Wow! The topic picked for this month is HUGE!

The body is such a complicated and mind boggling creation! There is such an amazing interplay between the various organs and systems of the body. Perhaps that is why I love the study of anatomy and physiology so much! I love trying to understand, as once expressed by Einstein, what God was thinking during the creation process. The study of the body, its organs and systems, and how they work together has consumed a great deal of my life, and almost every bit of knowledge and understanding has been a blessing in my life!

The liver is responsible for, to the best of my knowledge, over 500 different functions in the body. (No, I won’t be attempting to describe each one of them here! Rather, I will group them together a bit and try to highlight the most important ones. Most important? Eh.) The most important one, obviously, is the one that is creating havoc in your own life or in the life of someone you love.

• First, the liver is an immune-active organ. As such, it plays important roles in fighting infections! For one, the liver has the largest concentration of phagocytic cells found anywhere in the human body! Phagocytic cells are a type of white blood cell that helps protect the body by getting rid of foreign particles, bacteria, and dying cells.
• The liver regulates nearly all levels of the various chemicals found in the body. This includes both the ones necessary to the body and also chemicals that are detrimental and create some type of havoc and harm.
• Another very important function of the liver is the production of enzymes needed for digestion. Enzyme supplements, good ones, can be quite helpful, but supplementation is somewhat of a “Band-Aid” approach. Unless you plan to live on supplements for the rest of your life, the problem must be corrected in the liver where it began. For optimum health, the body needs to be functioning optimally. The importance of the liver in producing the enzymes that your own body needs cannot be overstressed.
• Proper liver function promotes peristalsis. If you are constipated, consider a mild liver cleanse. Constipation, in turn, causes serious stress on the liver. This can become a vicious cycle.
• The liver secretes bile, which breaks down fats and is necessary for the absorption of vitamins and for the uptake of calcium.
• Once uptake has occurred, the liver then stores these and other nutrients until there is a need for them, at which time the small intestine takes over much of the responsibility for their uptake.
• The liver is a “manufacturing site” for the components that will be made into new red blood cells and new blood plasma. Imagine the effects on the body of a malfunction here! There are a host of ‘blood diseases’ and ‘blood-related cancers’. So many of them get their start in a toxic liver.
• The liver regulates the blood levels of amino acids, which form the building blocks of many vital proteins that are needed throughout the body. The development and maintenance of muscles comes to mind here as one example of a need for these proteins to be healthy. The heart is a muscle!
• The liver is necessary for the processing of hemoglobin to make iron available to the body. The liver then stores this iron and releases it when needed. For example, during the building of another little human during pregnancy.
• The liver is very important in the regulation of blood clotting following an injury or a surgical procedure.
• The liver draws off and stores toxins until they can be eliminated from the body. Just two examples: clearing drugs and a host of other poisonous substances from the body and the conversion of ammonia (a very poisonous substance) to urea, which is then excreted in the urine.
• Liver malfunction is a known cause of hypothyroidism.
• The liver is important in the regulation of blood sugar (discussed a bit further below).
• The liver breaks down hormones, such as adrenaline, when the need for them by the body has passed. In other words, the liver helps the body return to normal following a period of high stress. A host of other hormones which the liver assists in regulating could also be named and discussed here.
• The liver plays an important role in the clearing of bilirubin from the blood and body. An accumulation of bilirubin causes the skin and eyes to develop a yellow cast.

Some Causes of Liver Damage and Failure

• All drugs and pollutants damage and over-stress the liver because of its function as the collection place for drugs and other toxic/poisonous substances.
  It is vitally important to keep the liver clean because aging blood cells are sent to the liver where they are broken down into the base components of cellular rebuilding. The “junk” is passed on for excretion and the viable components are recycled, becoming part of the structure of new cells. It is possible—even common in our world of chemicals and pollutants—for new cells to be born already contaminated or crippled if a person’s liver is toxic.
  Contraceptive drugs have a half-life of several years. This means that they take a long time for all of the drug to clear from the body when ingestion ceases. This is true even when intensive cleanses and other efforts have been undertaken! Several years after a woman has stopped taking these drugs (any and all of them, no exceptions), there will still be a significant amount of the drug in her system.
  During my years as a midwife, I saw far too many young newlywed women who had been on a contraceptive that was prescribed for ‘period cramps’ struggle to get pregnant for years as we worked to eliminate the residue of these drugs from their systems! Contraceptive drugs are particularly harmful to the liver and can (and do!) create problems in the developing fetus and newborn! As a midwife, I have seen this sad situation. Cumulative environmental poisons which are all around us every day in today’s environment.
• A diet which is too high in carbohydrates and fats. I learned a few years ago that it is the combination of carbs and fats in the diet that creates the problems with optimum digestion and with weight gain. Years ago, I dropped a great deal of excess weight and felt better than I have ever felt in my life, before or since, by following the suggestions and literature of an organization called “Trim Healthy Mama”. They advocate, and teach, a dietary method (meant to be lived for a lifetime) that advocates eating either fats or carbs with a protein at each meal but never both fats and carbs at the same meal. I need to return to that lifestyle! And I would recommend it (and I have done so) to anyone!
• Overeating, especially of sugary treats! The effects of sugar on the system, and on the liver in particular, are discussed a little bit further on in this article.
• Caffeine
• A candida overgrowth in the intestinal tract!

The Impact of Emotions on the Liver and The Impact of the Liver on Emotions

The liver is affected by excesses of any kind! This is true whether the excess is of an addictive substance such as alcohol or if the excess is just more than you can deal with physically, emotionally, or psychologically.

The result of liver imbalance or toxicity is also excesses of several kinds. A toxic liver often leads to excessively intense emotions such as excessive, over-the-top, unreasonable fits of rage or other intense emotions and behaviors. These excessive emotions are, too often, being covered up or mollified by other addictive behaviors!

Sometimes, because of social conventions or religious convictions, a person may have learned to control the outward expression of the anger or rage. Instead, they will be intolerant of those around them who do not control their anger. They have come to value self-control above all other virtues. The predominant emotions then become sadness and bitterness as rage is internalized, directed more inwardly!

Please ponder the ideas presented in these three paragraphs for a moment and see if or where they might be present in your life or the life of a loved one!

