As we relish in the longer and warmer days, for many this marks the beginning of the dreaded allergy season. For them, this is a season plagued by nasal congestion, itchy and watery eyes and never-ending sneezing. These symptoms are commonly thought of as a natural response to histamine, however a deeper look may reveal a struggling liver.
The liver is the body’s superstar detoxification organ. Responsible for processing toxins, hormones, wastes and you guessed it, histamine. The liver produces an enzyme called diamine oxidase (DAO), which works to balance the level of histamine in the body. If the liver is not working as well as it should be, histamine can build up to excessive levels, resulting in those all too familiar hay fever symptoms.
Liver loving strategies
Show you liver some love and reduce your histamine-related symptoms by introducing a few dietary and herbal supports and lifestyle changes. There is often no need for a restrictive liver ‘detox’ programme, as a few simple tweaks often have the most profound effects.
Brassica vegetables
Many of us are no strangers to the phrase, “eat your greens before you leave the dinner table.” As tiresome as this phrase was to hear as a child, it has merit (thanks, mum!) While all greens are welcomed, when it comes to the liver, brassica vegetables are our best friends. Brassica vegetables include:
- Kale
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Bok choy
- Brussels sprouts
- Cabbage
- Radishes
These vegetables are rich in sulforaphane, which is a powerful natural detoxifier. Sulforaphane helps the liver by turning on special enzymes like DAO, that help neutralise and remove substances including histamine safely from your body. Consider sulforaphane as a switch that ‘turns on’ your liver’s natural cleaning system.
Prebiotic fibre
Prebiotics are a particular type of fibre found in most plant-based foods including fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds and wholegrains. Prebiotic fibre feeds the good bacteria in your gut and keeps your digestion regular, allowing your body to rid itself of waste and toxins through your stool more efficiently, instead of letting them accumulate or get reabsorbed.
When your gut is healthy and moving waste out properly, your liver doesn’t have to work as hard. This gives your liver more energy to break down other toxins such as histamine.
Herbal allies
Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) is a potent antioxidant that protects the liver against toxins and promotes regeneration of damaged liver cells.
Globe artichoke (Cynara scolymus) enhances liver detoxification pathways, allowing the body to clear substances such as histamine effectively.
Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) stimulates liver activity. This is comparable to giving your liver a ‘boost’, so that it can do its job more efficiently
Schisandra (Schisandra chinensis) enhances enzymatic activity in liver detoxification pathways, supporting the liver while it clears toxins. Schisandra protects liver cells while scavenging free radicals that are produced during the detoxification process
Turmeric (Curcuma longa) owes many of its healing properties to the bio active, curcumin. Curcumin helps to reduce inflammation and oxidative damage associated with a sluggish liver.
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is a beautiful herb for many reasons, including its affinity for the liver. It protects liver cells by reducing inflammation and neutralising overproduction of reactive oxidative species (ROS) during the detoxification process.
Tip: Find some of these top liver-loving herbs in Kiwiherb Organic Liver Cleanse.
Additional tip: Reduce nasal congestion and hay fever symptoms with Kiwiherb Organic De-Stuff and Organic De-Stuff for Kids.
Hydration
Hydration is essential for most bodily functions. Therefore, it is no surprise that liver detoxification relies on it also. When we are hydrated, our blood circulates more efficiently, allowing wastes, toxins and histamine to be processed by the liver and eliminated from the body through sweat, urine and stool.
Sweat it out
Sweating does a lot more than cooling you down. It is one of the most widely accepted methods for supporting detoxification. Many traditional medicine modalities recognise sweating as an important way to support your health and help prevent illness. Practices such as sauna, warm baths, time in the sun and exercising to encourage sweating, have long been used to help the body detoxify. The idea is simple, when wastes such as histamine accumulate in the body, it can lead to hay fever symptoms. Making time to sweat may be more important than you think!
Lymphatic support
The lymphatic system is yet another route to support your detoxification pathways, as lymph cleanses cellular wastes and toxins. Without physical movement, lymph becomes stagnant as it is unable to travel around the body soaking up cellular wastes. Encouraging lymphatic movement is simple. Moving your body in way that feels good to you, laughing, lying flat and placing your legs up a wall and dry brushing, are all effective methods to support lymphatic drainage and detoxification.
Tip: Dry brushing can be done with a dry flannel or a dry brush with natural bristles. Start at your feet and work up to the top of your body. Use long strokes sweeping towards your heart, as this follows lymphatic pathways.
Adequate sleep
The organ clock is referred to frequently in Traditional Chinese Medicine. It refers to various organ systems in the body and highlights when they are most ‘active’. The liver is associated with hours 1am – 3am, consistently waking during these hours may suggest a liver that is sluggish or overloaded. During this time, your liver processes cellular wastes and toxins, while creating new blood. Ensuring you are sleeping deeply between these hours is another move towards supporting your liver’s detoxification process.
Tip: Allow your liver to do its job effectively by supporting your body to sleep deeply with Kiwiherb Sound Asleep, Organic Valerian and Bedtime Bliss.
As we enter the warmer months, try showing your liver some extra love to reduce the hammering seasonal allergies can bestow upon our noses, eyes and throat. Include increased brassica vegetables and prebiotic fibre in your diet, take targeted herbal supplements, and increase hydration and movement, and quality sleep. Collectively many small and consistent changes can make a big difference. By nurturing your liver, you not only help your body process histamine more effectively but also lay the foundation for improved overall wellbeing all year round.