We know that the heart is one of the primary organs of the human body, but what about the liver? What organ do you think handles digestive and detoxification functions? How about balancing metabolism in the human body? It's the liver, of course, and the liver functions as the gatekeeper in your body. It sifts through alcohol, fatty foods, water, and your favorite dark chocolate and decides where each of these things goes.
Because of this, your liver is exposed to toxins and pollutants that can lead to liver failure. With this, you understand how important it is to maintain a good liver condition and promote liver health. Some of the ways to do that are always to eat a healthy diet and occasionally indulge in liver cleansing. Liver cleansing can be done with herbal supplements that primarily protect the liver.
In this article, we will highlight several liver functions and some of the best herbal supplements for excellent liver health.
What Is the Function of the Liver?
The following are some of your liver's functions in your body.
- The liver produces bile, which rids it of wastes and breaks down the fat in the small intestine.
- The liver produces cholesterol and proteins that transport fat in the body. It also produces proteins necessary for blood plasma.
- The liver regulates amino acids that help in building proteins.
- It converts glucose into glycogen, stores it, and converts glycogen back to glucose when you're low on energy.
- The liver rids the bloodstream of bacteria and immunizes the body against infections.
- The liver is responsible for regulating blood clotting.
- It converts poisonous ammonia into urea which is secreted through the urine. It also clears other harmful toxins from the body.
- Bilirubin is present in the red blood cells, making the skin and eyes yellow. The liver rids your body of this substance.
- The liver processes and stores hemoglobin (iron).
Now that you're familiar with the functions of the liver, there's an issue that confuses people. Most people tend to mistake body detox for liver detox, and although they're similar, they're not the same. The next part of this article clarifies this controversy.
Is A Full Body Detox The Same As Liver Detox?
The straightforward answer is no; body detox is not the same as a liver cleanse. A body detox focuses solely on the digestive tract, and its benefits include weight loss, clearer skin, and better digestive health. Body detox differs from a liver detox because it does not pay any attention to the liver. A liver detox requires a different approach, and you can do that by taking the following herbal treatments.
Best Herbal Teas For Your Liver Cleanse
Some of the risk factors for liver failure include a sedentary lifestyle, toxins, free radicals, environmental pollution, and unhealthy eating habits. Apart from modern treatments prescribed for liver health, there is also the practice of herbal medicine.
Herbal medicine permits you to take herbal supplements to improve your liver health. The following herbs can be brewed into the best teas, and used for liver detoxification.
Milk Thistle
Milk thistle or silymarin contains components extracted from milk thistle seeds that protect the liver. Among these components are silybin and silychristin, and they are anti-inflammatory, act as anti-cancer and reduce free radical production. Supplements like liver prime contain silymarin which repairs liver cells, improves liver health, and manages other severe liver conditions.
Dandelion Root
There are several health benefits you receive when you drink tea that's brewed with dandelion root. Firstly, it contains minerals, vitamins, and caffeic acid that help the liver function properly. Dandelion root also contains inulin that allows the microorganisms in the digestive tract to control insulin and blood sugar levels. This tea makes you frequently urinate, which helps prevent urinary tract infections and bloating. And finally, dandelion root tea improves liver functions by assisting the liver store more vital nutrients that your body will need.
Turmeric
Turmeric is obtained from the same plant class as ginger, and it contains a potent antioxidant that keeps your liver healthy. Turmeric tea has powerful functions like preventing liver damage and liver diseases, protecting the liver, and regenerating damaged liver cells.
The active compound in turmeric, known as curcumin, has always been beneficial to liver health. Curcumin produces enzymes that flush carcinogens and toxins from the liver. This liver detox is also responsible for the gallbladder, which results in improved liver functions. You can mix a spoonful of turmeric in warm water and drink it as herbal tea or blend it with your juice.
Green Tea
Drinking green tea is a practice that has been around for a long time. Green tea extracts are made from unfermented leaves that contain polyphenol and catechin. Green tea consumption is famous for improving liver function, eliminating toxins, and controlling free radical production.
However, while green tea intake is excellent for the liver, it has a toxic side effect. This only happens if you take it in large quantities while in supplement form. So, take more green tea liver detox if you want it to perform optimally on your liver.
Peppermint
Peppermint leaf contains essential oil content like menthol and menthone, which are excellent for liver detox. Scientific studies show that peppermint tea improves digestion, cleanses the liver, and reduces the risk of liver inflammation.
Peppermint tea controls food stagnation, a result of overfeeding that can cause disturbed sleep. Taking adequate proportions of this liver detox tea improves the overall health of your liver.
Burdock Root
One of the primary functions of burdock root is boosting bile production. Other functions of this liver detox include protecting the liver from toxins and purifying the blood. Bile production cleanses the liver and keeps it healthy, and a healthy liver can improve skin condition and overall health.
Chamomile
Chamomile tea is gentle and calming and soothes our nervous system. This herbal tea is made from flowers and is popular in traditional Chinese medicine. Although it tastes bitter, chamomile tea protects the liver from liver disease and keeps the liver healthy. Chamomile is also anti-inflammatory, and it helps with the digestive process.
Benefits of a Liver Detox
These are some of the benefits of a liver detox tea.