Some Symptoms of Liver Failure

•  A yellow cast to the skin and eyes, mentioned above, is a sure and scary sign of impending liver failure.
• Excessive fatigue
• Loss of appetite
• Waking every night between 1:00 and 3:00 a.m.

Cancer has a difficult time living for very long, or even developing at all, in a body if the liver is functioning in an efficient and healthy manner. The converse is also true. A damaged liver is a recipe for cancers developing throughout the body! Yes, I meant plural! And, yes, we have seen this situation personally with a member of my family! Repairing the liver was the only answer, and it worked!

Sugar and Liver Failure

A Few Reasons Why Sugar Damages the Liver (according to this article and common sense!)

• Direct Conversion to Fat: Sugar (and the fructose in it as well as high fructose corn syrup) is processed almost entirely by the liver. The liver, as mentioned already, converts the excess sugar directly into fat through a process called lipogenesis. The result is, of course, excess weight as well as a fatty liver.
• No Signal of Satiety: The consumption of sugar in liquid forms such as overly sweet drinks does not trigger feelings of fullness. This makes it very easy, and very common, for any one of us to consume dangerously high amounts of sugar in a single sitting while quenching our thirst without even realizing it! I don’t know about you, but for me, one cookie almost always leads to another one and then, if I am not mindful, another one after that!
• Insulin Resistance: The constant consumption of high sugar levels causes blood sugar spikes and high insulin levels! This in turn forces the liver to store even more fat! Excess fat in the liver, of course, leads to inflammation and rampant cellular damage.

Fatty Liver Disease (my own observations and research into this life-threatening ailment)

A fatty liver used to be seen almost exclusively in alcoholics. That is no longer true! Today’s lifestyle and the typical daily diets of so many of us are a recipe for disaster to the liver. So, what is the problem with a fatty liver, anyway?

There are many. Let me summarize just three of them here:

1. Fat cells soak up and hold onto toxins. The more fat cells your liver has, the more toxins the liver can hold. All those fat cells in the liver taking toxins almost sounds like a good thing, right? That is until we consider that a large percentage of new red blood cells are “born” in the liver. These new blood cells too often become contaminated and damaged by the toxins in the liver! They then travel throughout the body, trying in their damaged condition to do their jobs of carrying oxygen and nutrients to cells and organs but carrying contaminants instead.
2. In addition, fat cells, in the liver or in the body, store estrogen. When the cells are full, this estrogen spills into the bloodstream. Besides all the nasty symptoms of out-of-balance hormones, excessively high estrogen levels are associated with several types of cancer. Among these are breast and cervical cancers.
3. A reasonably healthy liver, magnified under a microscope, looks like a pinkish/red colored filter. If the little ‘holes’ in the liver are filled with toxic fat, the liver cannot do a good job as a filter for the bloodstream.

How common is a fatty liver? In the United States, 15-20% of the general population have too much fat in their liver. Your odds are much higher if you are overweight. Fatty liver can, and does, occur in children these days.

What are the symptoms of a fatty liver?

• You may be overweight, especially in the abdominal area, and you find it very hard to lose weight
• You may have elevated cholesterol and triglyceride levels in your blood
• You may have been diagnosed as insulin resistant or have type 2 diabetes
• You tire easily; in fact, you feel tired all the time
• Constant back pain
• Constant nausea and indigestion
• You probably have a lowered immune response. You catch everything that comes around
• Uncomfortable overheating of the body with excessive sweating
• Mental confusion
• Hypertension
• Foul-smelling urine and stools
• Skin changes—patchy discolored places, spider veins on the upper body, red palms
• Muscle wasting with shrinking of the tendons in the hands and muscle tremors

See the full list of topics.

In This Issue

Digest Ultimate Supplement
Redmond Spices
September Essential Oils
Featured Herbs
Featured Blessed Waters
Featured Minerals
Featured Blend – ^LeAcknowledge
Featured Single – Ledum
Castor Carrier Oil
Featured Kits

Digest Ultimate Supplement

The purpose of this supplement is to optimize nutrient absorption by providing assistance to the digestive system in breaking down proteins and uptaking the nutrients found in carbohydrates and fats. This enzyme formula has proven itself useful in assisting people in properly digesting dairy products, grains, and the difficult-to-digest fibers found in vegetables and beans.

This is a full-spectrum enzyme formula and is the best balanced and most complete such formula that Butterfly Express, LLC could find to add to its proprietary line of products.

Redmond Spices

Perhaps I shouldn’t admit such a thing, but . . . sometimes, in my work as a teacher and writer with Butterfly Expressions, LLC, I am caught unawares of something ‘new’ that is being carried by Butterfly Express, LLC. Not fair! The Redmond Spices are today’s example of that sort of situation. But . . . I have remedied this particular state of affairs by adding each one of these five products to my personal kitchen spice cupboard. At least, I will put them in the cupboard as soon as I figure out a way to make room for them. I love spices! And I have a lot of them!

Spices are highly nutritious, especially where essential minerals are concerned! Especially good quality ones, and Redmond can always be counted on to produce quality!

Several years ago I was asked to teach a class on ‘Food Storage’ and what to be sure to have stocked up on. I was given over an hour for this presentation, and I used all of it to educate the women in that class as to what essential minerals were to be found in various spices. Then, as a further incentive, I served them each two separate dishes of a basic rice pudding. One dish had NO spices included—not cinnamon or nutmeg, etc. The other dish included the spices. It quickly became obvious that every woman in the room preferred the ‘spiced’ version. Then I presented them with a list of the vital nutrients that were present in the better-flavored—a lot better!—version as compared to the one with only rice, milk, and eggs.

Moral of the above story and what I hope you understand from it? Stock up on spices! Properly stored, they last a very long time and with their nutritive value intact.

The Redmond line, still available in small quantities and for a short time at Butterfly Express, consists of Onion Salt, Garlic Salt, Lemon Pepper, a Chef’s smoked salt blend, and a seasoning salt.

Featured Herbs for the Liver

Bupleurum

Bupleurum is one of the most highly valued and researched herbs of traditional Chinese medicine. Bupleurum Root was considered a staple in the daily lives of the ancient Chinese for over 2000 years.

