I thought I'd give some more info on my health in case that helps with answering my question about liver cleansing...
I'm 23, female, and have been suffering from varying degrees of adrenal fatigue since my early teens. Up until last year my AF was relatively mild (I didn't even know I had it) and I could get by easily enough with a few cups of coffee.
Coffee is a quick way to drain the adrenals.
However last spring things started to take a turn for the worse. I became increasingly stressed with school and emotionally drained from a long-distance relationship. During this time I went on a second course of accutane (I did the first when I was 18), as the stress increased, I broke out in blisters in and around my mouth. I took this as a cue to discontinue the accutane, however, I proceeded to get bronchitis and was prescribed more antibiotics. Finally I 'crashed' in late April when I smoked pot and had a terrifying anxiety attack.
Since that point I feel like my health's improved somewhat, but I can still have really bad days. My biggest health concerns at this point are low energy, brain fog, anxiety (I used to have debilitating anxiety but that has calmed down somewhat in recent months),
Nettle leaf is really helpful with many cases of anxiety since it builds up the adrenals and reduces lactate.
difficulty falling asleep (just as I fall asleep I wake myself up, it's like my brain is a broken record and won't shut off - however this also hasn't been happening as much lately).
Glycine is also good for anxiety and will help slow down brain activity.
The supplements that I'm taking are: 500mg/day of Vit C made from Acerola Berries, 250mg/day Pantothenic Acid, 600mg/day B-Complex (which contains 100 mg Pantethine), 1000 IU Vit D, 15mg of Zinc, and a tsp of cod liver oil.
I've reduced my supplement intake in aims of getting most of my nutrients from my diet, in general I eat a lot of: eggs, vegetables, white meat (of good quality), fruit (esp kiwis), nuts and seeds, oats, plain yogourt, sprouted bread butter and oils (coconut, olive), kelp, nutritional yeast, bee pollen and I make a large batch of chicken stalk about once a month. I also just started to drink nettle leaf tea.
Doing good.
I'm in the process of ordering bulk adaptogenic herbs (Licorice root, Ashwaganda root, Siberian Ginseng, Astragalus root and dried Schisandra berries... couldn't find Jiaogulan or Amla!?), so that I can make my own formula at home. Are there any additional herbs you'd recommend I add? Also do you know the best ratios I should use of each of these herbs when combining them?
You are pretty well covered with your list. Your diet is filling in the blanks. As for ratios you will want to focus mainly on the ashwagandha both because it sound like you may also have some thyroid issues and the ashwagandha will help with anxiety and sleep. So I recommend 5 parts ashwagandha, 3 parts each of Siberian ginseng and astragalus, 2 parts of schisandra berry and one part licorice root.
I also ended up buying Maca, do you think this would be beneficial to take? If so, at what ratio?
Yes. It is not as strong as jiaogulan (gynostemma), but it is still a great sterol source. To the previous formula I recommend 2 parts.
Can I take the herbs indefinitely? or should I stop once I feel healthy again?
You can take the herbs continuously, but once you feel better you can cut back to a maintenance dose. For example, 1 dose a day instead of three times daily and increasing if under a lot of stress.
Is the best way to take these herbs as powdered form on the tongue? How much of the mixture should I take a day? And should these herbs be taken on an empty or full stomach?
It is safest to put the herbs under the tongue so you are less likely to inhale the herbs. Then take a full mouth of water, swish the powder around and swallow. Recommended dose for the mix is 1/2 teaspoon three times daily at least 20 minutes before meals.
I've started to do a liver cleanse with grape bitters and I'm wondering if it's a bad sign that my skin has taken a turn for the worse? Is this indicating that my body's not properly eliminating toxins and I should therefore stop cleansing?
Sometimes when cleansing things will get worse for a short time before getting better. Especially if you are constipated since the stuff being released from the liver needs to be eliminated. if constipated the only real way out is through the skin. So making sure the bowels are workign properly will help a lot as will making sure you drink plenty of water throughout the day.
I've always been acne prone but since starting the bitters 4 days ago, I've started to break out in places that are normally clear (namely, my forehead). I'm also quite tired but that's not really strange since I have adrenal fatigue.
I know it can be risky cleansing with AF but I decided to go for it since I've started to feel a bit better lately.
Again the cleansing can decrease energy initally as the body has to expend more energy to deal with what needs to be eliminated. As the liver is clenased though you should find you are less fatigued and will go on less sleep.
At the moment I'm taking 3 drops of bitters/ day with my largest meal.
I really don't want to over exert my body at this point, so would love to get some feedback if any one knows more about this than I do. I've found it tough to find much info on grape bitters online...
I should also mention that I'm drinking quite a bit of water daily (maybe 8 glasses or so), starting every morning with about a pint full + 1/2 tsp of DE. But maybe this is still not enough?
Depends on the size glass.
Actually that does sound like a good amount.
Do you think I should up my dose of Grape Bitters if I feel less fatigue?
No, more is not better with bitters. Bitters work through stimulation of the vagus nerve through the bitter receptors. So all that is needed is enough to taste them. And most bitters contain berberine sources such as Oregon grape root, barberry and goldenseal, which kill the flora, can damage the intestinal lining and raise the blood pressure if used in higher doses over a week or so.
Also, what would be a good length of time to use the bitters for? OR is it ok to take the bitters on a daily basis?
They can be taken daily, in fact before each meal, as long as the dosage is kept low. This is why I only recommend a half a dropper full per dose.