Liver Health Lesson
The Liver
The liver is one of the largest organs in the body. It has many important metabolic functions. It converts the nutrients in our diets into substances that the body can use, stores these substances, and supplies cells with them when needed. It also takes up toxic substances and converts them into harmless substances or makes sure they are released from the body.
The human adult liver weighs about 1.4 kg (3.1 pounds) and is found in the right upper abdomen, below the diaphragm. It takes up most of the space under the ribs and some space in the left upper abdomen, too. Viewed from the outside, a larger right lobe and smaller left lobe can be distinguished. The two lobes are separated by a band of connective tissue that anchors the liver to the abdominal cavity. The gallbladder, where bile is stored, is found in a small hollow on the underside of the liver.
Liver tissue is made up of lots of smaller units of liver cells called lobules. Many canals carrying blood and bile run between the liver cells. Blood coming from the digestive organs flows through the portal vein to the liver, carrying nutrients, medication and also toxic substances. Once they reach the liver, these substances are processed, stored, altered, detoxified, and passed back into the blood or released in the bowel to be eliminated. In this way the liver can, for example, remove alcohol from your blood and get rid of by-products from the breakdown of medications.
With the help of vitamin K, the liver produces proteins that are important in blood clotting. It is also one of the organs that break down old or damaged blood cells.
The liver plays a central role in all metabolic processes in the body. In fat metabolism the liver cells break down fats and produce energy. They also produce about 800 to 1,000 ml of bile per day. This yellow, brownish or olive green liquid is collected in small ducts and then passed on to the main bile duct, which carries the bile to a part of the small intestine called the duodenum. Bile is important for the breakdown and absorption of fats.
In the metabolism of carbohydrates, the liver helps to ensure that the level of sugar in your blood (blood glucose) stays constant. If your blood sugar levels increase, for example after a meal, the liver removes sugar from blood supplied by the portal vein and stores it in the form of glycogen. If someone’s blood sugar levels are too low, the liver breaks down glycogen and releases sugar into the blood. As well as sugar, the liver also stores vitamins and minerals (iron and copper), and releases them into the blood when needed.
The liver also plays an important role in the metabolism of proteins: liver cells change amino acids in foods so that they can be used to produce energy, or make carbohydrates or fats. A toxic substance called ammonia is a by-product of this process. The liver cells convert ammonia to a much less toxic substance called urea, which is released into the blood. Urea is then transported to the kidneys and passes out of the body in urine.
References
Schmidt R, Lang F, Heckmann M. Physiologie des Menschen: mit Pathophysiologie. Heidelberg: Springer. 2011.
Menche N. Biologie Anatomie Physiologie: mit www.pflegeheute.de – Zugang. München: Urban & Fischer/ Elsevier GmbH. 2012.
Pschyrembel W. Klinisches Wörterbuch. Berlin: De Gruyter. 2014.
Improving Liver Function Naturally
When improving liver function naturally it all starts with the foods you are eating. Here’s a quick list of foods to avoid. When you start here, you’re already adding years to your life!
AVIOID
Alcohol – alcohol is a poison and stresses the liver when consumed in excess. No more than 8 ounces of wine, beer, or one hard liquor cocktail twice a week
Coffee – coffee is naturally dehydrating and stresses the liver; drink 8 to 10 ounces daily, maximum
Refined Sugar
Artificial Sweeteners
Candies and chocolate which are high in sugar; some cheap chocolates contain hydrogenated vegetable oils which are most unhealthy. If you do indulge in a little chocolate the best types are the expensive dark chocolates!
Foods containing refined flour
“Diet foods” that claim to be slimming – they are usually low in fat and high in sugar or aspartame, eg. diet-yogurts, diet jams, diet-ice-cream, diet-sodas, etc; these diet foods are not slimming they are fattening if they contain sugar, aspartame, sucralose and acefulsameK. Read the labels.
Fried snacks – such as potato chips, tortilla chips, pretzels, etc.