Bupleurum is an outstanding herb for cleansing and rebuilding the liver. In this day of chemicals and pollutants, that is a very important healing aspect to look for in any herb or herbal preparation. TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) indicates that this herb is helpful with even serious liver issues such as hepatitis.

I prefer, somewhat, to utilize herbs that grow a little closer to home. After all, they are surviving in the same climate as I am, and there are those in professional capacities that have found that such a thing matters quite a bit. As a result, my use of Bupleurum has not been extensive, but it has been extensive enough that it is an herb I wouldn’t want to be without.

Bupleurum is high in potassium, and it is a support for adrenal gland fatigue and the accompanying physical fatigue and mental/emotional depression. This herb is often used with Licorice and Ginseng to stimulate adrenal function. Anything that supports the adrenal gland is, in my thinking, an herb to make use of when the need arises!

Other traditional and common uses of Bupleurum include reducing inflammation of various types and reducing fevers. Bupleurum is also used to relieve symptoms of anxiety, depression, and premenstrual syndrome (PMS).

LC (formerly Liver Cleanse)

The LC tincture is part of the Reset Kit and is described in that section of this blog.

Beet Root

Raw Beet Root is both cleansing and nourishing for the liver—more cleansing than nourishing. Care should be taken to use only a very small portion at a time, as its cleansing properties are really strong and dramatic!

Does cooking beets eliminate the nutritive and healing aspects of Beet Root? I suppose it must alter these factors a bit, but in any form, red beets are one of the most nutritious and healing vegetables! Fortunately, I have always loved red beets!

A 2008 study suggests that blood pressure was significantly lowered when beets—cooked, not raw—were consumed regularly. Midwives have long recognized beets, along with molasses and chlorophyll (found in green leafy things), as an excellent way to rebuild the blood after hemorrhage or heavy bleeding.

Other studies indicate that beets may slow the progression of dementia and improve oxygenation to the brain. Choline is an important nutrient found in beets. This versatile nutrient maintains the structure of cellular membranes, is needed for nerve impulse transmission, assists in the metabolism of fats, and reduces chronic inflammation (to name just a few of its important functions).

Beet Root is a rich source of folate, manganese, thiamine, riboflavin, vitamin B-6, pantothenic acid, choline, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, and selenium. Beets are high in a naturally occurring nitrate (not the nasty man-made kind). That is believed to be the reason for many of the health benefits of beets. This nitrate is the subject of ongoing studies.

Milk Thistle Mix

Silymarin, a compound or group of compounds, is the active ingredient that provides many of the potent health benefits attributed to Milk Thistle. Silymarin is, however, found mostly in the seeds rather than in the leaves of the Milk Thistle plant. There may be some silymarin in the leaves of Milk Thistle, but silymarin is not water soluble, so the health benefits due to the silymarin content of Milk Thistle tea are limited.

Besides preventing scarring, silymarin is thought to inhibit the binding of toxins to liver tissue. Silymarin extract is used to treat alcoholic liver disease, acute and chronic viral hepatitis, and toxin-induced liver diseases.

Silymarin is said to prevent the growth of cancer cells in the prostate, breast, and cervix, but there are no scientific studies that I could find that bear this out. However, anecdotal evidence is often the only “proof” that we have of the health benefits of herbal products! Silymarin is also believed to help with diabetes, especially with patients who have become insulin resistant.

Milk Thistle is strongly anti-inflammatory and seems to have an affinity for the large intestine, as it has been used many times, with good results, for irritable bowel syndrome. This effect may be brought about by the same two properties—drawing toxins out of the body and being anti-inflammatory—that make it effective for gallbladder and liver issues. These properties are attributed to the antioxidants found in Milk Thistle.

Along with silymarin, milk thistle seeds provide other valuable nutrients. These include some important unsaturated fatty acids, some essential amino acids, and valuable plant proteins.

For example, Linoleic acid (Omega-6) makes up more than 50% of the oil found in milk thistle seeds. Omega-6 fatty acids are, of course, known to support both heart health and healthy skin, among other benefits. Milk Thistle seeds are roughly made up of 20% protein.

Dandelion Root

Dandelion would be the herb of choice—alone or added to a formula—if a mild liver, gallbladder, or glandular system cleanse and rebuild would be beneficial. Dandelion is particularly effective when the stress to the kidneys is related to chemical or toxic metal poisoning or detoxification. Dandelion acts in the capacity of a blood cleanser as well as a diuretic. Dandelion removes obstructions from the liver, spleen, pancreas, gallbladder, bladder, and kidneys, making it a very useful herb.

Early settlers in the American West valued the early spring Dandelion leaves as a “spring tonic” after the long winter months of too little nutritious plant material in their diets. Since today’s “Great American Diet” is too often very much lacking in nutrients, adding Dandelion leaves to green salads in the spring would be a fairly easy way for many of us to benefit from this highly nutritious ‘weed’.

Dandelion leaves have a mild and pleasant taste in the early spring but become quite bitter as the summer progresses. Later in the summer, the root is the part of the plant that should be used, and it is the part that is commercially marketed for medicinal purposes. If you decide to ‘harvest’ your own dandelions, please be careful to harvest both leaves and roots where weed sprays have not been used—if you can find such a place!

Because Dandelion increases the flow of bile it greatly enhances the absorption of the vitamins and minerals that it contains. Dandelion is very high in vitamin A.  Dandelion also contains a wide spectrum of B vitamins, iron, and a whole list of other minerals in proper proportions that are easily absorbable.

Many herbalists consider Dandelion to be specific (and amazing) for both hypoglycemia and diabetes. Michael T. Murray says that Dandelion may act as a buffer to blood glucose levels, thus preventing sudden and severe fluctuations.

Ginger

Ginger acts as a carrier for other herbs (as well as bringing its own unique gifts) to the abdominal area, much as Cayenne does to the bloodstream. Ginger acts specifically on the stomach, spleen, liver, bladder, and kidneys. Ginger also stimulates the blood, but in a gentler manner.

Ginger acts to lower cholesterol levels by converting cholesterol to bile acids and excreting them from the body. Ginger, while stimulating circulation to an area of the body, also reduces pain sensations. Ginger prevents ulcer formation in the stomach.

