Liver Health

What does it really mean to take care of your Liver health? According to
Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Liver is the organ that is most affected by
excess stress or emotions.

 The Liver is responsible for the smooth flow of Qi and blood in your
body.
It controls the volume and smooth flow of blood in your vessels and also
stores the blood.
 The eyes are the sensory organ related to the Liver. 
If you have any eye issues, including blurry vision, red or dry eyes, itchy eyes,
it may be a sign deep down that your Liver is not functioning smoothly.
 The tendons are the tissue associated with the Liver. 
TCM says that strength comes from the tendons, not muscles. Be like the cat
that is strong, agile, and flexible, not the cow, which has huge muscles but
little real strength.
 The taste that corresponds to and supports the Liver is sour, according to
Five Element theory. 
If you crave sour food, perhaps your Liver needs an extra boost, so be sure to
include high-quality vinegar and sweet and sour recipes (like sweet and sour
chicken) in your diet.
 Anger is the emotion associated with the Liver.
If you are often irritable, get angry easily, have trouble unwinding from the
day’s activities, have trouble reasoning or going with the flow and letting
things go, you are experiencing a Liver function problem. Experiencing these
emotions chronically or excessively can seriously unbalance the function of
your Liver.

FOODS TO SUPPORT LIVER HEALTH

Many foods have an essence that resonates with the Liver. A TCM practitioner might
regularly prescribe these foods for patients when trying to build strong Liver function.
Read here for foods and recipes to support Liver health.

SIMPLE TIPS FOR EVERYDAY LIVER HEALTH

Some ways to take care of your Liver:

1. Stay calm, especially during the spring. Don’t get caught up in spring’s intense
new energies! Take things easy and go slow; take a nice long walk in the park
or do other gentle exercises to relax your mind, body, and spirit. Let go of any
stressful situations that you can, and if that’s not possible, use some of the
stress-relieving tips below.
2. Scream at the top of your lungs (in a pillow, car, or shower)! The sound of
shouting connects with the energy of the Liver, as its energy naturally rises up
and out. Afterwards, have a good cry, which brings the energy back down and
“lets go” of more tension and stress in your body.
3. Break eggs! The energy of breaking things, whether it’s eggs, bottles, dishes,
or potatoes, also connects you to the aggressive energy of the Liver. It can be a
great way to “let off steam” and relieve the stress aggravating your Liver.
4. Using a hairbrush with rounded bristles, hit your legs up and down the insides
of your thighs and calves, starting at the ankles, for about five minutes. This
gently stimulates your Liver meridian, allowing your qi to flow more freely
and relaxing your Liver.
5. Avoid alcohol! Because the Liver is responsible for metabolizing alcohol,
drinking in moderation can go a long way towards preserving your Liver’s
energy and giving it a break.
6. Engage in gentle exercise, such as swimming or walking, instead of hard and
fast exercises which overwork or overstretch the tendons, causing them to
eventually lose their flexibility, impacting the Liver function of being
“flexible.”

ACUPRESSURE FOR LIVER HEALTH 

Rub the acupressure point called “Taichong” (Liver 3) which stimulates a key point
on the Liver channel. It may be sore, but this means you’re hitting all the right spots!
You are unblocking your Liver Qi.

Try to rub this area every day. It’s located on top of your foot where the big toe bone
meets the second toe bone (about an inch back from the skin between these toes).
Using your thumb, press and massage this spot on both feet (the meridians are on both
sides of your body). You can also rub with your thumb moving forward along the
inside of the big toe.

- See more at: http://www.tcmworld.org/what-is-tcm/the-five-major-organ-systems-

2/tcm-lifestyle-wisdom-for-liver-health/#sthash.fc8SGNBC.dpuf
 Liver: Wood-energy yin organ
The liver is called the 'General' or 'Chief of Staff' and is responsible for filtering,
detoxifying, nourishing, replenishing, and storing blood.  The liver stores large
amounts of sugar in the form of glycogen, which it releases into the blood stream as
glucose whenever the body requires extra infusions of metabolic energy.  The liver
receives all amino acids extracted from food by the small intestine and recombines
them to synthesize the various forms of protein required for growth and repair of
bodily tissues.

The liver controls the peripheral nervous system, which regulates muscular activity
and tension.  The inability to relax is often caused by liver dysfunction or imbalance
in Wood energy.  Liver energy also controls ligaments and tendons, which together
with muscles regulate motor activity and determine physical coordination.  Liver
function is reflected externally in the condition of finger- and toenails and by the eyes
and vision.  Blurry vision is often a result of liver malfunction rather than an eye
problem, and even Western medicine recognizes the symptomatic yellow eyes of liver
jaundice.

Through its association with Wood energy, the liver governs growth and
development, drive and desires, ambitions and creativity.  Obstruction of liver energy
can cause intense feelings of frustration, rage, and anger, and these emotions in turn
further disrupt liver energy and suppress liver function, in a vicious self-destructive
cycle.

