Top Liver Detox Supplements
Your liver is a football-sized organ on the right side of your body. It sits beneath your diaphragm, above your stomach, and is the largest gland in the human body. It is also the largest solid organ. It plays a significant role in digestion.
A healthy liver metabolizes fats, proteins, and carbs, detoxifies your blood, produces bile to aid in digestion, manufactures necessary substances, and stores vitamins and minerals as energy. Its function affects nearly every system in your body. So, when your liver isn’t working correctly, it can wreak havoc on your life and overall health. You can learn more about what your liver does here.
Many things can affect healthy liver function:
- Cancer
- Infection and viruses
- Overexposure to foreign substances
- Inherited diseases
All these diseases, regardless of cause and origin, negatively affect your liver. When your liver becomes overburdened with toxins or is unable to detoxify your blood effectively, you may become fatigued and begin having headaches. You could become depressed, nauseous, and have a low appetite.
Other symptoms include:
- Infertility
- Breast pain
- Adrenal gland exhaustion
- Menstrual disturbances
Most symptoms pass unnoticed. If any of the following occur, contact your doctor immediately:
- Jaundice (yellowing of skin or eyes)
- Dark urine
- Itching
- Pale or fatty stool
Regardless of the cause of your liver dysfunction, it is possible to live with liver disease. Things like drinking enough water, exercising, taking healthful supplements, and abstaining from alcohol, cigarette smoking, and drugs, will help keep your liver healthy and may prevent it from taking any further damage.
One of the most critical supplements for those with liver disease is Milk Thistle.
Milk Thistle
Silybum marianum, or milk thistle, has a bright purple flower atop a tall stem. It’s also called “Mary thistle” and “holy thistle.” The leaves are pale, shiny green with white veins and spiny edges. Those white veins are the source of the milk thistle’s name. When you tear or crush the leaves, a white, milky liquid oozes out.
The active ingredient in milk thistle is called silymarin. Silymarin is known to have antioxidant, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties. It is derived from the milk thistle’s seeds and is part of a group of bioflavonoids, or plant compounds, known to be high in antioxidants.
Antioxidants help protect the body from “free radicals,” molecules that may play a role in causing cancer and other diseases. Grapes, blueberries, nuts, dark green vegetables, and most teas contain high levels of antioxidants.
Antivirals reduce the ability of the viruses to multiply. Not only do they decrease the reproduction rate of the virus, but they may also shorten the symptoms of the virus.
Anti-inflammatories help reduce swelling and pain and are used to treat arthritis, muscular discomfort, and other types of inflammation injuries or disease. Common, over-the-counter medications such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen contain anti-inflammatory properties. There are even diets meant to decrease inflammatory responses in the body. Our Fatty Liver Diet is one of these. We also have a full archive of liver-friendly recipes that are delicious and nutritious.
Silymarin levels in milk thistle extract are between 65 to 80% when concentrated, and scientific trials indicate that silymarin is a beneficial treatment for those with cirrhosis of the liver alone, and in conjunction with vitamin E for those with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. There is even research that suggests that Milk Thistle, in combination with pharmaceutical prescription drugs, is the optimal treatment for Alcoholic liver disease (ALD).
In this comprehensive review, researchers determined that silibinin, the main active component of silymarin, protects the liver, strengthens cell membranes, and promotes liver regeneration. Additionally, the evidence showed that “the use of silymarin leads to a significant reduction in liver-related mortality.”
According to these trials, Milk Thistle may also improve the effectiveness of cancer treatments.
If you want to learn more about milk thistle and the health benefits it brings, you can read more about it here.
Some examples of the benefits of Milk Thistle include:
- Healthier skin
- Lower cholesterol
- Reduced Insulin resistance
- Weight loss assistance
You can take milk thistle in capsules, tablets, powders, tea, and in liquid extract form. When considering which form to use, make sure that you read the label — the higher the level of silymarin, the better. If a label doesn’t list the ingredients and amounts of each, you may want to avoid the product as it may not be a high-quality supplement.
As with any change in diet, supplements, or vitamins, please speak to your doctor as it may interact with other medicines you’re taking. While science does indicate that Milk Thistle can improve your health overall, we’d like to see more research done so that we can understand the full benefits and drawbacks better.
Liver Detox Supplements
One of your liver’s main jobs is to cleanse your blood, removing toxins from your body in a two-phase process. Everything from alcohol and drugs, to food additives and flavor enhancers, to over-the-counter and prescription medications fall under the purview of your liver.
In phase one, oxidation, the liver uses enzymes and oxygen to burn, or oxidize, the toxins, making them more soluble. Phase two combines the oxidized toxins with amino acids, making it possible for the kidneys or liver to excrete them.
In the past few years, liver detoxes and cleanses have become popular. Before you try one, please take a moment to do some reading on what doing a liver cleanse entails, as well as the three best ways to detoxify your liver. There are certain practices that are not healthy — as always, speak to your doctor.
Top Liver Cleanse Supplements
You may wish to support your liver while you detox. Our Liver Support & Detox formula contains a combination of 15 vitamins, supplements, and nutrients guaranteed to improve your overall liver health and function. Dandelion root is an important ingredient in our Liver Support & Detox formula. Read more to learn how Dandelion root can support healthy liver function.
Supplements for Liver Health
If you are living with liver disease, you know precisely how crucial clean living, exercise, and general well-being are for a healthy liver. After all, failure in one organ often affects your whole body.
You know to abstain from alcohol, cigarettes, and certain drugs, to get vaccinations for Hepatitis A and B, and to increase your intake of high antioxidant foods such as sweet potatoes, dark chocolate, and red and purple fruits.
Science has indicated that Milk Thistle is a beneficial supplement for detoxifying your liver, helping it to function efficiently and cleanly.
Talk to your doctor about other supplements that help support liver health and see what liversupport.com can do for you.
