Liver & Gallbladder Cleanse
Overview in short
1 week of drinking 1 liter apple juice (or consuming water with a total of 1 tsp malic acid) daily
Day of cleanse
1. Stop eating 1.30pm (continue to hydrate well – no alcohol!)
2. Drink Epsom salts at 6pm and 8pm
3. Drink grapefruit mixed with olive oil at 10pm, lie down on back for 20 min, sleep on right side
Next morning
1. Drink Epsom salts 6am and 8am after first glass of hydration water
2. Have vegetable juice and light breakfast by 10am
Cleansing our liver bile ducts and gallbladder is one of the most important and effective protocols to improving our health. The liver cleanse has six days of preparation, followed by 16-20 hours of actual cleansing
You will need:
6 (Six) x 1-liter (32oz) Apple juice (or 6 teaspoons of Malic Acid over 6 days – 1 teaspoon in 2 liters of water per day)
4 tablespoons Epsom salts* dissolved in three (3) x 8-oz (230ml) glasses of water
Virgin olive oil, cold-pressed One-half glass (4oz)
Either fresh grapefruit (pink is best), or fresh lemon and orange combined** Enough to squeeze 2/3 glass of juice
2 pint jars, one with a lid
Note: * Look for Epsom salts that can be used internally. In German-speaking countries it is known as Bittersalz. In the U.S. it is found at most major drug stores or any natural food store. Some packaging labels describe it as a natural laxative. In countries where it is unavailable, use Magnesium Citrate or Magnesium Chloride.
** If you cannot tolerate grapefruit juice or if it makes you nauseous you may use equal amounts of freshly squeezed lemon and orange juice instead. The effect is the same.
Preparation
Drink 1 liter (32oz) of freshly juiced or packaged apple juice per day for a period of six days. (You may drink more than 32oz if it feels comfortable).
The malic acid in the apple juice softens the gallstones and makes their passage through the bile ducts easy. The apple juice has a strong and important cleansing effect. Some sensitive people may experience bloating or sometimes diarrhea during the first few days. Much of the diarrhea is actually stagnant bile, released by the liver and gallbladder (indicated by a brownish, yellow color). The fermenting effect of the juice helps widen the bile ducts. If this becomes somewhat uncomfortable, it is advised to dilute the juice with water. Drink the apple juice slowly throughout the day, between meals (avoid drinking the juice during, just before or within two hours after meals; and not in the evening). Remember your normal water intake.
Note: Preferably use organic apple juice, although for the purpose of this cleanse, any good brand of commercial apple juice, apple concentrate or apple cider works. It may be useful to rinse your mouth with salt water (1 teaspoon coarse sea salt to 500ml water), baking soda and/or brush your teeth several times per day to prevent the acid from irritating your gums and teeth.
Dietary recommendations
During the entire week of preparation and cleansing, avoid taking foods or beverages that are cold or chilled; they chill the liver and, thereby, reduce the effectiveness of the cleanse. All foods or beverages should be warm or at least room temperature. To help the liver prepare for the main flush, avoid foods from animal source, dairy products and fried food items. Otherwise, eat normal meals. Avoid overeating.
The best time for cleansing
The main and final part of the liver cleanse is best done over a weekend, when you are not under any pressure and have enough time to rest. Although the cleanse is effective at any time of the month, it should preferably coincide with any day between full moon and new moon. The 6-day preparatory period can start 4-5 days before the full moon. You should avoid doing the actual flush on full moon day which is the day when the body holds on to bodily fluids. New moon is most ideal time for liver flushing since this is the time when the body is more engaged in self-cleansing and self-repair than during other times of the month.
If you take any medication
What you need to do on the sixth day of drinking apple juice
If you feel hungry in the morning, eat a light breakfast, such as a hot cereal; oatmeal is the most ideal choice. Avoid sugar or other sweeteners, spices, milk, butter, oils, yogurt, cheese, ham, eggs, nuts, pastries, cold cereals, etc. Fruits or vegetable juices are fine. For lunch eat plain cooked or steamed vegetables with white rice (preferably Basmati rice) and flavor it with a little unrefined sea or rock salt.
To repeat, do not eat any protein foods or fats in any form. Otherwise, you might either feel ill during the actual cleanse or have no results at all. Do not eat or drink anything (except water) after 1:30 p.m., otherwise you may not be able to flush out any stones! Follow the exact timing given below to receive the maximum benefit from the liver flush and to suffer the least amount of discomfort during this process.