Ginger’s antiseptic qualities make it useful for gastrointestinal infections and were considered in previous times to be an antidote for some types of food poisoning.

My favorite use for Ginger is to place some tincture or powder in the tub at the onset of any bug. Soak for a few minutes, then wrap up warmly. Be very careful not to get chilled after the bath. Stay wrapped until a full sweat is underway, usually about 20 minutes. I have used this method for years to stimulate a fever. The purpose of a fever is to burn off obnoxious little critters and stop an illness such as a cold or sore throat right in its tracks.

Ginger is high in potassium and contains manganese, silicon, vitamins A, C, and B complex, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, iron, and zinc.

Featured Blessed Waters for the Liver

As I am fond of pointing out, the Blessed Water/Homeopathic healing modality is very important and loved by me! If you are not conversant with this modality—and using it every day—please start! These remedies balance and heal the mind, psyche, emotions, and spirit, as well as impact the physical body for good!

For most of my adult years, I have made a serious study of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). The medicinal theories and practices of this amazing modality do not in any way require the acceptance of a religious philosophy other than your own, Christ-centered or otherwise. I include this comment with a small smile—remembering just such an accusation, years ago, being lovingly leveled at me by a ‘less-than-well-informed-on-the-subject’ friend. Yes, we remained friends—good ones whose ‘world view’ is quite similar to this day!

Liver Meridian Blessed Water

Just a bit of TCM philosophy as it pertains to the energy conduits in the body referred to as Meridians and Chakras.

Meridians are the pathways of communication between the various parts of the human body/mind/soul complex. These meridians channel an invisible nutritive energy known to the Chinese as ch’i. The ch’i energy enters the body through specific points and flows to deeper organ structures. Meridians bring life-giving nourishment with a gentle, subtle energetic nature. A strong and balanced flow of energy through the body’s meridians is important to optimal health. Blocked meridians create imbalanced energy flow to organs, which contributes to disease states within the body.

Energy flowing freely in what is referred to as the ‘Liver Meridian’ results in feelings of happiness and joy. The entire countenance radiates joy! Most importantly, this sort of person lives life ‘joyfully’, serving and blessing the lives of those around them—without ignoring their own needs, I must add.

When out of balance in this important meridian, a person feels anger and annoyance all the time and toward almost everyone and everything. There is little contentment, and certainly no joy!

Solar Plexus Chakra Blessed Water

Chakras, in TCM philosophy, are the main energy centers of the body. Traditionally, there are seven major ones. However, there are minor chakras in various places such as the tips of the fingers and the palms of the hands.  Each chakra flows with a specific energy when balanced and when out of balance. When the seven major chakras are functioning properly, there is optimum flow of energy and well-being throughout the body.

The Solar Plexus Chakra is located at the tip of the sternum, the xiphoid process, and encompasses more organs and systems than any other chakra. The stomach, pancreas, liver, and gallbladder are considered to be under the influence of the Solar Plexus Chakra. This chakra is also responsible for the down-regulating of the nervous system after the high-powered response to stress or danger.

The focus of this chakra is predominantly on relationships and controls the intake and outflow of the energy produced in our interchanges with others. When balanced, this chakra gives off a light and an energy that is magnetically attractive to others, making them very much liked and loved. These people are generous, confident, decisive, and are instinctive leaders and inspired healers.

Deficiency of strength in this chakra results in low self-worth. These people often crave recognition or praise from others and tend to make others responsible for their happiness or lack of it. They often have difficulty setting boundaries and are easily manipulated by others because they are searching for love and recognition from the people who are, too often, least capable of giving it. Physical ailments may include muscle aches, stomach ulcers, diabetes, allergies, insomnia, eating disorders, panic attacks, gallstones, liver problems, and digestive and breathing difficulties.

Dandelion Blessed Water

Blessed Water/Homeopathic remedies are made from many things (an understatement)! A great many of them are made from common (and not so common) herbs. When looking up a remedy made from a common (or uncommon) plant in a Homeopathic Repertory (or even on most parts of the Internet), you must look it up under the scientific (usually Latin) name. If you want to find further information on ‘Dandelion’ than is provided here, you must (most of the time) search under the name Taraxacum officinale. Personally, I don’t find this a problem since I consider Latin to be a very ‘sensible’ language. The words, especially of plants and body parts, follow patterns and actually communicate quite a bit of information about that plant or body part.

I have digressed! Back to a short description of the Dandelion as a North American Flower Essence. Flower Essences are a particular type of Homeopathic/Blessed Water remedy. The explanation of such remedies is simply too long to include here. If you want more information, please refer to Chapter Eight of my book ­Butterfly Miracles with Homeopathic Remedies I (the Pink book, not the Lavender one).

Flower Essence remedies are usually described by explaining what a person who would benefit from a particular remedy is experiencing or feeling like when ‘out-of-balance’. A description of the positive qualities expected to be present when the person is balanced is also included.

The North American Flower Essence Remedy of Dandelion when out-of-balance includes: Overly tense, especially in the muscles of the body. The person will be a compulsive over-achiever in many ways. Positive, balanced qualities include having dynamic physical energy. Such a love for and delight in living that allows (encourages) the spirit to both soar and to listen and learn.

Chelidonium majus

This remedy is primarily thought of as a liver remedy and as a remedy for other right-sided complaints. (Interesting as the liver lies on the right side of the body.) This remedy also acts strongly on the spleen and the kidneys, as well.

Chelidonium should be considered for right-sided headaches; abdominal pains that radiate to the right scapular region; right scapular or shoulder pain; right-sided pneumonia.
Another keynote is that many of the symptoms are ‘intermittent ’, such as occurs with such ailments as gallstones, certain types of diarrhea, or nausea (only sick in the morning when pregnant). If this pattern of occurring intermittently is seen with both physical and emotional ailments, this remedy is a likely correct choice.

A person who would benefit from this remedy (if other descriptions match) generally feels better after eating and from consuming hot or very warm drinks. Craves milk but has an aversion to cheese and cheese-filled dishes. This remedy is listed as being strongly considered for hypoglycemia.

