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Spring...ing into Action with Lemon, Chlorophyll, and Parsley |
Spring ... ing Into Action with Lemon, Chlorophyll, and Parsley
© 2011 Martha Libster, Ph.D., R.N.
When it is spring where you live, think movement! It is time to get moving again after hibernating indoors during the colder months of winter. Get your energy or qi (Pronounced chee) moving with a few simple Recipes and Remedies.?
Lemon
In the ancient Chinese healing system, the Liver is associated with Spring. Spring is the time when the liver awakens after being more dormant during the colder months. To get the blood and qi of the liver moving consider some of the following Recipes and Remedies?. Sip the Juice of ¼ Fresh Lemon in ½ cup of warm water. The sour taste of the fruit is associated with the liver. In the spring, the energy in the liver begins to move more freely than in the winter. Lemon supports and stimulates the liver. The key is not to drink too much fresh lemon juice as it will cause your liver and your lips to pucker thereby decreasing movement of blood and qi.
In Western herbalism, the spring is the time when it is suggested that people think about healing their livers. In the spring, the liver begins to move blood more vigorously than in winter. Fresh greens such as salad or dandelion greens or nettles can be eaten as a means of moving and tonifying blood and energy in the liver. The bitterness in the greens comes from the numerous minerals in the plants. Bitterness can stimulate the liver and the digestion as well.
Some people notice in the spring that their body odor changes. For example, hairdressers and heavy-equipment operators often smell the scent of the chemicals they work with on their skin. As the liver qi and blood begin to move more easily in the spring, residues of chemicals and foods encountered during the winter can be moved out of the liver and into the blood stream. If the kidneys cannot filter all of the substances, the skin will act as a third kidney and will take on some of the excretion process. If this happens, consider chlorophyll water or parsley tea.
Clorophyll Water:
Add 1 tsp liquid chlorophyll to a 6-8 ounce glass of water 1-2 times a day. Chlorophyll is the substance in plants that makes leaves green. The word chlorophyll is derived from the Greek chloros meaning green and phyll meaning leaf. Chloroplasts are organelles found in the cytoplasm of the plant where light energy is actually transformed into food in the process of photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is a plant process that ultimately produces the oxygen fundamental to sustaining the lives of humans. When a green plant turns yellow it simply means that the leaf has lost chlorophyll. The chlorophyll found in green plants and the oxygen-carrying molecules, hemoglobin, found in human red blood cells are nearly identical in atomic design. The major difference between the two is that the porphyrin ring of the heme in hemoglobin is built around iron (Fe), and the porphyrin ring of chlorophyll is built around magnesium (Mg). Because chlorophyll is insoluble in water, chlorophyllin, the copper-sodium salt, food-grade derivative of chlorophyll, is often used. Chlorophyll products on the market often contain chlorophyllin instead of chlorophyll. Chlorophyll, often referred to as liquid sunlight, can be purchased in the form of wheat grass juice, blue-green algae, barley green, alfalfa supplements, liquid chlorophyll supplements and leafy green vegetables. In addition to building the blood and thereby helping to resolve listlessness and fatigue associated with anemia, chlorophyll has been shown scientifically to have a drying and deodorizing effect on wounds (Bowers, 1947) and an ability to decrease urine and fecal odors related to incontinence (Dory, 1971; Young & Beregi, 1980). It can be used to help relieve body and foot odors too.
Parsley Tea:
When I was in Norway studying with Dr. Charles Ersdal, I learned about the benefits of parsley tea. Charles encouraged all of his patients to drink fresh parsley tea to support kidney function (filtering the blood). Parsley is rich in chlorophyll, vitamins A and C and potassium. The Greeks have traditionally described someone near death as, "Being in need of parsley". Parsley is indeed supporting and regenerative for the kidneys, the organ recognized in Chinese medicine as the seat of of native qi or the life force. In other words, the kidneys house the energy bank account given to an individual at birth.
Parsley tea is made by taking a small handful of the fresh herb and chopping it slightly. The herb can be steeped or put in a tea ball or bag and infused in boiled water (not boiling) for 3-5 minutes. Strain and sip ½ cup 2-3 times per day. Do not add any sweetener, lemon or milk. It is important to taste the parsley as you sip it.