No matter how clean and healthy life you are living, toxins may still accumulate in your body. These toxins can be found in the air, the water, the food additives, the chemicals found in your home, the personal care products, etc. Therefore our body is exposed to this toxins every day.
The livers job is to remove these toxins from your body. Despite filtering toxins from the blood, the liver also eliminates the toxins through a two-phase enzymatic process. During the first phase the enzymes and the oxygen burn the toxins and they break them into water-soluble fragments in order to ease their elimination. During the second phase, the toxins are combining with sulfur and amino acids in order to create a non-toxic molecule that can be excreted through the urine, stool or bile.
Detoxing the liver can support and enhance this natural process. It can also improve the work of the liver and make it more efficient. This detoxification of the liver has been practiced in the Ayuverdic and the Chinese medicine for thousands of years.This method has been used to ease the digestion, improve the skin condition and improve the energy levels.
Here we present you a list of herbs and foods that can help you detox your liver and clean your body of toxins.
1. Milk thistle
Milk thistle, also known as St. Mary Thistle, Lady’s Thistle or Holy Thistle, has been used for centuries to treat liver disorders. Even today the milk thistle is the best natural remedy in the treatment of liver disorders.
The milk thistle provides protection against alcohol and tissue damage associated with liver disease. Therefore the milk thistle is maintaining the livers health. It contains sylimarin, a flavonoid that functions like a powerful antioxidant.The silymarin helps in the healing of the damaged liver cells by stabilizing the cell membrane and also protects them from damaging.
2. Dandelion
The dandelion roots have been used for a loon time in the treatment of the liver diseases. They stimulate the digestion and the production of the bile. Therefore they are cleansing the liver and the gallbladder.
According to some studies the dandelion root has antioxidant properties that can help you protect your liver from oxidative damage caused by Acetaminophen toxicity. When administered in proper dosage the Acetaminophen is safe. Acetaminophen toxicity is the second most common cause of liver failure in the USA.
3. Lemon juice
The lemon juice is rich in citric acid. This acid helps in the production of digestive enzymes and also in the digestive process itself. The lemon juice is an anionic food. This means that it contains more negative ions than positive. These kind of food have similar chemical structure as the digestive fluids, including the bile. By providing the raw materials for its production, the lemon juice helps the liver produce more enzymes.
The vitamin C is an antioxidant needed for the manufacture of glutathione, and the lemon juice is rich in this vitamin. The glutathione is the body’s natural antioxidant. It also helps fight off free radical that are produced during the livers enzymatic detoxification process. The glutathione also protects from oxidative stress and cell apoptosis or self-destruction.
4. Cruciferous vegetables
Cauliflower, the Brussel sprouts and the broccoli are cruciferous vegetables and they are rich in glucosinolate. The glucosinolate stimulates the enzyme production in the liver. In that way it helps flush out the carcinogens and the other toxins from the body.
5. Beets
The beets provide the highest plant source of betaine. Betaine is a natural bile thinner and liver detoxifier. Beets also increase the livers capability in processing fats. They are also good providers of the B vitamins, iron and antioxidants.
6. Turmeric
The most important compound of the turmeric is the curcumin. This compound has many pharmacological properties and it gives the spice its yellow color. Curcumin also has many antioxidant properties. Therefore it helps in the protection of the liver and also supports its regeneration. By increasing the production of the livers detoxifying enzymes, theturmeric help in the detoxification of the liver.
7. Garlic
The garlic has many sulfur-containing compounds, which makes him excellent liver protector. The most significant compound however is the allicin. The allicin has many antibiotic and anti-fungal properties. Despite this properties the allicin also has many antioxidant properties. This properties keep the toxic substances filtered by the liver from reaching other organs. Selenium is a mineral that increases the action of the antioxidants and garlic its rich in it.
8. Water
Sufficient intake of fluids is crucial to the body. That way you ensure the flow of nutrients into the liver and the flow of toxins from the liver. Also this way you reduce the risk of gallstones, a condition where the bile gets too concentrated in the gallbladder.