Emotional patterns include domineering persons and people who find themselves stuck in a situation and seeing no appropriate way out. Another keynote emotional symptom is that the person is frightened, overly so, when in intense pain of physical or emotional origin;

Lycopodium clavatum

This is one of the most fundamental, and most often by a great many people at some time or another during their lives—a true polychrest remedy. It is often teamed with Sulphur and Calcarea and used in a triad regimen with the first remedy (whichever one is the closest match). As symptoms change, that remedy is followed by the one that matches the remaining symptoms most closely. Then, the third remedy will be given to eliminate the remaining symptoms (at least almost all of them)!

The predominant mental/emotional picture of Lycopodium is characterized by feelings of inferiority and lack of self-esteem. This may manifest as either shyness or egotism and bragging. Each is described in Lycopodium’s symptom picture descriptions. Other symptoms include lack of self-control with cravings for sweets and things that are not good for them. Such cravings are a definite hallmark. This remedy usually comes with pages and pages in remedy guides—check it out! The list of uses is long and important!!

(Chronic Anxiety-Based Disorders) This is a picture of anxiety created by a deep sense of inadequacy that is being covered by pretending to be capable and competent. A lot of mental stress develops, and they become self-conscious and intimidated around people they perceive as more powerful or more competent than they consider themselves. There is always a deep sense of anxiety and feelings of failure at the beginning of any task or project; however, they usually do well once the project is underway. If the problem becomes more serious, there will be a breakdown under stress, bullying tendencies, irritability, claustrophobia, and­—eventually—just wanting to be left alone. This is a psoric remedy (for those of you acquainted with miasm theory), but its picture is of a very deep version of this miasm.

(ADHD and Learning and Behavioral Disorders) When under stress, these children experience periods of time when thoughts vanish, and concentration is nearly impossible. They have difficulty with reading comprehension and difficulty expressing their thoughts in writing. Schoolwork is frustrating to them because they misplace words, use the wrong words, or misspell words by omitting letters or syllables. Emotionally, Lycopodium displays a contradictory nature. The child lacks confidence, so is sometimes shy, submissive, and melancholic; at other times they compensate by being dictatorial and self-righteous—demanding that everyone do everything their way all the time.

KEYNOTE: Symptoms begin on the right side and then move to the left and are worse from 4 to 8 pm.

Carduus marianus

Carduus marianus is specifically listed as a remedy for liver and spleen disorders, including Hepatitis and Cirrhosis. It is also listed for edema, gallstones, varicose veins, and alcohol abuse. Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver most commonly caused by viral infections, heavy alcohol use, a variety of toxins, medications, or autoimmune conditions. It can range from a mild, short-term illness to a long-term chronic condition causing severe liver damage.

Materia Medicas indicate that Carduus marianus is specific to inflammation of the left lobe of the liver. As you might expect, more often than not, symptoms will be worse when lying on the left side.

Mental and emotional symptoms include apathetic, joyless, despondent, and often have a pronounced tendency to become angry very easily and quickly. A tendency to hypochondria and to forgetting what he/she just intended to do or why they just came into a room. (This is a common thing for most of us. For this remedy to be indicated, other keynote symptoms must also be present.)

Nux vomica

Nux has a very definite remedy picture and is easily recognized by homeopaths and the people who live with this type of personality. Nux vomica is the typical Type A personality who consistently runs faster than he has strength and is competitive, ambitious, and impatient with the normal pace of life. These are strongly aggressive personalities. Nux Vomica is excellent for alleviating the collapsed states of ‘running faster than one has strength’ and will also help temper the personality to avoid the excesses that led to the collapse in the first place.

Nux vomica balances and detoxifies the liver and other digestive organs and is a remedy for adrenal stress.

Adrenal fatigue, common in this type of person, leads to the opposite set of symptoms. Nux people often show, as they get older and during particularly stressful periods of their lives, a pattern of extreme fatigue, often chronic fatigue syndrome. They simply wear themselves out!

Like the nut from which this remedy is made, Nux people have a hard outer shell but are sensitive, passionate, and compassionate on the inside, most particularly with people closest to them.

Nux is often just the right remedy for certain types of ADHD and certain types of Behavioral Disorders. These children (and adults) are competitive and independent. They have such a desire for freedom so that they can move forward on their own agendas and personal goals (and they always have agendas and goals!) They are optimistic, sometimes unrealistically so, about their goals and feel great satisfaction at their own accomplishments.

These children (and adults) are always on the move, must have everything in order, and are irritable if anyone else’s disorganization slows them down in the slightest degree. They are not patient, ever, and they crave stimulants. The Nux child tends to have had colic and stomach problems since birth.

Featured Minerals for the Liver

The following is a quote from one of the great herbal healers of our time:

“Herbal medicines are just potential, corrective foods, and these only become
active as they are selected from the bloodstream, absorbed into the bioplasm
and converted by the Spiritual within into vital life energy.”
(Dr. John R. Christopher)

Zinc

Zinc is a trace mineral. The body needs only relatively small amounts. However, for the 100 enzymes that need it to carry out vital roles in the body, it is absolutely essential!
Some of Zinc’s vital roles:

• cell division and growth, making zinc essential to the growth of infants, children, adolescents, and developing babies in the womb
• wound healing
• the breaking down of carbohydrates
• proper immune function
• essential to the senses of smell and taste
• regulates the sebaceous (oil) glands
• essential to prostate health
• involved in the senses of taste and smell

People with digestive disorders such as inflammatory bowel diseases or those who have undergone gastrointestinal surgery are among those at risk for a Zinc deficiency. Those with chronic liver or kidney diseases are also at a significantly higher risk of deficiency. Excessive or prolonged diarrhea often leads to a zinc deficiency. Those persons who have suffered severe burns or sepsis will, almost always, show symptoms of zinc deficiency.

Symptoms of Deficiency:

• Excessive fatigue
• Age spots
• Hair loss
• Acne
• Poor appetite
• Poor night vision
• Paranoia
• Frequent infections
• Problems with senses of taste and smell
• Slow healing of wounds and recovery from surgery
• Frequent urinary tract infections
• Body odor (mostly on the feet)
• Brittle or white spotted finger and toe nails
• Fatigue
• Diarrhea
• Anorexia and other eating disorders
• Hair loss

Herbs which contain significant amounts of Zinc include Alfalfa, Cayenne, Chamomile, Dandelion, Eyebright, Fennel, Ginger, Hops, Kelp, Milk Thistle, Mullein, Nettles, Parsley, Oatstraw, Peppermint, Rosehips, Sage, Sarsaparilla, Skullcap, and Wild Yam. Food sources include red meat, poultry, beans, nuts, and whole grains.

