Bedtime drinks tend to be very healing when they are designed for that, obviously. According to Traditional Chinese Medicin (TCM), the liver, which is the main organ for detoxification, functions optimally between 1am and 3am. There are certain teas and nighttime drinks you can take right before bed that can potentially help you with this important bodily function. Not only that, they are excellent for burning fat.
Liver and detoxification
Detoxification works the best while we are sleeping because that is when the body begins to rebuild and regenerate its tissues. As we mentioned earlier, according to Chinese medicine, the liver functions best between 1am and 3am. For that reason, we should ensure that the right conditions exist for effective detoxification. One of the requirements for adequate detoxification is to be in deep sleep long before this time.
Another requirement is to have enough blood and body fluids for the detox process so that the body doesn’t become overloaded with harmful substances that tend to be released during detoxification. Proper detoxification can also lead to a healthy metabolism, which can then lead to not only a low level of toxins but also faster fat burning for those who want to manage their weight.
8 bedtime drinks to detoxify the liver and burn fat
The following are a variety of teas and nighttime drinks that, according to research, are excellent to drink before bed, and can help you improve hepatic functioning in a big way as described below:
Chamomile tea
Chamomile tea is one of these excellent bedtime drinks. It is slightly bitter due to the presence of sesquiterpene lactones, which help the liver prepare its detoxification pathways. Chamomile is also considered to have an effect on nerves in the body, meaning it’s used to calm our nerves and helps relax us so we can get to sleep. Lastly, this herb has anti-inflammatory effects that help the body treat the intermediate substances of detoxification that can cause higher levels of inflammation in the body.
Lemon water
Hot lemon water is one nighttime beverage that is recommended for patients to drink regularly any time of day, made by either squeezing fresh lemon juice in water or cutting lemons and arranging them in a jar of water. If you make your lemon water this last way, make sure you are using organic lemons to avoid exposure to pesticides. At night, lemon water helps to purge toxins from the blood. Lemon water works best when it’s hot, since cold drinks can shock the body and take heat away from your digestive system to warm them up. So help your body beforehand by drinking hot liquids.
Jujube
This is a Chinese herb that helps nourish the blood in the liver and is required for detoxification and fat burning. Red date or Da Zao also helps calm the mind, and is perfect for helping alleviate a stressed out brain so you can get a good night’s sleep, which is necessary for proper functioning of the liver. This herb also strengthens the spleen and pancreas, which in Chinese medicine are affected by an overloaded liver which can lead to poor digestion of foods.
Lotus seeds
This is another herb (its name in Chinese is Lian Zi) that can be beneficial for a bedtime tea. This herb is useful if stress, anxiety and the thoughts that run through your head all day keep you up at night. It helps calm the mind and can even help if you have heart palpitations. Lavender can also be added to this tea to further reduce anxiety and calm your nerves.
Rose tea
Rose is a wonderful herb that is closely related to the meridian of the heart that is connected to our emotions. Perhaps this is the reason that the rose continues to be the symbol of love through the ages. Rose is very useful to ensure proper flow of energy from the liver, since improper flow of Qi (or energy) can lead to depression.
Relieving this depression is essential for good sleep since unhealthy thoughts lead to consumption of the blood that is necessary for a good detoxification. Rose tea also helps with movement of the blood throughout the body due to its astringent properties and a high concentration of tannins, which, again, help eliminate toxins, guaranteeing good flow through the detoxifying organs.
Mint tea
Mint is a very useful herb to help with many important functions, especially if you have eaten a big meal at night, since it helps with the digestive process due to its high concentrations of essential oil, such as menthol and mentona. Mint overcomes the blockage of foods that result from excessive eating and which lead to sleep disorders. Given that the liver is also involved in this digestive process, mint makes a great tea to help the liver with its digestive functions and with detoxification.
Oatmeal tea
Oatmeal flakes and seeds make a great nutritious tea. This oatmeal tea contains high levels of vitamins, minerals and even proteins called avenina which are useful for Phase I and Phase II of liver detoxification since many nutrients are consumed in this process. Plus, oatmeal is another nerve-calming herb that relaxes the mind and balances your emotions, since it is considered a nerve rebuilding system.
Schisandra berry tea
Finally we have schisandra berries. These berries, when steeped in hot water, make a good tea with a fruity flavor that can easily protect the liver from many of the harmful intermediate products created through its detoxification pathways. There are numerous studies that show the significant hepatic protective abilities of the compounds in schisandra such as its lignin content.
Aside from its protective functions, it is believed that schisandra berries have an adaptogenic effect on the entire body, which means that it helps all functions of the body’s processes optimally without increasing or decreasing outside the normal range.
Drinking liquids in the processes of liver detoxification and fat burning
One thing to keep in mind with detoxification and weight loss is that it requires large amounts of fluids. This is something else that the teas at bedtime can help with, since they will add to your daily intake of liquids. Also, remember that proper sleep is essential for good functioning of your organs. Try to be asleep around 11pm so that you are sound asleep before 1am.
You can start changing your bedtime by at least one hour and maintain it for one or two weeks until you are ready to change it by another hour and little by little achieve your goal. Remember that changes in diet and lifestyle take time to get used to, and you should be nice to your body and not push it too hard.