Enhanced Detoxification Functions
Starting from balanced blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and reduced bloating, liver detox enhances detoxification functions. Your liver is responsible for sifting through the unmentionables introduced to your body system. Thus, keeping to practices that will maintain good liver health will help your liver keep up with its tasks.
Improved Metabolism
Keeping your liver healthy will improve its metabolism, which means your body can easily carry out several functions. For instance, an improved metabolism will lead to more burning of calories, which will enhance weight loss.
Secondly, a general symptom of liver damage is fatigue and general body weakness. You will regain your strength with liver detox and herbal treatments which enhance your liver conditions.
Clearer Skin
A good liver detox tea sometimes contains vitamin c, which has been said to eliminate skin rashes and acne and improve overall skin health and complexion.
It would be best to care for your liver because an unhealthy lifestyle can result in liver cancer, which can only be removed through surgical resection.
Side Effects of A Liver Detox Tea
One cause of liver damage is that your body stores toxins that the liver is supposed to get rid of. This is usually a result of poor liver functions, and one way to feel better is taking a liver detox tea. People react to liver detox differently, and you might want to be careful when deciding on a liver detox tea. However, the following are some of the side effects of liver detox.
- Fatigue
- Irritation
- Nausea
- Headaches
- Dehydration
- Diarrhea
- Stomach upset
You might feel this way when you perform a liver detox because your body gets rid of unwanted toxins.
How to Prevent Liver Damage
Keeping your liver healthy is not as difficult as you think it to be; all you need is to observe a healthy lifestyle and diet. You can also opt for nutritional therapy to learn the food classes that will provide optimal liver functions. You can also indulge in the following.
- Reduce your alcohol intake.
- Always stay hydrated by taking lots of water.
- Curb cigarettes and drugs.
- With the help of your doctor, reduce your intake of prescribed drugs, as they also contribute to liver diseases like liver cancer.
- Protect yourself from environmental pollution; wash your hands often and use face masks.
- Limit processed and fatty foods, as they can cause fatty liver disease.
- Prevent Hepatitis A, B, and C
Hepatitis A, B, and C are liver diseases that can lead to long-term liver damage if not avoided or adequately treated. Your doctor can tell you if you're at risk of these liver diseases and may advise you to immunize yourself against them.
Secondly, you should observe safe sex practices, as either Hepatitis B or C can develop into chronic liver disease. These diseases can be transmitted by blood or body fluids during sexual intercourse.
Thirdly, you should wash your hands often, as Hepatitis A is spread when you're in contact with contaminated food or water.
You won't solve all your liver conditions solely by drinking liver detox herbal teas, which is why we advise that you practice a healthy lifestyle.
Frequently Asked Questions
It's not surprising that people always have tons of questions when the body's vital organs are concerned. We have answered some of the frequently asked questions about liver health.
What Is Fatty Liver Disease?
This disease occurs when you have fat in your liver that can cause chronic liver damage over time. Human studies show that fatty liver disease is divided into two types.
- Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: This type occurs when you have fat that does not endanger your liver. This might develop into non-alcoholic steatohepatitis if left unattended for a long time.
- Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis occurs when you have fat in your liver, signs of inflammation, and liver cell damage. Symptoms of this liver disease include fatigue, severe itching, yellow skin and eyes, and spider-like blood vessels showing on the skin.
People who are at risk of this disease include those who:
- Are overweight
- Have diabetes or pre-diabetes
- Have high blood pressure
- Have high blood sugar levels, fat levels, or cholesterol
Your health care provider can diagnose your liver health with routine blood tests or liver biopsy. Secondly, people with this disease might need constant medical attention or even a liver transplant to feel better.
Green tea is good for fatty liver because of its many benefits. That notwithstanding, you may want to watch your diet to ensure that your liver stays healthy.
However, if you've been diagnosed with this liver disease, do well to always inform your health practitioner whenever you feel some way. It would also help to let them know when you start a new medication or herbal supplement.
What Can I Drink To Fix My Liver?
The best tea for the liver is liver cleansing tea, which is a natural remedy for all liver conditions. This liver tea blend helps your body detox, cleanse and flush your liver. The ingredients in this liver cleansing tea include milk thistle seed, ginger root, and licorice root, among others.
Does Kidney Disease Affect The Liver?
The liver and the kidney have similar functions. The liver converts toxins into urea which is then transported to the kidney. The kidney filters through and secretes the urea as urine. So, yes, kidney disease can affect the liver because they work hand in hand.
Should I Take My Liver Detox Tea Plain?
No, you don't have to. While liver detox herbal teas function excellently, they don't always taste the best. So, if you want to avoid taking tea that tastes similar to black coffee without sugar, use the following.
- Honey: a tablespoon of this natural sweetener will come in handy if you don't want to take your herbal tea plain.
- Stevia: This sweetener is beneficial to the liver, and you only need a few drops to improve the taste of your tea.
These natural sweeteners have better health benefits than sugar, and they do not cause high blood sugar levels.
Conclusion - Is the Liver Support Tea Good For You?
The liver is one of the five major detoxification pathways, and detoxing metals from your body improves your liver health. A healthy lifestyle, a balanced diet, and the Drink Symbi's Liver Cleansing Tea are a good start to protecting your liver.