Selenium

Although deficiency is relatively rare, Selenium is necessary for many important functions in the body.

• acts as an antioxidant, protecting the body from damaging free radicals. This is very important!
• helps prevent premature aging by preserving and sustaining the elasticity of tissue
• crucial for the heart muscle
• promotes a healthy brain
• sustains the thyroid
• supports immune system function
• is a major factor in cell replacement and wound healing (even after surgery)
• critical to the production of reproductive hormones
• essential to thyroid health and optimum functioning
• DNA synthesis
• critical to healthy joints and proper joint function

Symptoms of Deficiency:

• Excessive fatigue
• Age spots
• Cataracts
• Stroke
• Lowered thyroid function
• Reproductive disorders
• Lowered immune function
• Mental impairment and possible learning disabilities
• Liver cirrhosis
• Arthritis and other joint malfunction issues

Herbs which contain significant amounts of Selenium include Alfalfa, Catnip, Cascara Sagrada, Cayenne, Chamomile, Fennel, Ginseng, Garlic, Hawthorn Berry, Horsetail, Kelp, Milk Thistle, Nettles, Oatstraw, Parsley, Peppermint, Raspberry Leaf, Rosehips, Sarsaparilla, Watercress, and Yarrow.  Food sources include bananas, Brazil nuts, fish, pork, beef, poultry, cottage cheese, eggs, brown rice, sunflower seeds, milk and yogurt.

Magnesium

Magnesium is necessary in the performance of over 300 body processes. While hugely important, magnesium needs—must have—calcium in order to be absorbed and made use of. Most often, if there is a deficiency in one—either calcium or magnesium—there is also a deficiency of the other mineral.

Below is a list of only a very few of the things optimum magnesium levels in the body are necessary for.

• supports and assists normal nerve and muscle function throughout the body
• absolutely vital to the heart (a rather important muscle with both nervous and electrical system components)
• reduces inflammation in muscles and joints (including, of course, the heart muscle)
• aids in digestion by activating enzymes needed for both protein and carbohydrate metabolism
• vital to the production of reproductive hormones and to hormone balance overall
• supports liver function
• essential to the ability to relax into a deep, restful state of sleep; supports normal heart and liver function

Unfortunately, many—perhaps even most—people in the United States are magnesium deficient.

Symptoms of magnesium deficiency:

• menstrual cramps
• excessive and constant fatigue is a sign of magnesium deficiency
• heart palpitations
• high blood pressure
• muscle cramps, charley horses in the calves of the legs

Herbs which contain significant amounts of magnesium—and Calcium also, by the way, include Alfalfa, Catnip, Cascara Sagrada, Cayenne, Chamomile, Dandelion, Eyebright, Fennel, Fenugreek, Ginger, Hops, Horsetail, Kelp, Lemongrass, Licorice, Mullein, Nettles, Oatstraw, Paprika, Parsley, Peppermint, Raspberry Leaf, Red Clover, Rosemary, Sage, Shepherd’s Purse, and Yarrow. Food sources include spinach, pumpkin seeds, Brazil nuts, almonds, beet greens, buckwheat, amaranth, salmon, and dark chocolate.

Ionic Minerals

Ionic Multi Mineral is a liquid, ionic multi-mineral dietary supplement made from fossilized kelp. The kelp is carefully harvested from ancient seabeds.

The ionic mineral supplement delivers a rich spectrum of naturally occurring trace minerals, including at least 10 essential ones such as calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc, in a highly absorbable, water-soluble form. This proprietary blend includes a total of 14 trace elements, supporting nearly every body system—endocrine, immune, cardiovascular, digestive, nervous, and more.

Benefits of regular use of this supplement (as reported by users) include:

• increased energy
• improved mental focus
• balanced mood
• better digestion
• enhanced immune function.

Because it’s in ionic form, the minerals are absorbed efficiently without straining the digestive system.

^LeAcknowledge Plus Essential Oil Blend

^LeAcknowledge should be applied over the liver when the liver is toxic, and the mind and emotions are sluggish or slow. Other particularly effective places for application are behind the ears, on the face, neck, thymus, or wrists. I especially like applying oils to the wrists because I frequently wave my wrists in front of my face as I push my hair out of my eyes.

Because ^LeAcknowledge has a cleansing effect on the liver, it is often a key factor in walking away from allergies and even other mild immune system dysfunctions. This blend played a major role, along with other liver cleansing and supporting alternative remedies, in my own walk away from multiple (a drastic understatement that word ‘multiple’) allergies. Any ailment that has anger as an underlying emotional component, which many physical ailments besides liver distress do, would benefit from the use of ^LeAcknowledge.

Kidney and bladder problems such as frequent infections and cystitis, with their emotional connection to fear and feelings of inadequacy, often respond favorably to this blend. The use of this essential oil blend may not only relieve the discomfort of the moment, but will also help lessen the likelihood and frequency of future attacks.

Because it balances the heart and sacral chakras, ^LeAcknowledge can help us recognize and accept the love and sympathy that people around us are trying to express. For those of us with very independent natures, it may help us with the ability to let others be of service to us. Increased balance in the throat chakra allows us to express our own feelings and needs and to express feelings of appreciation and gratitude for the services we receive.

^LeAcknowledge, like ^LeBountiful, may change the way that we feel toward material possessions, making us both more appreciative of them and less focused on their acquisition.

Ledum Essential Oil

No article about healing the liver or about Fatty Liver Disease could possibly be complete without mentioning Ledum. It is a primary ingredient in the ^LeLivN blend mentioned above.

Ledum acts as an enzyme to remedy liver dysfunction and aid in liver detoxification. Ledum’s action on the liver sets off a chain reaction of improvement throughout the organs of the body. A stronger liver creates a balanced thyroid, a stronger immune system, better-functioning kidneys, and clearer skin. Ledum has been used in programs for weight management, obesity, edema, and water retention. A review of recent literature indicates that Ledum may be even more anti-carcinogenic and anti-tumoral than Frankincense is reputed to be.