Meat jerky and preserved meats such as deli meats and cold cuts
Commercial Pizza
Fatty foods like fried fish and chips, lasagna and fried chicken
Deep fried hot potato chips
Biscuits – both sweet and savory varieties, as they contain refined flour, hydrogenated vegetable oils, lard, shortening and if sweet, will be high in sugar
Breads containing refined flour, crumpets, muffins, bagels and donuts, as they tend to be fattening for those with a fatty liver.
Obviously, we all like to eat unhealthy or junk foods on special occasions and this is fine if it’s a birthday, family celebration, Christmas or a one off special event. It’s when these things become a regular part of your diet and lifestyle that you will find your liver suffers.
Foods to Eat
If you eat the opposite of the list above then you’ll know the foods to eat right now are fresh fruits and vegetables.
Organic fruits and vegetables also contain higher amounts of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and sulfur, which all boost liver detoxification and cleansing.
Some of the best fruits and vegetables to add to your grocery list for liver detoxification and that promote a healthy liver overall:
Asparagus
Beets
Raw spinach
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Kale
Maitake mushrooms
Spices of turmeric
Herbs of cilantro
Cordyceps mushrooms
Collards
Apples
Onions
Garlic
Squash
Add These Healthy Fats:
Your liver is responsible for producing bile that breaks down fats, so one area of your diet you want to be sure you don’t forget about is the type of fats you eat.
Almonds
Coconut
Walnuts
Hemp
Chia
Flax
Pumpkin and sunflower seeds
Olives
Avocado
Avoid animal fats that lead to artery-clogging inflammation and avoid vegetable oils (like corn and soy) at all costs.
For cooking at higher temperatures like sauteeing and roasting, use grapeseed or coconut oil as it maintains the health properties when heated.
The Top Nutrients for Perfect Liver Health
N-Acetyl-Cysteine: is a small protein with over 40 years of scientific research to back up its clinical effectiveness. NAC’s powerful health benefits derive from its ability to restore intracellular levels of glutathione. Glutathione is a very important compound because it’s your body’s own powerful antioxidant and detoxifier.
Glutathione helps your liver to protect you against toxicity, and it is most needed by people with an inflamed liver or fatty liver. Chronic liver inflammation depletes your body of glutathione, and in fact so do many different diseases. Immune system problems and autoimmune diseases cause chronically low levels of glutathione. This is not good for your liver and it can worsen the inflammation and symptoms of autoimmune disease. SIDE NOTE: If you are a chronic user of over-the-counter pain meds these will cause a loss of glutathione from the body and can lead to liver failure and death.
Dosage: 600mg per day
Selenium: An essential trace mineral for many body processes and is especially abundant in the kidneys, liver, spleen, testes and pancreas. Selenium is needed in the liver to convert the thyroid’s production of T4 into the more potent T3. If you suffer from hypothyroidism, selenium is a key to better thyroid health.
Trace amounts of selenium are necessary to form two enzymes – glutathione peroxidase and thioredoxin reductase – both of which indirectly reduce certain oxidized molecules. Since oxidation is a known manner in which liver damage occurs, antioxidants like selenium help preserve liver tissue.
This trace element is needed for tissue elasticity, an important characteristic for those with chronic liver disease. Because rigidity in liver tissue and local blood vessels are consequences of several types of liver disease, efforts to preserve elasticity also helps support healthful hepatic circulation. Selenium is a known potent protector against cancer.
Dosage: 200mcg per day
Alpha Lipoic Acid: a natural substance produced by our own cells throughout our liver, more when we are younger and diminishing with age. ALA is known as a universal antioxidant because it is both fat- and water-soluble, an extremely unique characteristic. This property enables ALA to bind with free radicals in a lean liver or in a fatty liver, and offers free radical protection to both interior and exterior cellular structures.
Primarily, ALA’s function is to help metabolize glucose from the food we eat. This may account for part of ALA’s role in diabetic neuropathy, the pain and numbness endured by diabetics in their hands and feet.
ALA has been targeted as the nutrient to use if you are suffering from fatty liver disease. As published in a February 2012 edition of the journal Obesity, researchers found that supplementing with alpha lipoic acid prevented the accumulation of triglycerides in the liver – a major contributor to fatty liver disease. More specifically, they identified certain genes (SIRT1 and SIRT3) that ALA stimulates to achieve this goal.