The Actual Cleanse
Evening
6:00 p.m.: Add four (4) tablespoons of Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) to three 8 oz. (230ml) glasses of filtered water in a jar. This makes four servings, ¾ glass each. Drink your first serving now. You may take a few sips of water afterwards to get rid of the bitter taste in the mouth or add a little lemon juice to improve the taste. Some people drink it with a large plastic straw to bypass the taste buds on the tongue. It is also helpful to brush your teeth afterwards or rinse out the mouth with baking soda. One of the main actions of Epsom salt is to dilate (widen) the bile ducts, making it easy for the stones to pass. Moreover, it clears out waste that may obstruct the release of the stones. If thirsty, you may drink some water before the second serving of Epsom salts. (If you are allergic to Epsom salts or are just not able to get it down, you may instead use the second best choice – magnesium citrate – at the same dosage.)
8:00 p.m.: Drink your second serving (¾ glass) of Epsom salts.
9:30 p.m.: If you have not had a bowel movement until now and not done a colon cleanse within 24 hours, take a water enema; this will trigger a series of bowel movements.
9:45 p.m.: Thoroughly wash the grapefruits (or lemons and oranges). Squeeze them by hand and
remove pulp. You will need ¾ glass of juice. Pour the juice and ½ glass of olive oil into the pint jar. Close the jar tightly and shake hard, about 20 times or until the solution is watery. Ideally, you should 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 minutes. Note: Small body types and children may only need two-third to half amount of the oil mixture.
10:00 p.m.: Stand next to your bed (do not sit down) and drink the mixture of juice and olive oil, if
possible, straight. Some people prefer to drink it through a large plastic straw. If necessary, take a little honey between sips, which helps chase down the mixture. Most people, though, have no problem drinking it straight. Do not take more than five minutes to complete drinking the mixture (only elderly or weak people may take longer).
Lie Down Immediately This is essential for helping to release the gallstones! Turn off the lights and lie flat on your back with 1-2 pillows propping you up. Your head should be higher than your abdomen. If this is uncomfortable, lie on your right side with your knees pulled towards your head. Lie perfectly still for at least 20 minutes and do not speak! Put your attention on your liver. You may even feel the stones traveling along the bile ducts like marbles. There won’t be any pain because the magnesium in the Epsom salts keeps the bile duct valves wide open and relaxed, and the bile that is excreted along with the stones keeps the bile ducts well lubricated (unlike during a gallstone attack). Go to sleep if you can. If you cannot fall asleep, remain in bed nevertheless. Otherwise, the cleanse may be less effective.
Only get up if you feel the urge to have a bowel movement. Check if there are already small gallstones (pea green or tan colored ones) floating in the toilet. You may feel nauseous during the night and/or in the early morning hours. This is mostly due to a strong, sudden outpouring of bile, gallstones and toxins from the liver and gallbladder. In some cases, some of the oil is forced back into the stomach or it takes longer than usual for the oil to leave the stomach. The nausea will pass as the morning progresses.
The Following Morning
6:00-6:30 a.m.: Upon awakening, but not before 6 a.m., drink your third ¾ glass of Epsom salts (if you feel very thirsty drink a glass of warm water before taking the salts). Rest, read or meditate. If you are very sleepy, you may go back to bed, although it is best if the body stays in the upright position. Most people feel absolutely fine and prefer to do some light stretching exercises.
8:00-8:30 a.m.: Drink your fourth and last ¾ glass of Epsom salts.
10:00-10:30 a.m.: You may drink freshly pressed vegetable 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. 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 days. Remember, your liver and gallbladder underwent major “surgery,” albeit without medical intervention and harmful side effects..
The Results You Can Expect
During the morning and, perhaps to some degree also during the afternoon and evening, you will have a number of watery bowel movements. These initially consist of stones mixed with food residue, and then just stones mixed with water. Most of the released stones are pea-green and float in the toilet because they contain bile compounds. The stones come in different shades of green and may be bright-colored and shiny like gemstones. Only bile from the liver can cause the green color. The light-colored stones are the most recent. Blackish stones are the oldest. Some are pea-sized or smaller, and others are as big as two or three centimeters in diameter, about 1 inch). There may be dozens and, sometimes, even hundreds of stones (of different sizes and colors) coming out at once.
Also watch for stones that are tan or white in color that may sink to the bottom with the stool. These are calcified and semi-calcified gallstones that are released from the gallbladder and contain heavier substances with lesser amounts of cholesterol. Fully calcified stones don’t float in the water. All the green and yellowish stones are as soft as putty, thanks to the action of the apple juice. You may also find a layer of white or tan-colored chaff or foam floating in the toilet. The foam consists of millions of tiny white, sharp-edged cholesterol crystals that can easily rupture small bile ducts. They are equally important to release. Try to make a rough estimate of how many stones you have eliminated. To permanently cure bursitis, back pain, allergies or other health problems, and to prevent diseases from arising, you need to remove all the stones. This may require at least eight or ten cleanses which can be performed at 3-4 week intervals (try not to cleanse more frequently than that). If you cannot cleanse this often, you may take more time between cleanses. The important thing to remember is that once you have started cleansing the liver, keep cleansing it until no more stones come out. In some people, leaving the liver half clean for a long period of time (three or more months) can cause greater discomfort than not cleansing it at all.
