Carrot Part II - Liver Cleanse

by Norma Cook, MH

It has been said that too much carrot juice turns the skin yellow/orange. However, it is not the carrot turning the skin yellow/orange but the release of bile. R. W. Walker states: "Intestinal and liver diseases are sometimes due to a lack of certain elements contained in properly prepared raw carrot juice. When this is the case, then a noticeable cleaning up of the liver may take place, and the material, which was clogging it, may be found to dissolve. Frequently this is released so abundantly that the intestinal and urinary channels are inadequate to care for this overflow, and in a perfectly natural manner it is passed into the lymph for elimination from the body by means of the pores of the skin. This material has a distinctly orange or yellow pigment and while it is being so eliminated from the body will sometimes discolor the skin. Whenever such a discoloration takes place after drinking carrot or other juices, it is an indication that the liver is getting a well-needed cleaning.

Allopathic doctors speak of a condition called Carotenosis (yellowing of the skin) in "The Doctors Book of Food Remedies" as a harmless condition, remedied by stopping the ingestion of carrots for a while, until the skin returns to its natural color. They state that this has been reported by and is seen most often in children who have been fed a lot of pureed carrots. However, Dr. Walker states, "It is NOT the carrot juice itself nor the carotene that comes through the skin, as this discoloration will take place even if the juice is filtered to the point of clearing it of all the color pigment. It is just as practical an impossibility for the carrot pigment itself to come through the skin as it would be for the red pigment of the beet to turn the body red or the chlorophyll of the green vegetables to paint the skin green from within.

Jaundice is defined in the "Prescription for Nutritional Healing" as a yellowing of the skin and eyes that is caused by a buildup of bilirubin in the blood. Bilirubin is a yellow-brown substance that results from the breakdown of old red blood cells. If the waste product is not removed from the bloodstream by the liver, as it should be, a backup of bilirubin in the blood occurs, producing a yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes." ..."Jaundice is not a disease in itself, but a sign of any one of several blood or liver disorders. Among the conditions that can cause jaundice are cirrhosis of the liver, pernicious anemia, hepatitis, and hemolysis, or some type of obstruction in the path of the bile flow.

With regard to Jaundice, Dr. Christopher reminds us that the liver is the main seat of the problem. The bile does not excrete properly and is passed off into the blood stream and the body tissues, causing a toxic condition (called cholemia) causing indigestion, sluggishness, fatigue, constipation, upset stomach, chills, vomiting and fever. The stools become light clay or chalky color, the skin takes on a gold cast, yellow shows in the whites of the eyes, and bile deposits in the skin cause itching. Carrot juice will bring the skin from clear to yellow (as the liver clears) and then back to normal, which is a sign that the bile is now cleared and flowing properly into the intestinal tract..." Dr. Christopher advised to proceed with caution since rapid unloading of toxic bile may upset the body and induce vomiting as well as turn the skin extremely yellow.

The carrot may be juiced eaten whole, raw or cooked. The juice is preferred, as the healing factors are sufficiently concentrated to supply the system with what it needed. If juiced 1-6 pints a day of the juice may be taken orally, or as a wash or in a poultice form externally.

R. W Walker states that raw carrot juice may be taken in any reasonable quantities from one to six or even eight pints a day. This has the effect of helping to normalize the entire system. It is the richest source of Vitamin A which the body can quickly assimilate and contains an ample supply of Vitamins B, C, D, E, G and K. It helps to promote the appetite and is an aid to digestion.

One of the juice choices on the Three Day Cleanse created by Dr. Christopher is carrot juice, where one drinks a glass of carrot juice every waking hour for three days. He also includes it in the Incurables Program as a possible juice choice for a week, drinking as much as one desires of the fresh juice daily for 6 days.