Dosage: 200mg once or twice per day.
Lecithin: I love this nutrient! It’s very inexpensive and can add years to your life. Its main function is to keep the fats in the liver flowing freely and preventing a buildup. I call lecithin a cardiologist worst nightmare! When taken daily in optimal doses it can prevent arterial plaque buildup and maintain healthy cholesterol levels while protection one from arterial blockages. It is needed for the liver to be healthy and here’s why - Lecithin belongs to a group of compounds called phospholipids, which build the membranes surrounding every cell in your body. In fact, lecithin is one of the primary constituents in cell membranes. In this role, it helps regulate the way cells work and supports communication between cells.
Lecithin regulates fat metabolism in the liver, where it binds with proteins that lower triglycerides and boost levels of good cholesterol in the bloodstream. The liver needs phosphatidylcholine to produce very-low-density lipoproteins, which carry fats from the liver.
If levels of phosphatidylcholine are low, fats build up in the liver, eventually causing liver damage. People tend to develop non-alcoholic fatty liver disease if they don’t have enough choline, reports the Linus Pauling Institute.
Dosage: 7200mg per day (1200mg capsules are available)
Milk Thistle Extract: When nature created it medicine for man, it brought us one of the most important herbal medicines to us and that is Milk Thistle! This one herb will help protect, regenerate, strengthen and detox the liver all at the same time! How cool is that?
Silymarin, is Milk Thistle’s active component and is actually a group of compounds (silibinin, silidianin, and silicristin), which work together to provide multiple health benefits. How does silymarin protect your liver?
For starters, it’s an anti-fibrotic, which means it prevents tissue scarring, and it’s thought to act as a “toxin blockade agent” by inhibiting the binding of toxins to liver cell membrane receptors.
Milk Thistle extract can protect your liver from acetaminophen overload, chemotherapy, radiation, iron overload, alcohol poisoning, death cap mushroom poisoning, psychotropic medications and more. This herb can be taken daily for general liver health and since we live in a polluted world you need to fall in love with this herb!
Dosage: 160-800mg per day in divided doses.
Artichoke Extract: Artichoke extract mimics many of the same functions as Milk Thistle does for the liver. But if you are chronically suffering with indigestion, nausea, upset stomach, slow digestion, constipation, diarrhea, vomiting after eating then Artichoke can change your life. Research shows 75% improvement in all areas of gastrointestinal health when trouble arises after eating.
The importance of effective liver function for overall health, and proper gastrointestinal function in particular, is rarely emphasized in health discussions in the United States. One reason might be that there is neither laboratory evidence nor specific physical symptoms to reveal an overburdened liver in the beginning stages. The symptoms may be nonspecific, such as general melancholy, fatigue, headache, epigastric pain, bloating, nausea, or constipation. Discomfort following meals and intolerance of fat are also notable indications of disturbances in the biliary system.
The proven basis for the beneficial effects of artichoke leaf extract on the gastrointestinal system is the promotion of bile flow. Bile is an extremely important digestive substance that is produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder. The liver manufactures about 1 quart a day of bile to meet digestive requirements. It is secreted into the small intestine, where it emulsifies fats and fat-soluble vitamins and improves their absorption. Any interference with healthy bile flow can create a myriad of immediate digestive disorders, such as bloating.
Good bile flow is also essential for detoxification, which is one of the major tasks of the liver. The liver is constantly bombarded with toxic chemicals from the environment (i.e., the food we eat, the water we drink, and the air we breathe).
Bile serves as a carrier for these toxic substances, delivering them into the intestine for further elimination from the body. This is the major route for excretion of cholesterol. Bile’s promotion of intestinal peristalsis, which helps prevent constipation, is also helpful.
Dosage: 450mg after every meal.
B Vitamins: Liver disease can cause vitamin B deficiencies. The B-complex family comprises eight different B vitamins. Vitamin B deficiency most often occurs in alcoholics as a result of poor diet. B-complex vitamins often affected by liver disease include B1, or thiamine; B-6; and B-12. Around 90 percent of your B-12 stores are found in the liver, according to a January 2009 article in "Practical Gastroenterology," so damage to the liver decreases B-12 stores. Alcoholics with liver damage develop B-1 deficiency because they either don't consume enough B-1 in their diet or they don't absorb the vitamin well enough in the intestine. Alcohol also interferes with folate absorption.
