Spring cleaning our bodies

Springtime is an upward energy providing a natural time of cleansing. It is the time of the year when people have more colds, flues and allergies as the body naturally tries to cleanse itself. I suggest allowing this cleansing process to take its natural course. I believe that suppressing it with drugs not only makes lots of money for doctors and pharmaceutical companies, but also deprives the body of a natural healing, eventually resulting in a worsened condition.

The liver and gallbladder in our bodies are the organs most strongly influenced by the upward spring energies. If one were to superimpose the circle of five (5) transformations onto the human body, the liver and gall bladder, which are just under the right rib cage, would be represented by the upward spring energy located at the upper portion of the circle.

We often hear of liver cleansing and liver purifying. This is easily accomplished by eating lots of sprouts and greens, which are most beneficial. You take in the energy of the sprouting plants, a manifestation of the rising energy of the earth in the springtime, and you will purify.

The purification process involves cleaning the fatty, oily, and heavy stagnant foods of winter from our bodies. Feelings of short temperedness and anger during the winter are signs of an imbalance of the liver. Frequent complaining are signs of an imbalance of the gall bladder. We are generally stiffer and move less. Even though we need the extra fat for insulation against the cold in winter, we do not need the excess. Excess usually gets stored in the liver, usually in the form of toxins, manifesting psychologically as anger and a short temper. In health, the liver is strong and vital, manifesting as patience and endurance. As we cleanse in spring with the energy of food such as dandelions, chives and scallions, we rid the body of the unwanted fats, toxins and compacted or contracted foods. Springtime is a beginning time for activation, for movement of the life force called “chi”, “ki” or “prana.”

The following predominantly upward earth energy foods help to release the stagnation we experience during the winter season and to enhance the activation needed during the spring season:

• Grains planted in late fall and harvested in the spring, such as soft spring wheat or barley, are energetically beneficial.
• Sour foods or naturally fermented foods that break down and decompose through bacteria are in effect taking advantage of the earth's rising energy and can thereby give us more vitality. These include foods like sauerkraut, quick pickled vegetables, rice vinegar and umeboshi plum.
• Newly formed greens like watercress and especially the tops of mustard greens, lamb's quarters, dandelion greens and daikon greens are vibrant in the spring. Definitely such energetic plants are beneficial.
• Sprouts, such as mung beans, alfalfa sprouts and broccoli sprouts, have a rising energy which helps us to cleanse.
• Seaweeds flowing upward in the inter-tidal pool, such as wakame and dulse, not only give us various macro and micro trace elements but also terrific flexibility.
• Sweeteners such as Maple Syrup produced from the upward movement of sap in the maple trees is best during the springtime.
As for Cooking: Light cooking, Sautéing, Blanching or Quick Boiling of leafy green vegetables with sprouts is the way to go in the spring. Try these beneficial dishes.
Nabe Cooking: This dish is always a hit as a part of our ongoing Friday Night Dinners. In a decorative Japanese ceramic or metal Nabe pot or plain old large pot with a cover, add the following:

2 –3 cups of fresh water,

A 4 inch piece of wakame seaweed,

4 chopped-up shitake mushrooms

A good dash of Nama Shoyu, a quality soy sauce.

Note: To keep the liquid in the pot hot, use a small butane burner stove.
Now chop thinly or leave whole 5- 6 of any the following foods:
Alfalfa Sprouts
Broccoli Sprouts
Chives
Flowers of broccoli
Flowers of cauliflower
Mustard greens
Scallions
Dandelion Greens
Mung Bean Sprouts
Julienne sliced Carrots
Kale
Leeks
Mushrooms
Small slivers of Napa
Deep-fried Tempeh
Snow peas
Chinese Cabbage
Green Head Cabbage
Sugar snap-peas.
Small Cubes of Tofu
Thinly sliced Squash Etc. etc.
Very fine slices of seitan
Watercress

(My sister Laura)

Arrange these on a large platter with thongs or chopsticks for dinner friends to use as they dip the choice foods into the Nabe Pot of boiling hot broth. You can't get anything more freshly cooked! A terrific vitality will be received from the freshness of the upward food and the rising energy of the steam.