Holistic Liver Cleansing
One of the most vital organs in the body is the liver. The liver must function at an optimal level in order to deal with all of the toxins that are in the body.
If the liver is not healthy, toxins become stagnant, causing sluggishness. This can lead to complications such as high cholesterol, poor digestion, fatigue, blood sugar issues, hormone imbalances, allergic reactions and headaches. Poor liver function can also impact the skin. A holistic approach to cleansing the liver can improve liver function, and it is simple enough to do at home with diet.
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The Role of the Liver
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The primary role of the liver is to detoxify, and it does so in two ways. First, the liver gets rid of toxins with a complicated system of enzymes that break down toxins into substances that are not toxic. They are then excreted through the kidneys or in the liver bile. Second, the liver serves to detoxify the body through conjugation, where the toxins are combined with other substances in the body like amino acids or sulphur. Once they are combined, the substances are eliminated via the kidneys or, again, through the bile.
How to Proceed
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In order to cleanse the liver, use herbs that support the liver as well as herbs that will stimulate the production of bile in the liver. Bile is used as a vehicle to move toxins into the small intestine, where the bile combines with fiber, enabling the excretion of the toxins. There are herbs to support an increase in bile in the liver. Some of these are artichoke leaf, dandelion root and Eclipta alba. These can be steeped in water to make an herbal tea. Drink this tea to cleanse your liver.
It is also important to include antioxidants such as lipoic acid, green tea leaf and selenium in your holistic liver cleansing program. These herbs will benefit the whole body in addition to the liver.
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Herbs and Amino Acids
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There are some herbs and amino acids that help to support the function of the liver. Some of these are: glutathione, which is helpful in part two of the liver detoxification process, and alpha lipoic acid, which encourages glutathione formation.
An herb that is helpful with liver function is milk thistle seed. It includes the extract silymarin, which helps with maintaining levels of glutathione. It is also helpful in dealing with some liver conditions like cirrhosis, hepatitis and inflammation of the bile ducts. In order to make an effective liver cleansing tea, combine a few drops of milk thistle extract to 1 cup of water, heat and drink.
Foods to Cleanse the Liver
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Some food that help to cleanse the liver and aid in detoxification are: apples, artichokes, asparagus, beets, broccoli, brown rice, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, dandelion greens, garlic, oat bran, onions, tomatoes and spinach.
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