Taking vitamin B supplements can improve the nutritional deficiencies that often develop when you have liver disease. Severe B-1 deficiency causes mental confusion, poor coordination, memory problems and ocular nerve paralysis; B-1 supplements can help reverse these symptoms. B-6 deficiency can cause numbness and tingling from nerve damage. Vitamin B-12 deficiency can cause many of the same symptoms, which will reverse when you treat the deficiency. B-12 and folate deficiencies can cause anemia.
Dosage: 25-100mg per day with food.
Buplureum Root: I’m placing the information on this herb from our lesson on Endometriosis and this herb is vital for women who want to improve liver detoxification and better hormonal health.
Bupleurum root will increase the metabolism of protein and fatty acids. What this means is, it will help the liver to break down those excess estrogens and prostaglandins to then allow the body to flush them out properly. See, the liver and the digestive system work closely together. The liver detoxifies and most of what sits in our bowels is waste/toxic and needs to be broken down. If the liver is not strong enough to break down the stuff in our bowels, then our bowels won’t work well either. This is why many women with endometriosis will automatically have problems with their bowels too.
Bupleurum has been used in Chinese Medicine for over a thousand years and is said to have a direct correlation to liver function and aid in the effectiveness of the spleen.
Naturally, we can strengthen our bowels, which makes the job on the liver easier but it is important to note that the two are closely interlinked.
Now, the thing with Bupleurum is that it has other health benefits too!
The liver is one of the largest organs in the body. It has many important metabolic functions. It converts the nutrients in our diets into substances that the body can use, stores these substances, and supplies cells with them when needed. It also takes up toxic substances and converts them into harmless substances or makes sure they are released from the body.
The human adult liver weighs about 1.4 kg (3.1 pounds) and is found in the right upper abdomen, below the diaphragm. It takes up most of the space under the ribs and some space in the left upper abdomen, too. Viewed from the outside, a larger right lobe and smaller left lobe can be distinguished. The two lobes are separated by a band of connective tissue that anchors the liver to the abdominal cavity. The gallbladder, where bile is stored, is found in a small hollow on the underside of the liver.
Liver tissue is made up of lots of smaller units of liver cells called lobules. Many canals carrying blood and bile run between the liver cells. Blood coming from the digestive organs flows through the portal vein to the liver, carrying nutrients, medication and also toxic substances. Once they reach the liver, these substances are processed, stored, altered, detoxified, and passed back into the blood or released in the bowel to be eliminated. In this way the liver can, for example, remove alcohol from your blood and get rid of by-products from the breakdown of medications.
With the help of vitamin K, the liver produces proteins that are important in blood clotting. It is also one of the organs that break down old or damaged blood cells.
The liver plays a central role in all metabolic processes in the body. In fat metabolism the liver cells break down fats and produce energy. They also produce about 800 to 1,000 ml of bile per day. This yellow, brownish or olive green liquid is collected in small ducts and then passed on to the main bile duct, which carries the bile to a part of the small intestine called the duodenum. Bile is important for the breakdown and absorption of fats.
In the metabolism of carbohydrates, the liver helps to ensure that the level of sugar in your blood (blood glucose) stays constant. If your blood sugar levels increase, for example after a meal, the liver removes sugar from blood supplied by the portal vein and stores it in the form of glycogen. If someone’s blood sugar levels are too low, the liver breaks down glycogen and releases sugar into the blood. As well as sugar, the liver also stores vitamins and minerals (iron and copper), and releases them into the blood when needed.
The liver also plays an important role in the metabolism of proteins: liver cells change amino acids in foods so that they can be used to produce energy, or make carbohydrates or fats. A toxic substance called ammonia is a by-product of this process. The liver cells convert ammonia to a much less toxic substance called urea, which is released into the blood. Urea is then transported to the kidneys and passes out of the body in urine.
