"What Are 15 Ways to Nourish and Protect Your Liver?"

The liver is a vital organ for detoxification in the human body. Poor liver function can lead to a significant accumulation of toxins in the body, triggering various diseases. Therefore, it is crucial to nourish and protect the liver. There are various methods for liver care, commonly including adjusting diet, maintaining good sleep routines, maintaining good emotions, acupressure, and medicinal conditioning.

1. Adjusting Diet: When nourishing and protecting the liver, one should focus on a light diet, consume fresh fruits and green vegetables, and reduce the intake of spicy, greasy, and cold foods such as alcohol, chili peppers, and fatty meat. Additionally, consuming spleen-tonifying foods can help protect the liver by enhancing digestive functions of the spleen and stomach, thereby increasing qi and blood, allowing the liver to store blood and achieving the purpose of liver protection. Common spleen-tonifying foods include yam, lentils, and coicis seed.

2. Maintaining Good Sleep Routines: When lying down to sleep, blood flows back to the liver. The liver meridian operates between 11 PM and 1 AM. It is recommended for those nourishing and protecting their liver to sleep before 11 PM, develop good sleep habits, and avoid overexertion.

3. Maintaining Good Emotions: According to traditional Chinese medicine, the liver governs emotions, and anger injures the liver. Therefore, to nourish and protect the liver, one should maintain an optimistic and good mindset, avoiding frequent anger or excessive melancholy.

4. Acupressure: Regular acupressure can achieve the effect of nourishing and protecting the liver. One can regularly press points such as Dadun (LR1), Taichong (LR3), Xingjian (LR2), Taixi (KI3), and Ganshu (BL18). The liver meridian runs along the rib sides, and it can also be combined with pushing and rubbing the two rib sides to disperse liver qi and relieve depression.

5. Medicinal Conditioning: The liver stores blood, and only with sufficient yin and blood can its physiological functions operate normally. If there is a lack of liver blood, attention should be paid to nourishing liver blood using medicinal herbs such as Angelica sinensis, White Peony Root, and Colla Corii Asini. The liver governs dispersion and likes smooth flow and hates depression. If there are symptoms of liver qi stagnation, one should choose medicinal herbs with the effect of dispersing liver qi and regulating qi to nourish and protect the liver, such as Bupleurum Root and Cyperus Rhizome, or Chinese patent medicines such as Xiaoyao Pill and Chaihu Shugan Powder. Liver fire is prone to excess, so when nourishing the liver, if liver fire hyperactivity is detected, medicinal herbs such as Gardenia Fruit, Prunella Vulgaris, and Scutellaria Root can be used, or Chinese patent medicines such as Xieqing Pill and Danggui Luhui Pill can be selected to clear liver fire.

It is important to note that nourishing and protecting the liver is a long-term process requiring consistent effort. Diet, sleep routines, and emotions all need to be balanced and well-maintained, and one should avoid overexertion and staying up late. If liver-related diseases occur, medical attention should be sought promptly to avoid delaying treatment.