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Due to our toxic environment your liver is very likely be one of the the most overburdened organs in your body. If you are an adult, your liver most likely weighs about 3lbs and is the second largest organ in your body. The liver is responsible for detoxing and filtering harmful substances in the body as well as an array of other functions.
Functions like:
- Metabolizing Carbohydrates – Your liver helps to maintain blood sugar balance by converting glucose to glycogen when blood sugar is high for storage for later. It also aids in converting glycogen to glucose in order to release it into the blood stream for energy when blood sugar is low.
- Metabolizing of Lipids
- Metabolizing Proteins
- Processing Hormones and drugs
- Excretes Bilirubin
- Activates Vitamin D
- Stores Vitamins and Minerals – Your liver stores vitamins A,D,E & K as well as copper and iron
But, don’t run out and get on any sort of liver detox diet just yet. The suggestions following are very gentle solutions to support the overall function and cleansing of the liver. A whole body focused detox diet can be a very important part of proper function to maintain whole body health, but it should not be done without a healthy digestive system, properly balanced blood sugar, fatty acid sufficiency, proper hydration and sufficient minerals.
Why?
Without first balancing these very important systems of the body detoxing can dump toxins into other areas of the body that can not properly detox itself. This can wreak havoc on already challenged body systems and cause further harm.
For a healthy body, it is important to balance these systems to eventually detox yearly to purge your body of harmful toxins as well as eliminate toxins from your environment, diet, and beauty products as much as possible. Balancing can done with the support of a qualified Nutritional Therapy Practitioner or holistic doctor and the knowledge of your doctor.
However, many foods and substances support your liver to do what it is designed to do, detox naturally and gently. Integrating some simple, intentional, detoxing foods into your real food diet can be helpful to allow your body to heal itself.
Drink Warm Lemon Water in the Morning
Squeeze a wedge of lemon in warm water to break your nightly fast each morning. This morning ritual can help cleanse your liver and aid in healthy function for the day. I do recommend using organic lemons if using a wedge and drinking about a coffee mug size of water with a squeeze of fresh organic lemon wedge. Make this part of your daily routine.
Milk Thistle 1-2 Times Daily
Milk thistle is an amazing herb that is known to boost liver metabolism. Although I haven’t given my children any sort of acetaminophen for years, I did always give it with Milk Thistle to protect liver function. It is most beneficial when taken in a tincture where medicinal properties of an herb are extracted by a glycerin or alcohol solution. You can also drink Milk Thistle safely in an herbal tea.
Image Courtesy of Wikimedia
And, as a good rule of thumb if you have any diseases of the liver always be monitored closely by a qualified health professional, the liver is an amazing organ that is able to regenerate itself liver disease is nothing to be taken lightly.
Sources:
Jacobs, BP, et al. Milk thistle for the treatment of liver disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis, (2002) Pub Med. Accessed August 23, 2013.
Tortora, G. and Derrickson, B. Introduction to the Human Body: The Essentials of Anatomy . 9th ed. (2011) Wiley.
Hey. I am new to your blog and read the information on lemon gentle detox. I am in the process of eliminating bad foods beginning with gluten and almost all things processed. I have tried the am lemon cleanse but find it burns my stomach. I just stopped taking PPI’s after 24 years of being prescribed for acid reflux. My stomach is 80% better after stopping gluten and I am working on the other 20%. I drink 12 ounces of warm water with two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar and two of local wild flower raw honey in warm water. Does this work as a liver cleanse too? Thank you!
Hi Lynn! Eating raw greens (especially beet) on a regular basis also can help to cleanse the liver as well as balancing blood sugar can be helpful since it is an organ important for that function. However with a very damaged stomach lining it may be helpful to lightly cook them if they seem difficult to digest. You are on the right track to work on digestion first. When you say that lemon burns your stomach do you mean it gives you heart burn? I would suggest a tablespoon or two of apple cider vinegar in some water before meals, and drinking lots of homemade bone broth daily to heal that damaged intestinal lining.
Thank you. The burning is just at the edge of my sternum. I definitely have to cook any fresh greens at this point and I have a hard time eating bone broth unless I use it to cook other things in. I do have gelatin that I am trying to take twice a day. May I also use raw local honey in the apple cider vinegar water? Thank you so much. It is a difficult journey full of new challenges and habits. I just read on my milk carton that my organic grass fed milk is ultra-pasteurized! Now I need a substitute for milk nutrients! It is a long long journey!
Yes, it can be a long healing process. We develop so many bad habits without even knowing it, right? I’m afraid I can’t help you to know if the honey and ACV is helpful for you or not without knowing more details on your overall picture of health. And, yes sometimes it is so many baby steps to get from here to there.
Becky –
I found you on google+ and love your blog about liver cleansing. It is great that you use something as natural as lemon. It is something that I do daily!
I also appreciate your caution regarding herbal supplementation. I have non alcoholic cirrhosis and my doctor does not allow the use of many vitamins or supplements.
This is a fresh clean approach and some very good advice for everyone, whether you have liver disease or not. The liver is a hard working organ and as you pointed out, it quietly takes care of so many functions.
Thanks for the blog!
Karen:)
Karen Hoyt recently posted…Hepatic Encephalopathy a Hep C and Cirrhosis Nightmare
Hello Karen! I am so glad you found me! I am so glad you enjoyed this post. I hope to always remain cautious in making recommendations. We are all bio-individuals that require different things to help our body work properly. It is always important to pay close attention to the different nutrients that each of us need. Thanks again for stopping by! I hope you stop by again soon!
Solid advice, though I learned in herbalism school that milk thistle tea was pointless because the active component is not extractable by water. My teacher said a powder is best but a tincture made with high proof alcohol works too.
how do you take the powder and where can I find it? is there a good brand on Amazon or somewhere?
Which powder were you referring to Noelle?
sorry, the comment just above mine was saying the milk thistle should be taken in a powder. what is the best way to take it? I also saw some milk thistle pills on amazon
I take soft gels 150mg..1 soft gel 3 times a day
Juice of apple+carrot+spinach+beetroot.
1lb per day.