References
Schmidt R, Lang F, Heckmann M. Physiologie des Menschen: mit Pathophysiologie. Heidelberg: Springer. 2011.
Menche N. Biologie Anatomie Physiologie: mit www.pflegeheute.de – Zugang. München: Urban & Fischer/ Elsevier GmbH. 2012.
Pschyrembel W. Klinisches Wörterbuch. Berlin: De Gruyter. 2014.
Improving Liver Function Naturally
When improving liver function naturally it all starts with the foods you are eating. Here’s a quick list of foods to avoid. When you start here, you’re already adding years to your life!
AVIOID
Alcohol – alcohol is a poison and stresses the liver when consumed in excess. No more than 8 ounces of wine, beer, or one hard liquor cocktail twice a week
Coffee – coffee is naturally dehydrating and stresses the liver; drink 8 to 10 ounces daily, maximum
Refined Sugar
Artificial Sweeteners
Candies and chocolate which are high in sugar; some cheap chocolates contain hydrogenated vegetable oils which are most unhealthy. If you do indulge in a little chocolate the best types are the expensive dark chocolates!
Foods containing refined flour
“Diet foods” that claim to be slimming – they are usually low in fat and high in sugar or aspartame, eg. diet-yogurts, diet jams, diet-ice-cream, diet-sodas, etc; these diet foods are not slimming they are fattening if they contain sugar, aspartame, sucralose and acefulsameK. Read the labels.
Fried snacks – such as potato chips, tortilla chips, pretzels, etc.
Meat jerky and preserved meats such as deli meats and cold cuts
Commercial Pizza
Fatty foods like fried fish and chips, lasagna and fried chicken
Deep fried hot potato chips
Biscuits – both sweet and savory varieties, as they contain refined flour, hydrogenated vegetable oils, lard, shortening and if sweet, will be high in sugar
Breads containing refined flour, crumpets, muffins, bagels and donuts, as they tend to be fattening for those with a fatty liver.
Obviously, we all like to eat unhealthy or junk foods on special occasions and this is fine if it’s a birthday, family celebration, Christmas or a one off special event. It’s when these things become a regular part of your diet and lifestyle that you will find your liver suffers.
Foods to Eat
If you eat the opposite of the list above then you’ll know the foods to eat right now are fresh fruits and vegetables.
Organic fruits and vegetables also contain higher amounts of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and sulfur, which all boost liver detoxification and cleansing.
Some of the best fruits and vegetables to add to your grocery list for liver detoxification and that promote a healthy liver overall:
Asparagus
Beets
Raw spinach
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Kale
Maitake mushrooms
Spices of turmeric
Herbs of cilantro
Cordyceps mushrooms
Collards
Apples
Onions
Garlic
Squash
Add These Healthy Fats:
Your liver is responsible for producing bile that breaks down fats, so one area of your diet you want to be sure you don’t forget about is the type of fats you eat.
Almonds
Coconut
Walnuts
Hemp
Chia
Flax
Pumpkin and sunflower seeds
Olives
Avocado
Avoid animal fats that lead to artery-clogging inflammation and avoid vegetable oils (like corn and soy) at all costs.
For cooking at higher temperatures like sauteeing and roasting, use grapeseed or coconut oil as it maintains the health properties when heated.
The Top Nutrients for Perfect Liver Health
N-Acetyl-Cysteine: is a small protein with over 40 years of scientific research to back up its clinical effectiveness. NAC’s powerful health benefits derive from its ability to restore intracellular levels of glutathione. Glutathione is a very important compound because it’s your body’s own powerful antioxidant and detoxifier.
Glutathione helps your liver to protect you against toxicity, and it is most needed by people with an inflamed liver or fatty liver. Chronic liver inflammation depletes your body of glutathione, and in fact so do many different diseases. Immune system problems and autoimmune diseases cause chronically low levels of glutathione. This is not good for your liver and it can worsen the inflammation and symptoms of autoimmune disease. SIDE NOTE: If you are a chronic user of over-the-counter pain meds these will cause a loss of glutathione from the body and can lead to liver failure and death.