Ledum has a high sesquiterpene count. Essential oils containing sesquiterpenes cross the blood/brain barrier, carrying nutrients and oxygen to the brain. These oils are very calming. This effect is felt, not just by the nervous system, but throughout the body.

CAUTIONS: Ledum, by itself rather than as part of a blend, should not be used if you are pregnant. Even ^LeLivN, discussed above, contains enough Ledum to warrant a strong caution for pregnant women! Its use should be avoided with very young children.

Castor Carrier Oil

Castor Oil, as a carrier oil, is very hydrating and moisturizing for the skin and has been used for such skin conditions as psoriasis. It even has some antimicrobial and antibacterial properties that may be helpful in reducing acne. Castor Oil can stimulate tissue growth and can be used on wounds—sparingly; don’t get carried away here—to create a moist and protective layer that helps promote healing and keeps sores from drying out. Castor Oil is also used for keeping hair soft and hydrated and may help reduce dandruff symptoms.

Studies have shown that Castor Oil applied topically reduces inflammation and can even help relieve pain. One study found that Castor Oil, because of its anti-inflammatory properties, effectively relieves arthritis symptoms. Another study found an increase in T-cells over a seven-hour period after the application of Castor Oil.

Now, for a bit of advice (and some serious warnings) about Castor Oil used non-topically. In other words, internally. Claims are made that a teaspoon or two of castor oil will induce labor. I have certainly seen the internal consumption of Castor Oil start labor during my years as a midwife! One such instance of this resulted in my driving rather rapidly through the non-freeway parts of the state of Illinois one day to be present for the birth of a precious baby. (Yes, I made it in time and things worked out in the end!) I gained a great appreciation for freeways as I slowed down for every little town on my way!

I do not—repeat, do not—recommend Castor Oil as a labor-starting method! It works, but I believe that it works because it induces severe and unnatural cramping of the intestinal tract which, in turn, triggers labor. The labor contractions, coupled with the intestinal distress, are more painful than necessary and include an uncomfortable and, perhaps, less than sanitary diarrhea which must be handled well during the delivery. (As a midwife, I am opposed to methods that circumvent the baby’s own instigation of labor. Yes, the baby decides and produces the necessary hormones to begin labor if things are allowed, or able, to progress normally without interference!)

Castor Oil is generally recommended among alternative folks for use internally as a laxative. I strongly disagree because of the side effects of severe cramping and diarrhea. I must go on record as advising caution here! In my opinion, there are better ways and gentler methods of dealing with constipation! However, a 2010 study found that using Castor Oil packs, externally, was an effective means of decreasing constipation. Wonderful, if true, and far safer and more reasonable —in my opinion—than internal consumption.

My own experience with Castor Oil, applied to the bottom of the feet, is that it acts as a potent general cleansing agent for the body. Overdoing it, however, in my experience, seems to result in the same sort of diarrhea as internal consumption does.

At this moment in time, I am applying castor oil to a strange lump in my breast at least once a day. The lump has been there for nearly 5 years, so . . . quite obviously, not cancerous. Now, with the application of castor oil daily, the lump is gradually changing and, as near as I can tell, getting smaller and moving into the lymphatic system. No sign of diarrhea yet!

CAUTIONS: Castor Oil for internal use has both strong advocates and equally strong opponents. That is likely because the castor bean contains both healing properties and properties that are strong enough to be destructive if overused! The benefits of Castor Oil can almost always be achieved by topical application and, in my opinion, it is much safer to use Castor Oil that way.

Reset & Reset Plus Kits

‘Reset’ in this context means kits for ‘cleansing’. In other words, these two kits were created—and used by many people over the years—to cleanse the various organs and systems of the body when that is needed. First, I want to include a bit of basic information about cleansing and how it should be done. Overdoing a cleanse can create more problems than it solves!

For many years, herbal/alternative medicine modalities have relied on cleanses to restore the body to balance and to speed healing. Some of these cleanses, done as recommended, can cause pretty severe symptoms and reactions. This is true even if, or especially if, the protocol has been in use for many years. Why is it that they seemed to work 50 years ago, but now make people sick, and even seem to do more harm than good in the long run, sometimes?

I think that the explanation for this can be found by comparing our world today with the world in which the famous, old-time herbal doctors lived. More and more people today live ‘away from the earth’ in congested and smog-ridden cities. Even in my small rural town, pollutants and poisons are a part of our everyday lives. Chemical fertilizers and weed sprays have increased. We add chemicals to our water and hormones to our meat. And then there are the drugs that most people take so routinely that they often don’t even consider them to be drugs anymore. I am often amused—and saddened—when I visit the medicine cabinet of a family who has recently gone herbal. Too often it is still full of allergy pills, throat sprays, non-herbal cough medicines, painkillers, fever reducers, headache remedies, and laxatives, to name just a few items. All drugs have side effects! Every single one!

All of these ‘poisons’ are pulled out of circulation in the body by the liver. A cleanse, for most people, releases more of these ‘stored’ medications than the kidneys and colon can cope with at one time. The result is headaches, skin rashes, insomnia, and—in the end—the redistribution of those same toxins throughout the body. A favorite place for these harmful substances to relocate is, unfortunately, along the brain stem. This contributes to memory and concentration problems. “Doing a cleanse right” means cleansing the liver (and anywhere else that needs it) without this redistribution of the toxins.

A cleanse done with proper supporting herbs should not cause feelings of discomfort while you are doing it! ‘Cleansing’ shouldn’t leave you feeling tired, out of sorts, or less than alert either while you are doing it or, certainly not, when you are finished. The trick here is to balance system cleansing and strengthening efforts in the proper proportions. This can be done easily if one pays attention to the signals the body is sending.

Small, frequently repeated doses are more likely to be effective and less likely to cause discomfort. A renowned herbalist of a former time, Dr. John Christopher, was fond of saying that “discomfort” (his polite way of saying downright misery) “will be a sign of carelessness” during a cleanse.

Reset Kit

I have been using and recommending this kit for many years! This simple kit contains four herbal tinctures which act to cleanse and strengthen the eliminative organs of the body. The tinctures in this kit focus on cleaning the kidneys, the colon, the liver, and the blood.