The liver, as a whole, will begin to function more efficiently soon after the first cleanse and you may notice sudden improvements, sometimes within a few hours. Pains will lessen, energy will increase and clarity of mind will improve considerably.
However, within a few days, stones from the rear of the liver will have traveled forward towards the two main bile ducts exiting the liver, which may cause some of the previous symptoms, or even all of them, to return. In fact, you might feel disappointed because the recovery seems so short-lived. But all of this shows that there are still stones left behind, ready to be removed during the next round of cleansing. Nevertheless, the liver’s self-repair and cleansing responses will have increased significantly, adding a great amount of vitality to this very important organ of the body.
As long as there are still a few small stones moving from some of the thousands of small bile ducts towards the hundreds of larger and two main bile ducts, they may combine to form larger stones and reproduce previously experienced symptoms, such as backache, headache, earache, digestive trouble, bloating, irritability, anger, etc. The recurring symptoms may, however, be less severe than before.
Once the old symptoms of disease or discomfort are gone and a new cleanse no longer produces any stones, which usually happens after 8-10 cleanses (in more severe cases it may take more), your liver may be considered to be in excellent condition. Still, it is recommended to repeat the liver cleanse every 6-8 months. Each cleanse will give a further boost to the liver and take care of any toxins that may have accumulated in the meanwhile.
Note: Never cleanse when you are suffering an acute illness, such as an upper respiratory infection, the flu or even a simple head cold! If you suffer from a chronic illness, however, cleansing your liver may be the best thing you can do for yourself.
Important! Please read carefully
The liver cleanse is one of the most invaluable and effective methods to regain one’s health. There are no risks involved if all of the directions are followed to the letter. Please take the following instruction very seriously. There are many people who followed a liver flush recipe that they received from friends or through the Internet, and suffered unnecessary complications. They did not have complete knowledge of the procedure and believed that just expelling the stones from the liver and gallbladder was sufficient to improve their health.
It is very likely that, on their way out, some of the released stones will get caught in the colon. They can quickly be removed through colonic irrigation. This should ideally be done on the 2nd or 3rd day after the liver flush. If any of the stones remain in the colon, they can cause irritation, infection, headaches and abdominal discomfort, thyroid problems, lymphatic congestion, and toxic blood. Even if some of the cholesterol-based stones begin to dissolve in the colon they can become a source of toxemia in the body.
You can also take 2-3 high water enemas instead at home if colonics are not an option. This, however, does not guarantee that all the remaining stones will be removed. There is no real substitute for colonic irrigation when it comes to liver cleanses. A colema-board enema, though, is the closest you can have to a professional colonic. If you settle for anything less than a colonic irrigation, mix one level teaspoon of Epsom salts with one glass of warm water and drink it first thing in the morning on the day of your chosen colon cleanse.
On the importance of colon and kidney cleansing
Although the liver cleanse on its own can produce truly amazing results, it should ideally be done following a colon and kidney cleanse. Cleansing the colon (see also section on Preparation) ensures that the expelled gallstones are more readily removed from the large intestine. And cleansing the kidneys makes certain that any toxins coming out of the liver during the liver cleanse do not put any burden on these vital organs. However, if you have never had kidney trouble, kidney stones, bladder infection, etc., you may go ahead with the colon cleanse—liver cleanse—colon cleanse sequence. But make certain that you cleanse the kidneys at a later stage. There should definitely be a kidney cleanse some time after every 3-4 liver cleanses and, again, after your liver has been completely cleaned out. Or, you may drink a cup of kidney tea (see Kidney Cleanse recipe) for 3-4 days after each liver cleanse.
People whose colon is severely congested, or who have a history of constipation, should consider doing at least 2-3 colon cleanses before their first liver cleanse. And to re-emphasize, it is very important that you cleanse your colon within three days after you have completed each liver cleanse. By removing galls tones from the liver and gallbladder it is most likely for some of the stones and other toxic residues to become trapped in the colon. It is essential for your health to flush them out! If you are unable to do so, it is better not to cleanse the liver in this way.
We also use ImmunoClean™ in combination with this liver cleanse to support the expelling and neutralizing of toxic releases out of the system. The protocol includes both oral and enema applications.