Dosage: 600mg per day
Selenium: An essential trace mineral for many body processes and is especially abundant in the kidneys, liver, spleen, testes and pancreas. Selenium is needed in the liver to convert the thyroid’s production of T4 into the more potent T3. If you suffer from hypothyroidism, selenium is a key to better thyroid health.
Trace amounts of selenium are necessary to form two enzymes – glutathione peroxidase and thioredoxin reductase – both of which indirectly reduce certain oxidized molecules. Since oxidation is a known manner in which liver damage occurs, antioxidants like selenium help preserve liver tissue.
This trace element is needed for tissue elasticity, an important characteristic for those with chronic liver disease. Because rigidity in liver tissue and local blood vessels are consequences of several types of liver disease, efforts to preserve elasticity also helps support healthful hepatic circulation. Selenium is a known potent protector against cancer.
Dosage: 200mcg per day
Alpha Lipoic Acid: a natural substance produced by our own cells throughout our liver, more when we are younger and diminishing with age. ALA is known as a universal antioxidant because it is both fat- and water-soluble, an extremely unique characteristic. This property enables ALA to bind with free radicals in a lean liver or in a fatty liver, and offers free radical protection to both interior and exterior cellular structures.
Primarily, ALA’s function is to help metabolize glucose from the food we eat. This may account for part of ALA’s role in diabetic neuropathy, the pain and numbness endured by diabetics in their hands and feet.
ALA has been targeted as the nutrient to use if you are suffering from fatty liver disease. As published in a February 2012 edition of the journal Obesity, researchers found that supplementing with alpha lipoic acid prevented the accumulation of triglycerides in the liver – a major contributor to fatty liver disease. More specifically, they identified certain genes (SIRT1 and SIRT3) that ALA stimulates to achieve this goal.
Dosage: 200mg once or twice per day.
Lecithin: I love this nutrient! It’s very inexpensive and can add years to your life. Its main function is to keep the fats in the liver flowing freely and preventing a buildup. I call lecithin a cardiologist worst nightmare! When taken daily in optimal doses it can prevent arterial plaque buildup and maintain healthy cholesterol levels while protection one from arterial blockages. It is needed for the liver to be healthy and here’s why - Lecithin belongs to a group of compounds called phospholipids, which build the membranes surrounding every cell in your body. In fact, lecithin is one of the primary constituents in cell membranes. In this role, it helps regulate the way cells work and supports communication between cells.
Lecithin regulates fat metabolism in the liver, where it binds with proteins that lower triglycerides and boost levels of good cholesterol in the bloodstream. The liver needs phosphatidylcholine to produce very-low-density lipoproteins, which carry fats from the liver.
If levels of phosphatidylcholine are low, fats build up in the liver, eventually causing liver damage. People tend to develop non-alcoholic fatty liver disease if they don’t have enough choline, reports the Linus Pauling Institute.
Dosage: 7200mg per day (1200mg capsules are available)
Milk Thistle Extract: When nature created it medicine for man, it brought us one of the most important herbal medicines to us and that is Milk Thistle! This one herb will help protect, regenerate, strengthen and detox the liver all at the same time! How cool is that?
Silymarin, is Milk Thistle’s active component and is actually a group of compounds (silibinin, silidianin, and silicristin), which work together to provide multiple health benefits. How does silymarin protect your liver?
For starters, it’s an anti-fibrotic, which means it prevents tissue scarring, and it’s thought to act as a “toxin blockade agent” by inhibiting the binding of toxins to liver cell membrane receptors.
Milk Thistle extract can protect your liver from acetaminophen overload, chemotherapy, radiation, iron overload, alcohol poisoning, death cap mushroom poisoning, psychotropic medications and more. This herb can be taken daily for general liver health and since we live in a polluted world you need to fall in love with this herb!
Dosage: 160-800mg per day in divided doses.
Artichoke Extract: Artichoke extract mimics many of the same functions as Milk Thistle does for the liver. But if you are chronically suffering with indigestion, nausea, upset stomach, slow digestion, constipation, diarrhea, vomiting after eating then Artichoke can change your life. Research shows 75% improvement in all areas of gastrointestinal health when trouble arises after eating.
