Liver Loving Spring Salad

Spring is all about new, rebirth, growth and freshness – it’s all about green! The ‘wood’ energy of the liver and gallbladder according to TCM relates to the color green. It’s also a great time to try new things, so if you find yourself buying the same ‘health’ foods every time you shop, we want to help you switch it up.

Chinese Medicine teaches us that every meal needs to be balanced. So before you go chowing down a kale salad, hear me out. Too much of just ‘liver detox’ foods can actually weaken the liver.

Yes, we want young, new energy for spring: we want sprouts!

But we also want to look after our blood, our spleen, stomach, lungs, heart, kidneys, intestines… we want balance so the whole body can vibe together. We want healing Chinese vegetables.

Ingredients:

1-2 large handfuls of raw alfalfa sprouts

1 tsp Black sesame seeds

1 Fennel, steamed 8-10mins.

5 slices of Lotus Root – chop off ends, peel, slice. Soak in water with dash of vinegar for 5-10mins. Boil in hot water for 1-2 minutes, drain.

5 pieces of chopped Bamboo – vacuum packed or freshly prepared from Japanese grocery.

1 cup Pickled Burdock root – prepared fresh at most Japanese groceries.

The Asian root vegetables can be bought raw or pre-cooked in Japanese / Chinese markets. Most cooking methods are lengthy so these can be bought pre prepared for convenience, with no additives.

 

Directions:

Toss alfalfa sprouts in lemon juice and olive oil.

Toss in the Chinese vegetables.

Sprinkle black sesame seeds.

Add a dash of tamari if more flavor needed (depending on cooking methods!)

 

Benefits:

Alfalfa sprouts – green young Spring energy, reduce liver stagnancy, detoxifies and cools the liver, lubricates intestines, benefits digestive organs, builds blood.

Black sesame seeds – liver and kidney health, tonify blood,

Fennel – soothe liver, warming action, benefits digestive organs and kidney meridiens

Burdock root – builds blood, anti-viral, antifungal and antibacterial, promotes respiratory health, supports liver cleansing and strengthening, diuretic, absorbs liver toxins, blood purifier, kidney health, stimulates bile production, regenerates liver cells, remove phlegm

Lotus root – sweet and cooling as we move into warmer days, nourishes blood, improves circulation, strengthen heart, stomach, spleen, helps anemia, and improves liver function

Bamboo shoots – cooling, nourishes blood and yin energy, clears heat, detoxifies!

“Happy Livers bend like bamboo no matter what you have to go through.”

Isabella Gucci-Ruffalo