I get asked often how to use it. I hope this helps. The question that almost always arises with this kit is how to make clear something that must, of necessity, be completely individual to each person and each situation. How much of each tincture always depends on how ‘stressed’ and out-of-whack each of the organs being treated is for each individual.

Brace yourselves—this is likely to be a lengthy explanation. I can’t see any clear way to make it shorter or even simpler!

A) KIDNEYS
First: Drink, drink, drink (water, of course) and soak, soak, soak your feet or in the tub. ^LeReflections, an essential oil blend from Butterfly Express, LLC, is specific for kidneys.

KB (formerly Kidney/Bladder). This is an excellent and wonderfully strong kidney formula. This formula can help cleanse and strengthen the urinary tract to accomplish the important job of eliminating toxins and waste products from the body.

The kidneys also regulate the liquid-to-solids ratio in the blood and tissues. The KB formula is made up completely of herbs that support and strengthen the kidneys and cellular tissues in general. It has no really effective bacterial fighters. Be sure to use KB with IF (formerly Infection Fighter) or RC (formerly Red Clover Combination) if a kidney infection is suspected.

B) COLON
The CD (formerly Colon/Digestive) tincture is a combination that is well balanced, utilizing both cleansing and supportive herbs. This is not a dramatic cathartic or stripper! It is used to support the colon and digestive system while the cleanse is proceeding throughout the body.

Sarsaparilla should be added if you are starting out with a colon that is clogged or malfunctioning in any way.

Support the colon with exercise, mild foods, enzymes, acidophilus, fiber (oat and wheat bran mixture), water, water, water—consistently, every day, no matter what.

C) LIVER
The LC tincture (formerly Liver Cleanse) contains both cleansing herbs and tonic herbs to support and strengthen the liver. Since this entire article is about the liver (and I have discussed it in some depth at the beginning of this article), I will content myself with a short description of the LC tincture combination here.

The LC tincture aids the liver in secreting bile into the colon, which is necessary for digestive function. (Yes, the liver, along with the gallbladder, secretes bile.) The Devil’s Claw and Bilberry in this blend are specific to sugar issues that are associated with liver damage and/or clogging.

D) BLOOD
RC tincture, which is a blood cleanser and purifier, is an illustration of the synergy of formulas—the sum being better than its individual components. RC pulls toxins, drug residue, and fatty cells out of the blood and makes them available for excretion by the kidneys. RC is also an excellent infection fighter.

This formula is also made as a glycerite (no alcohol) for use with children. Butterfly Express, LLC also carries a tincture based on this same formula called RC-L. The ‘L’ represents the addition of Lomatium. The lomatium makes this formula especially effective for bacterial or viral stomach flu.

E) BRAIN
The basic Reset Kit does not contain anything specific for detoxing the brain. However, I feel the need to share some information on detoxing and protecting the brain during a cleanse here. The following information is taken, for the most part, directly from the herbal book/manual that I wrote, Butterfly Miracles with Herbal Remedies, beginning on page 93. Chapter 5, pages 93 through 97, is under the title “Doing a Cleanse Right”, if you are interested in a bit more information than I have provided here. Some homeopathic remedies are discussed there, as well as adjusting the cleanse to personal needs and rebuilding the body after the cleanse is completed.

The Brain and Brain Stem during a Cleanse

If the cleanse is done too rapidly, particularly from the liver (perhaps a bit too much of the LC tincture), more toxins may go into circulation in the blood than the kidneys can filter efficiently. If the liver is extremely compromised, overwhelming the kidneys may, occasionally, happen no matter how carefully a person proceeds. There may be a bit of ‘discomfort,’ but the situation is not serious. Simply adjust dosages to support the kidneys more and detox more slowly!

What is going on if there is ‘discomfort’? The body, knowing that you no longer want these toxins in the liver or are unable to put them there because the liver is full, the body finds new places to store them. Sometimes the body does this by encapsulating the toxins and storing them just under the skin here and there throughout the body. These hard little lumps are called lipomas. The palms of the hands seem to be a particular target for these toxin storage containers.

The brain and brain stem also frequently become the site chosen to store toxic chemicals, preservatives, and drug residues as they are dumped from the liver. This is particularly common if heavy cleanses have been conducted in the past, overwhelming the kidneys. Storage in the brain stem may happen anytime the kidneys are overwhelmed and do not function properly. What is the answer? Support and strengthen the kidneys for a bit before beginning the cleanse! It will be time and effort well spent!

Exposure to heavy metals (welding, for example) or a period of heavy pesticide, weed spray, or fertilizer applications can also cause deposits to be made along the brain stem or along the cranial nerves. These deposits can also occur in the joints, within the muscles, or along the nerves anywhere in the body.

Regular short cleanses are much more effective—and more comfortable—than drastic cleanses done only occasionally!

Reset Plus Kit

The Reset Plus Kit contains all four of the herbal tinctures in the Reset Kit discussed above. Four other products, each helpful during a cleanse in a particular way, are also included. These are Redmond Clay powder, Coconut Carrier Oil, and the essential oil blends ^LeIQ and ^LeRevitalize. A little bit of information about these four items will be presented here.

Redmond Clay toxin soaks during a cleanse protocol can eliminate or seriously reduce toxins that overwhelm the kidneys and bring about the troubles discussed above. A ‘whole body soak’ is the most common way to do a toxin soak. However, if the liver is known to be quite toxic and the kidneys are already a bit overwhelmed themselves, a foot soak is a very good way to go!

The feet have very large pores. I would seem—and this is backed up by studies—that toxins leave the body through those large pores during foot soaks. Redmond Clay certainly facilitates this process. Additionally and importantly, there is no stress placed on the kidneys, no additional toxins circulating in the bloodstream to end up lodged in the brain or brain stem, and no re-absorption of toxins in the liver. Incredible and effective!

A foot soak should last at least 20 minutes. The water should be kept as warm as possible and still be comfortable. Two or three tablespoons of clay is sufficient.

It is amazing and, perhaps, surprising to some how well soaking just the feet works. It seems to be just as effective as a whole body soak and doesn’t seem to make a person feel tired or a bit weak as whole body soaks can, occasionally, do.

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