The importance of effective liver function for overall health, and proper gastrointestinal function in particular, is rarely emphasized in health discussions in the United States. One reason might be that there is neither laboratory evidence nor specific physical symptoms to reveal an overburdened liver in the beginning stages. The symptoms may be nonspecific, such as general melancholy, fatigue, headache, epigastric pain, bloating, nausea, or constipation. Discomfort following meals and intolerance of fat are also notable indications of disturbances in the biliary system.
The proven basis for the beneficial effects of artichoke leaf extract on the gastrointestinal system is the promotion of bile flow. Bile is an extremely important digestive substance that is produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder. The liver manufactures about 1 quart a day of bile to meet digestive requirements. It is secreted into the small intestine, where it emulsifies fats and fat-soluble vitamins and improves their absorption. Any interference with healthy bile flow can create a myriad of immediate digestive disorders, such as bloating.
Good bile flow is also essential for detoxification, which is one of the major tasks of the liver. The liver is constantly bombarded with toxic chemicals from the environment (i.e., the food we eat, the water we drink, and the air we breathe).
Bile serves as a carrier for these toxic substances, delivering them into the intestine for further elimination from the body. This is the major route for excretion of cholesterol. Bile’s promotion of intestinal peristalsis, which helps prevent constipation, is also helpful.
Dosage: 450mg after every meal.
B Vitamins: Liver disease can cause vitamin B deficiencies. The B-complex family comprises eight different B vitamins. Vitamin B deficiency most often occurs in alcoholics as a result of poor diet. B-complex vitamins often affected by liver disease include B1, or thiamine; B-6; and B-12. Around 90 percent of your B-12 stores are found in the liver, according to a January 2009 article in "Practical Gastroenterology," so damage to the liver decreases B-12 stores. Alcoholics with liver damage develop B-1 deficiency because they either don't consume enough B-1 in their diet or they don't absorb the vitamin well enough in the intestine. Alcohol also interferes with folate absorption.
Taking vitamin B supplements can improve the nutritional deficiencies that often develop when you have liver disease. Severe B-1 deficiency causes mental confusion, poor coordination, memory problems and ocular nerve paralysis; B-1 supplements can help reverse these symptoms. B-6 deficiency can cause numbness and tingling from nerve damage. Vitamin B-12 deficiency can cause many of the same symptoms, which will reverse when you treat the deficiency. B-12 and folate deficiencies can cause anemia.
Dosage: 25-100mg per day with food.
Buplureum Root: I’m placing the information on this herb from our lesson on Endometriosis and this herb is vital for women who want to improve liver detoxification and better hormonal health.
Bupleurum root will increase the metabolism of protein and fatty acids. What this means is, it will help the liver to break down those excess estrogens and prostaglandins to then allow the body to flush them out properly. See, the liver and the digestive system work closely together. The liver detoxifies and most of what sits in our bowels is waste/toxic and needs to be broken down. If the liver is not strong enough to break down the stuff in our bowels, then our bowels won’t work well either. This is why many women with endometriosis will automatically have problems with their bowels too.
Bupleurum has been used in Chinese Medicine for over a thousand years and is said to have a direct correlation to liver function and aid in the effectiveness of the spleen.
Naturally, we can strengthen our bowels, which makes the job on the liver easier but it is important to note that the two are closely interlinked.
Now, the thing with Bupleurum is that it has other health benefits too!
- Antiviral properties.
- It has been proven to successfully fight off severe infections like chicken box. This is beneficial when you consider that it protects our bodies from infections and potential invaders.
- Anti-inflammatory action.
- Bupleurum stimulates corticosteroid production which then increases the anti-inflammatory action. Inflammation is created by too many prostagladin 2 substances. They have a higher production when we eat a diet high in fats.
- Bupleurum works to break these high fats down through the liver, which then lowers the amount of prostoglandin 2’s and thereby lowering our pain, inflammation and clotting.
- Inhibits the growth of liver cancer cells.
- Cancer cells are essentially created by the body to protect the rest of the body from further toxins.
- Bupleurum is able to flush out the excess toxic load on the liver.
