How to detox your liver? Foods, herbs and natural remedies for liver cleansing. An easy step-by-step guide to detox your liver naturally.

Purifying the liver means cleansing it from all the waste and toxins that it normally accumulates.

Why it is useful to detoxify?

Simple! The liver performs essential functions for the body which is why purifing it results in many benefits:

  • Boosting the immune system.
  • Improving the absorption of nutrients.
  • Regulating the gut by counteracting indigestion, constipation, bad breath, bloating and colitis.
  • Making skin, nails and hair shinier and stronger.
  • Increasing energy and the vitality of the entire body due to improved tissue oxygenation.
  • Purifying the liver also removes toxins that are often the main causes of water retention and cellulite.

But what can I do to cleanse it?

Just follow a proper diet!

The first step is to drink plenty of water, at least 2 liters a day.

Then you have to choose the right foods!

Give priority to vegetables and particularly:

  • Chicory, which has diuretic, laxative and cleansing properties;
  • Carrots, which are rich in vitamins A and E useful to cells;
  • Artichoke, which promotes the production of bile and helps the digestive process;
  • Beets, which contain decongestant properties;
  • Tomatoes, rich in lycopene, which intervene in the proper metabolism of fats;
  • Cabbage and broccoli, which stimulate the production of liver enzymes.
  • And all green leafy vegetables, which thanks to chlorophyll help eliminate toxins from the blood.

Among fruits the ones suggested include:

  • Lemons, rich in vitamin C and antioxidants that protect the liver cells, improve the functionality and capacity for regeneration.
  • Apples, which contain triterpenoids that are useful in preventing liver cancer and pectin that helps the digestive functions.
  • Blueberries, rich in antioxidants.
  • And among the dried fruit nuts, walnuts, which contain arginine, the amino acid that helps detoxify the liver.

Other foods to include in the purifying diet are:

  • Barley and whole grains rich in B vitamins, which improve the overall liver function.
  • Extra virgin olive oil that promotes the secretion of bile.
  • Garlic contains allicin, which, when taken in small quantities, contributes to the elimination of toxins.
  • Beer yeast, rich in microorganisms, can regulate metabolic functions.
  • And green tea, which is rich in catechins that prevent cellular aging.

What food should be avoided when purifying the liver?

  • First you must drastically reduce saturated animal fats like butter, which promote liver cell necrosis.
  • Red meats, cold cuts and sausages, must be eliminated for their high content of cholesterol and animal fat which fatigue the liver.
  • Sugars and refined grains, such as bread and pasta, may contain substances that overload that liver.
  • Overly spicy and high-fat condiments are to be eliminated, they're hard to digest and cause inflammation.
  • And finally all alcoholic beverages, because they tire out the liver that needs to metabolize them.

Here is a practical example of purifying diet;

Breakfast: a cup of green tea and yogurt. Morning snack: two slices of pineapple and an herbal tea.
Lunch: a small portion of pasta or rice with a lot of vegetables and a fruit.
Dinner: a medium portion of lean fish. a couple of slices of wholewheat bread and a vegetable side dish.

Warning: The quantities given are to be considered as an example for an average individual, for a personalized diet consult your doctor.

Other tips: To speed up the process of purification, it is useful to drink just a couple of glasses of water at room temperature as soon as you wake up to help waste elimination.

When cleansing the liver becomes necessary?

Ok. so now we know that cleansing the liver is a positive thing. But in what cases does it becomes necessary?

  • In the case of an enlarged liver, when the increased size is due to bad diet habits.
  • For those suffering from hepatic steatosis (fatty liver) due to obesity, overeating or diseases.
  • In the case of frequent alcohol use, which is metabolized by the liver and which can overload it, and even cause serious consequences such as liver cirrhosis.
  • When you take drugs for long periods of time (for example anti-inflammatory or chemotherapeutic drugs)
  • In the case where there is a fat-rich diet for a prolonged period. For example you should follow a diet that helps to purify the liver after the holidays to regain its proper function.
  • In the case of pregnancy, when the epatogestosi, a hepatic disease linked to pregnancy, occurs.

Natural remedies to speed up liver detox.

Wanna speed up the cleaning process? You can complement the diet by using some natural remedies!

Some plants and herbs contain active ingredients that are good for the liver cells.

  • Aloe contains acemannan and anthraquinones which give anti-inflammatory, purifying, antioxidant, and regenerating effects.

But how to use it? Just drink 50 ml of pure aloe vera juice for two weeks, morning and evening.

  • The leaves and roots of dandelion contain active ingredients such as triterpenes, tarassocolide and tarassacoside which play a diuretic role, increasing the secretion of bile and helping eliminate waste and toxins, therefore enhancing the function of the liver.
  • Milk thistle may also be helpful: it's a great hepatoprotector and contributes to the regeneration of damaged cells through silmarina.

Herbal teas recipe:

A great way to cleanse the liver through the use of these plants and their active ingredients is to resort to the daily intake of herbal teas.

Here is a sample recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 80 g of dandelion root
  • 80 g of artichoke leaves
  • 80 g of fennel fruits

Procedure:

  • Mix the herbs, place them in a saucepan and add 500 ml of water.
  • Bring to a boil and let them infuse for fifteen minutes. Finally, filter the whole mix.

Now you just have to drink a couple of cups a day, preferably in the morning and evening

But how long does it take to detoxify your liver?

It's hard to say precisely ... but on average, it ranges from one to four weeks.

For those who want to go beyond conventional treatment, both Chinese medicine and e Indian ayurveda provide paths of purification of the liver that can be combined with diet.

Chinese medicine grants a condition of discomfort in energy stagnation in the liver due to stress.

So how is it intervined?

Thanks to acupuncture, the process begins between the first two toes (the point is called LR3) Needles or specific patches containing glutathione (an antioxidant enzyme that counteracts the cellular oxidation) are applied to stimulate and encourage this point purification and the well-being of the liver.