Liver Purification - 5 Easy Ways to Cleanse Your Liver

The liver is an intricate organ that filters blood, produces bile, stores essential nutrients and iron and protects itself against potential threats such as sugar, alcohol and processed food toxins. Unfortunately, its function can also become compromised through exposure to sugar, alcohol and processed foods which are all sources of harm for its organ.

There are natural solutions to aid the liver and improve its ability to detoxify your body, including adding specific foods into your diet that can assist it with flushing away waste products and toxins from your system.

Milk Thistle

Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum) has long been used to assist the liver in detoxifying itself of harmful toxins, promote regeneration of liver cells and block any excessive cell growth which could lead to fibrosis. Furthermore, its antioxidant effects and anti-inflammatory benefits make milk thistle an excellent remedy.

Milk thistle contains an antioxidant flavonoid complex called silymarin, which can be extracted from its seeds. A standard preparation of milk thistle seed extract usually contains between 70 and 80% silymarin.

Milk thistle has been researched as a remedy for alcohol hepatitis, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and other liver conditions. Studies have demonstrated its ability to stimulate healthy liver cell growth while protecting new ones from being destroyed by alcohol and other toxins.

Milk Thistle may help people with type 2 diabetes lower their blood sugar levels and alter how the liver processes osteoporosis drug raloxifene (Evista). As with all medications, close monitoring of your blood sugar is advised when taking Milk Thistle.

Dandelion Root

One of the easiest ways to detox your liver is with dandelion root tea. This can be done as either an herbal blend or plain dandelion root tea; adding other herbs such as cranberry juice, cinnamon or uva ursi will further increase effectiveness at flushing out toxins.

Dandelion root contains polyphenols that have been demonstrated to significantly inhibit H2O2/Fe2+-induced lipid peroxidation in blood platelets. [51] This effect can be attributed to its abundance of antioxidant components like sesquiterpene lactones and hydroxycinnamic acids present in its composition.

Research also indicates that dandelion may help fight diabetes. An experiment conducted on mice found dandelion root extract increased catalytic glutathione S-transferases while decreasing malondialdehyde (MDA), an indicator of early diabetic inflammation. Further investigation is necessary in humans. [44]

Beetroot

Beetroot provides nutrients that improve athletic performance, boost heart health, manage glucose levels and protect against cancer. Its rich source of antioxidants help prevent oxidative stress which damages liver tissue; plus the beets and beetroot juice contain nitrates that facilitate blood flow to help your body detox more easily.

Studies demonstrate that beetroot extracts can effectively combat inflammation and protect against fatty liver disease. Furthermore, beetroots contain betalains and nitrates which reduce blood lipids such as cholesterol levels while simultaneously increasing oxygen uptake by the skeletal muscles.

One case-control prospective study concluded that beetroot supplementation with betalains, nitrates and B vitamins had beneficial results for NAFLD patients by decreasing clinical symptoms, liver enzyme levels and hepatic triglyceride levels, improving lipid profiles as well as supporting differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells in vitro. Jinhee Cho et al also discovered that diets rich in beetroot enhanced survival of mice exposed to radiation by up-regulating metabolism, increasing oxidative stress resistance as well as inducing cell apoptosis/autophagy.

Vegetable Juices

Juicing vegetable juice is an effective way to add more nutrients into your diet and supplement a liver cleanse regimen, providing numerous advantages such as decreasing fatty liver and increasing enzyme activity for cleansing purposes. Green juices in particular offer many essential vitamins and minerals such as iron for strength and energy, magnesium for nervous system health, calcium for strong bones and zinc for proper hormone function.

Kale and broccoli are great additions to a liver detox program because they contain the phenolic compound known as kaempferol which has been shown in test tube studies to neutralize free radicals, decrease inflammation, slow cancer cell growth, and reverse age-related mental decline.

Lemons offer numerous health benefits, from antioxidants and anticancer properties, to fat-reducing effects. Lemons contain high amounts of vitamin C which has been shown to support normal liver function while simultaneously decreasing triglyceride levels.