Spring, the key season for liver care

Updated on 2026-03-31

Summary: Spring, the key season for liver care

In spring, it's a good idea to support the liver, an essential organ involved in over 500 functions, especially after the winter when a richer diet, alcohol and lack of physical activity can overload it. This overload can manifest itself in persistent fatigue, mental fogginess, sluggish digestion, bloating, waking up at night or constipation.

To help the liver, we recommend adopting good habits such as avoiding heavy evening meals, moving around daily (e.g. walking after meals) and focusing on certain beneficial foods such as bitter vegetables (artichoke, arugula), cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower) and lemon. Additional information, certain herbal cures such as milk thistle, black radish or artichoke can support detoxification functions, but the key is to listen to your body's signals and adopt a lighter, more balanced lifestyle.

1. Why support your liver in spring

After winter, the liver is put under greater strain by a richer diet (fat, sugar, alcohol) and a more sedentary lifestyle. As it plays a key role in blood filtration, toxin management and metabolism, it can become overloaded and less efficient at this time.

2. Signs of an overloaded liver

Certain symptoms may indicate that the liver needs support:

• Persistent fatigue
• Mental fog
• Slow digestion or discomfort after meals
• Bloating
• Night-time awakenings (around 2-3 a.m.)
• Constipation
  

3. Good habits to adopt

To help the liver on a daily basis:

• Avoid heavy evening meals
• Regular exercise (e.g., a 20-minute walk after meals)
• Favour beneficial foods:
  • Bitter vegetables (artichoke, arugula)
  • Crucifers (broccoli, cauliflower)
  • Lemon (warm water in the morning)

4. Support from plants

Some natural cures can accompany the detoxification process, notably with milk thistle, black radish, artichoke and burdock. These solutions can be used as a cure (e.g. 30 days), but are complementary to a healthy lifestyle.

About the author

Lynn Goneau, Certified Naturopath

Specialized in :

• Digestive health
• Hormonal health
• Stress and fatigue
• Memory and concentration
• Weight management

Frédéric Bisson, radio host at 104.7 FM

Host of the 104.7 FM radio station on the Cogeco network. Frédéric Bisson has hosted L'Outaouais Maintenant from 3 to 5 p.m. every weekday since February 27, 2023.

Transcription

Frédéric Bisson - Host 104.7FM:

With spring just around the corner, it's important to do some spring cleaning. Yes, but it's also important to take care of your inner housekeeping. And some people would say that taking care of your liver, doing a little liver housework, is housework because the liver, you know, performs over 500 vital functions in the body. And from time to time, you have to eliminate toxins. I talk to Lynn Goneau naturopath at La Boite à Grains. Hello Lynn.

Lynn Goneau - Naturopath of La Boite à Grains:

Hello Fred.

Frédéric Bisson - Host 104.7FM:

The liver actually cleanses the body, but the liver must be cleansed.

Lynn Goneau - Naturopath of La Boite à Grains:

Exactly, Fred. When spring arrives and you feel more tired than usual, or there's still a fog in your brain. Even if your digestion is slower, even if you haven't changed your diet, it could be our liver that's finally sending us a message.

Frédéric Bisson - Host 104.7FM:

Why is the liver more stressed at this time of year?

Lynn Goneau - Naturopath of La Boite à Grains:

As mentioned earlier, it performs over 500 vital functions. It filters blood, transforms toxins and metabolism, drugs, hormones, fats and glycemia. Then, during winter, we generally eat more fatty, sweeter, heartier foods. Okay, there's alcohol in that. It's not hard to imagine the holiday season, when people get together and have little, little, little hearty dinners with raclettes and comforting desserts. The liver has to deal with all this. It transforms and neutralizes the extras. What's more, in winter, we're less active. Often because of the temperature, of course, the liver works harder, but it doesn't evacuate as well. So you end up with a more overloaded liver.

Frédéric Bisson - Host 104.7FM:

There are signals we can learn to recognize.

Lynn Goneau - Naturopath of La Boite à Grains:

Yes, it's subtle. But there's the persistent fatigue that doesn't seem to go away, the mental fogginess when the head is heavy, slower, as if the brain is scrambled despite a good night's sleep, there's the slow digestion, that painful sensation after meals, as if the food is taking longer than usual to digest, the bloating, even to the point of waking up at night around 2 or 3 in the morning. And last but not least, of course, constipation. Well, those aren't illnesses, no, no, they're messages from the liver.

Frédéric Bisson - Host 104.7FM:

So I want to listen to my liver because I recognize myself in it. There are certain things I can do to help my little heart.

Lynn Goneau - Naturopath of La Boite à Grains:

Basically, to help eliminate waste, avoid very heavy meals at the end of the day, when digestion is slower, and then move around a little every day. If I eat, I always take a 20-minute walk after my meal. This helps to free up digestion.

Frédéric Bisson - Host 104.7FM:

OK, then what about food, what can help the liver?

Lynn Goneau - Naturopath of La Boite à Grains:

There are always bitter vegetables like artichokes. You can take them as herbal tea. I take artichokes or arugula as greens because they have a nutty taste that's really, really good. Then there are the crucifers. So broccoli, I eat it as sprouts, you know broccoli sprouts 10 times more potent than adult broccoli. There's cauliflower, which you can use to make mashed potatoes and rice with cauliflower, and then there's the famous lemon. You can put it in a cup of hot water in the morning, and here's a little secret: I buy them on special. I juice them in containers to make ice. Then I freeze them to get them out. Just when I need them. Fred, we often think that fatigue comes from a lack of motivation, but sometimes it's just your liver that needs a boost.

Frédéric Bisson - Host 104.7FM:

Well, let's give them one. Or we'll be careful. What if we need a little extra, Lynn?

Lynn Goneau - Naturopath of La Boite à Grains:

There's the Marysil Hepa 4 cure from Actimar. These are drinkable ampoules that are convenient to consume, adding to a glass of water. It contains extracts of protective ingredients that help detoxify the liver, such as black radish, milk thistle, artichoke and burdock, which is also rich in Quinton seawater concentrate, so that's good minerals. It's an excellent source of magnesium. It's a 30-day course of treatment, so one ampoule a day. It's easy to take. My preference is to take it in the evening at bedtime.