Liver
Paired Gallbladd
Organ er
deep
Color
green
Peak
1am-3am
Hours
Physical eyes,
Branche tendons,
s tears, nails
stores the
blood,
Function
governs
s
the free
flow of qi

Liver: Psycho-Emotional Aspects

The Liver is responsible for planning and creativity, as well as instantaneous solutions
or sudden insights; it is therefore considered The General in Charge of Strategy.  The
Liver houses the body's Hun and governs fright.  Its positive psycho-emotional
attributes are kindness, benevolence, compassion, and generosity; its negative
attributes are anger, irritability, frustration, resentment, jealousy, rage, and
depression.  The Liver is also called the "root of resistance to fatigue."  Whenever the
Liver is not functioning properly (stagnate or excessively Hot due to suppressed
emotions) the patient can experience fatigue as well as physical weakness.

The Liver Channel Pathway, Acupuncture Points, and Internal

Trajectories

Beginning by the inside of the big toenail, the liver channel crosses the top of the foot,
passes in front of the inside ankle and up the inner aspect of the leg through SP-6
close behind the edge of the bone.  It continues past the knee along the inner thigh to
the groin and pubic region, where it circulates the external genitals.  It connects with
the conception vessel in the lower abdomen and continues up around the stomach to
enter both the liver and gallbladder.  Connecting with two surface points on the ribs,
the channel then dips into the ribcage, runs up through the throat, opening to the eye,
and ends at the crown of the head where it connects with the governing vessel.  A
branch circles the mouth.  From within the liver, another internal branch reaches the
lungs, and this restarts the cycle of qi.

Internal Trajectories of the Liver Meridian

The liver meridian rises up the medial sides of the legs from the big toes.

[It then] comes into the yin organs [sexual organs] and circles around the yin
organs.  Then it passes through the small abdomen; then up to and
surrounding the stomach; then it permeates the liver. and spirally wraps the
gallbladder.  It comes up and passes through the diaphragm, up the sides of
the ribs, up behind the trachea, to behind the throat.  Then it rises up the
cheeks, comes into the eyes, passes up the forehead and meets the du mai at
 the top of the head.  . . . A branch separates from the liver, passes up through
the diaphragm and goes to the lungs.

    In this case, "the inside of the chest" is seen as the sides of the chest, around PC-1. 
In general, we should be aware that the inside of the chest has a wider meaning which
depends on context.  It can be inside the chest, CV-17, the sides of the chest, as well
as some other less common referents.  In coming down through the diaphragm it
probably passes through the esophagus and then the stomach, before it passes to and
spirally wraps the liver.  After this, it permeates the gallbladder.  In circling around on
the inside of the lining of the ribs and the sides of the body it passes out to LV-13, and
then to ST-30.

    After circling around the sexual organs it passes into the small abdomen, the kidney
reflex area, and an area below the umbilicus described by or including CV-2, CV-3,
CV-4.  Then it passes up to and surrounds the stomach, permeates the liver, and
spirally wraps the gallbladder.  When it passes up and out to the sides, it surfaces at
LV-13 and re-enters internally at LV-14.

    The trajectory that passes up to and meets the du mai (governing vessel) joins at
GV-20.  The branch passes up to the lungs, then comes down to the middles warmer
and "surrounds CV-12".  Once at CV-12, the cycle of the twelve meridians is ready to
start again, as the lung meridian has its origin at CV-12.  This interpretation if the
meridians beginning at CV-12 and ending at CV-12 so that they make a complete
circuit is one that comes from the Shisi Jing Fa Hui.
The Ling Shu contains another very different idea about the pathways of the liver
meridian which also brings it back full circle to the lung meridian.  This interpretation
is particularly interesting in that the trajectory includes the du mai and passes up the
abdomen to enter the chest at ST-21.

The liver meridian passes up to the liver.  [From the liver] it passes up
through to the lungs, rises up to the throat, to the nasal pharynx, to the nose. 
A branch splits and rises to the top of the forehead, to the top of the head.  It
then goes down around the spine into the sacrum-coccyx; this is the du mai. 
[It passes inside and] spirally wraps the yin organs.  It passes up to the lining
of the abdomen, enters at ST-12, passes down into the lungs and comes out at
tai yin [the lung meridian].

    This trajectory is paralleled in complexity only by the kidney meridian, and seems
to be even more inclusive, as the du mai is seen as its branch.  It is seen to spirally
wrap all the yin organs.  It definitely provides an alternate route by which the qi
passes from the liver to the lung meridian to complete the circuit.  Whichever
interpretation we accept, we can see that the internal connections of the meridians
play an important role in the circulation of the qi through the twelve meridians,
beginning at CV-12 and ending at CV-12, or beginning and ending at the lung
meridian ready to circle again.

According to the Chinese, the liver 'stores the blood' and is associated with Wood
energy, which is an upward moving force. This relates very much with Western
physiology, as just about all the veins of the gastrointestinal tract flow into the liver
via the Hepatic Portal vein.  From there the blood flows 'upwards' through the liver
into the Inferior Vena Cava.  Here's a schematic of the Hepatic Portal system: