbladder to contract to a third of its original size, according to published research192. This effect greatly assists in the removal of stones from the gallbladder. Moreover, Epsom salt clears out waste that may obstruct the release of the stones.
If you are allergic to Epsom salt (which is rare, but try before!), or if it makes you feel nauseated or you are just not able to get it down, you may instead use the second best choice, magnesium citrate (see details below). Set out the citrus fruit you will be using later, so that it can warm to room temperature. 8:00 p.m.: Drink your second serving of Epsom salt. 9:30 p.m.: If the Epsom salt has not prompted at least one bowel movement until now, it is usually because you have already done a thorough colon cleanse (colonic irrigation, Colema, or water enema) within the past 6-8 hours. However, this may also be because you have not cleansed your colon beforehand; in this case, take a water enema at this time (see instructions on how to perform a water enema in chapter 5). This will trigger a series of bowel movements and also make it easier for the liver and gallbladder to release stones. Note: Congestion in the colon can prevent the proper opening of the gallbladder and reduce the flush’s effectiveness.
9:45 p.m.: Thoroughly wash the grapefruits (or lemons and oranges). Squeeze them by hand and extract the juice. You will need about 6 oz. (180 ml) juice. Pour the juice and 4 oz. (120 ml) olive oil into a glass jar that has a lid. Close the jar tightly and shake hard, about 20 times or until the solution is watery. For best results, drink this mixture at 10:00 p.m., but if you feel you still need to visit the bathroom a few more times, you may delay this step for up to 10-15 minutes.
10:00 p.m.: Stand next to your bed (do not sit down) or near there and drink the mixture, if possible, without interruption. Closing the nostrils while drinking it and without taking a breath seems to work best. Some people, though, prefer to drink it through a large plastic straw. If necessary, use a little honey between sips, which helps the mixture go down more smoothly. Most people, though, have no problem drinking in one go. It’s best not to take more than 5 minutes for this. You may wish to quickly brush your teeth to get rid of the taste of the concoction.
PLEASE LIE DOWN IMMEDIATELY!
This is essential for helping to release the gallstones!
Turn off the lights and lie flat on your back with one or two pillows propping your head up. Your head should be higher than your abdomen. If this is uncomfortable, lie on your right side with your knees pulled toward your head, but also keep your head elevated. Lie perfectly still for at least 20 minutes, and try not to speak! You want to use all the available energy to release stones and not divert it elsewhere.
Close your eyes and put your attention on your liver.
(Note: To relax the bile ducts further, you may place a piece of cloth soaked in castor oil or warm apple cider vinegar over the liver area. This is not necessary, but some people find it to be beneficial)
You may feel the stones traveling along the bile ducts like marbles. There won’t be any spasms or pain because the magnesium in the Epsom salt keeps the bile duct valves wide open, dilated, and relaxed, and the oily bile that is discharged along with the stones keeps the bile ducts well lubricated. (The situation is very different in the case of a gallstone attack where magnesium is not present and bile concentration is relatively low)
After the first crucial 20 minutes, you may remove the extra pillows and go into your normal sleeping position; however, avoid sleeping on your stomach. It is best to remain in bed, but if at any time during the night you feel the urge to have a bowel movement, do so. Check if there are already small gallstones (pea-green or tan-colored ones) floating in the toilet. In the rare case you feel sick at any time during the liver cleanse, please follow the instructions provided under “Feeling Sick During The Flush” in this chapter.
The Following Morning
6:00–6:30 a.m.: Upon awakening, drink a glass of warm water. Shortly after, drink your third portion of Epsom salt. Rest, read, or meditate. If you are very sleepy, you may go back to bed. However, it is best if the body stays in an upright position. Most people feel fine, but low in energy until later in the morning.
8:00–8:30 a.m.: Drink your fourth and last portion of Epsom salt. 10:00–10:30 a.m.: You may drink freshly pressed fruit juice at this time. One half-hour later, you may eat one or two pieces of fresh fruit. One hour later, you may eat regular (but light) food, preferably vegetarian. Make certain you don’t overeat, and stop eating when you still feel a little hungry. By the evening or the next morning you should be back to normal and feel the first signs of improvement. Continue to eat light meals during the following 2-3 days. Remember, your liver and gallbladder have undergone major surgery, albeit without the harmful side effects or the expense.
Drinking Enough Water During the Cleanse: During the entire process of liver cleansing, including the 6-day preparation, make certain to drink enough water, especially when thirsty. However, avoid drinking water right after taking Epsom salt (allow 10-15 min) and for the first 2 hours after drinking the oil mixture. To produce enough bile and to remove stones from the liver and gallbladder during the liver flush, the body has to be well hydrated. Dehydration can, in fact, render the liver flush ineffective.
Contraindications (When the liver flush is not recommended):
- Bowel obstruction: If there is an obstruction in the small bowel, the liver flush should not be attempted. A small-bowel obstruction (SBO) is caused by a variety of pathologic processes. These include postoperative adhesions, followed by malignancy, Crohn’s disease, and hernias. Surgeries most closely associated with SBO are appendectomy, colorectal surgery, and gynecologic and upper gastrointestinal (GI) procedures.
- Weakness: Individuals who are very weak and emaciated (underweight) should not attempt liver flushes. If this applies to you, regaining your strength and stamina through the other recommendations made in this book, should be your first priority. Once your body has regained a more healthy weight and feels stronger, you may attempt your first liver flush.
- Bowel Diseases: If a part of the large bowel has been removed, it is still possible to do the liver cleanses. However, they should be avoided if there is any inflammatory disease, such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, diverticulitis, diverticulosis, numerous polyps, and large hemorrhoids.
Please refer to my book, Timeless Secrets of Health and Rejuvenation, to address the dietary and lifestyle causes for these disorders. Once healed up, you can safely do liver flushes.
- Acute Infection, Prescription drugs: Do not cleanse your liver when you suffer an acute infection; take prescriptions drugs (except mild thyroid medication); have fissures or large hemorrhoids; experience strong abdominal pain, nausea or vomiting; are dehydrated; or have frequent diarrhea or bloody stools.
- Constipation and Hemorrhoids: Hemorrhoids, which are congested, varicose veins in the lower intestinal tract, usually result from chronic constipation. If you are constipated and still attempt to do the liver flush, the oil mixture may back up or remain in the stomach unduly long. Eventually, the esophageal valve opens and you may feel nauseous, feel faint and throw up. If you still pass stones, the stone material and/or liver toxins may cause any existing hemorrhoid(s) to rupture and bleed. Although passing some blood may appear to be scary, it actually helps remove the toxins these varicose veins harbor. This can greatly improve intestinal health. However, it is still best if you can do everything you can to avoid constipation, so that hemorrhoids won’t develop. Then you can also do the proper colon cleanse before the liver flushes, and thereby avoid the undesirable nausea and potential vomiting of the oil mixture. To improve constipation, go to sleep before 10 p.m., drink enough water, and eat the main meal of the day at around noon. When choosing foods, eat more water-containing foods and less dry foods, more fat and oil, sea salt, and sour food items. Also spend more time relaxing, listen to music, go for walks (which massages the bowels), and spend enough time in the sun to obtain vitamin D which is required for maintaining optimal digestive functions.
- Pregnancy and Nursing: Although many pregnant women and nursing mothers have successfully done liver cleanses, for legal reasons I cannot make a recommendation to that effect. If you are pregnant and still wish to do a liver flush, make certain you are not constipated, and thoroughly cleanse the colon before and after each liver flush (also see Chapter 5).
- Menstrual Cycle: Although the liver flush may still be effective when done during menstruation, it is more convenient and comfortable for women to flush their liver before or after the monthly cycle. Besides, menstrual bleeding is another form of cleansing the body, and it is best for the body not to cleanse on two fronts at the same time. Menstrual cleansing takes much energy, and doing the liver flush at the same time could reduce its effectiveness and also interfere with removing menstrual waste products.
- Chemotherapy: I strongly advice against doing liver flushes until 6-8 months after the last chemotherapy treatment. It can take this long for the highly toxic chemo chemicals to become thoroughly absorbed and encapsulated in biliary stones, which in this case is desirable. Otherwise, doing liver flushes too soon after chemotherapy may leak chemo poisons via bile into the intestines, causing multiple perforations and inflammation in the intestinal walls. In other words, cleansing the body after chemotherapy can be life-endangering; in this case, it is best to be in a state of congestion for the suggested duration and first focus on the other health-enhancing approaches suggested in this book.
- Stent in biliary duct: The problem with having a plastic or metal stent inserted into the bile duct is that it cannot dilate like normal bile ducts do during liver flushes (in response to taking Epsom salt). So when stones are being released, they may not be able to pass through the stent. This can cause a blockage, especially if the stones are larger than the diameter of the stent. Most people with stents have to have them replaced on a regular basis. If I were in this situation, I would have the stent removed and do liver flushes, or at least use Epsom salt and some of the other suggestion made in this book to prevent the bile ducts from constricting again. I know of some people who have had their stent removed, and they were able to do liver flushes successfully
- Diabetes: I know of many diabetics who have done liver flushes successfully, but if you have diabetes you may need to modify the procedure outlined in this chapter. Keeping your blood sugar balanced at all times is a legitimate concern. Fasting may, of course, upset blood sugar levels, but all the same, not eating food on Day 6 of the preparation is important to avoid feeling sick and to allow for maximal release of stones during the liver flush. Yet, strangely and much to my own surprise, I have found that most diabetics were able to follow the normal regimen without any problems at all. Perhaps, this was due to the colon cleansing before the actual liver flush, the effect of Epsom salt, the drinking of the oil mixture, or a combination of the above. In some few cases, though, having 1-2 teaspoons of raw honey or eating a few soaked, dried figs in the mid-late afternoon and again in the early morning helped them get through the cleanse without any major issues. You may need to find out what works best for you, but I strongly recommend you do not eat any protein foods, for they can make you feel so sick that the liver flush will be of no benefit at all.
To understand the underlying causes of type 2 diabetes, you may wish to read the diabetes chapter of my book, Timeless Secrets of Health and Rejuvenation. In my work with type 2 diabetes over the past three decades, I have found that animal protein consumption is its leading cause, followed by the consumption of refined sugars and artificial sweeteners, and vitamin D deficiency due to lack of regular sun exposure.
Simply by adopting a balanced vegan diet and getting regular sun exposure and exercise, I have seen diabetes vanish within as little as 6-8 weeks. So if you are not able to do a liver flush right away, I recommend you first implement the necessary dietary and lifestyle changes and start doing the liver flushes once your blood sugar has naturally stabilized itself.
Note: Unless there is an existing small-bowel obstruction (SBO), stones will not accumulate or get caught in the small intestine. The high water, oil and bile content in the small intestines acts like a super-efficient toilet flush. The situation is different in the large intestine which absorbs water, compacts feces and stores it in the rectum until it is being removed via the anus in defecation. However, if the colon is not cleansed before doing a liver flush, especially if there is constipation, stones may not pass from the small intestine and remain there until the colon opens up again. This must be avoided, or otherwise it may lead to toxemia. Hence the importance of cleaning out the whole colon before and after each liver cleanse (see details under Follow the Liver Flush Protocol for a Safe Flush.
))