- Cancer cells are essentially created by the body to protect the rest of the body from further toxins.
- Lowers plasma cholesterol.
- Increases Hepatic Protein Synthesis which heals an injured liver.
LIVER DETOXIFICATION AND PURIFYING RECIPES
Spinach with Zucchini Noodles and Creamy Almond Dressing
Serves 4
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons almond butter
¼ cup distilled water
½ cup unsweetened almond milk
1 pinch cumin
1 pinch black pepper
1 pinch sea salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 medium zucchini
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
1 garlic clove, minced
5 cups baby spinach, washed and dried
½ red onion, thinly sliced
¼ cup sundried tomatoes in olive oil, drained and finely chopped
2 tablespoons roughly chopped hazelnuts or cashews
For Creamy Almond Dressing, in a medium mixing bowl, whisk together almond butter, water, almond milk, cumin, black pepper, sea salt and lemon juice and set aside.
Using a vegetable peeler, peel zucchini into thin strips, turning the zucchini a quarter turn as you go until you reach the seeds in the center.
Heat grapeseed oil in a medium saute’ pan over medium heat. Add garlic and saute’ about 30 seconds. Toss in zucchini and saute about 2 minutes. Add Creamy Almond Dressing and toss to coat. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add spinach, onion, and sundried tomatoes and toss to coat. Divide among 2 serving plates and sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts or cashews. Season with additional sea salt and black pepper, if desired.
Nutrition:
Serving size: about 1 ½ cups
Calories: 238
Fat: 19.2g
Saturated fat: 1.6g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 194mg
Potassium: 831mg
Carbohydrates: 13.3g
Fiber: 5.4g
Sugars: 4.9g
Protein: 8.6g
Spinach with Zucchini Noodles and Creamy Almond Dressing
Serves 4
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons almond butter
¼ cup distilled water
½ cup unsweetened almond milk
1 pinch cumin
1 pinch black pepper
1 pinch sea salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 medium zucchini
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
1 garlic clove, minced
5 cups baby spinach, washed and dried
½ red onion, thinly sliced
¼ cup sundried tomatoes in olive oil, drained and finely chopped
2 tablespoons roughly chopped hazelnuts or cashews
For Creamy Almond Dressing, in a medium mixing bowl, whisk together almond butter, water, almond milk, cumin, black pepper, sea salt and lemon juice and set aside.
Using a vegetable peeler, peel zucchini into thin strips, turning the zucchini a quarter turn as you go until you reach the seeds in the center.
Heat grapeseed oil in a medium saute’ pan over medium heat. Add garlic and saute’ about 30 seconds. Toss in zucchini and saute about 2 minutes. Add Creamy Almond Dressing and toss to coat. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add spinach, onion, and sundried tomatoes and toss to coat. Divide among 2 serving plates and sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts or cashews. Season with additional sea salt and black pepper, if desired.
Nutrition:
Serving size: about 1 ½ cups
Calories: 238
Fat: 19.2g
Saturated fat: 1.6g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 194mg
Potassium: 831mg
Carbohydrates: 13.3g
Fiber: 5.4g
Sugars: 4.9g
Protein: 8.6g
Saffron Cream over Kale
Serves 2
5 tablespoons cashew butter
2 pinches saffron threads
¾ cup distilled water
Pinch black pepper
Fine zest of ½ orange
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 white or yellow onion, diced
12 cups fresh kale, washed and dried, stems trimmed
3 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
For Saffron Cream, in a food processor or blender, puree cashew butter, saffron, water, pepper, and orange zest until creamy and smooth. Set aside.
In a large skillet, heat grapeseed oil over medium heat. Add garlic and onion and saute for 1 minute. Add kale and cover; cook for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove lid and cook an additional 1 minute. Toss with ½ of the Saffron Cream, adding more, if needed, for desired consistency. Reserve the remainder for other recipes, or use as desired. Divide among serving plates and top with pumpkin seeds.
Nutrition:
Serving size: about 1 ½ cups
Calories: 475
Fat: 24.1g
Saturated fat: 2.7g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 180mg
Potassium: 2317mg
Carbohydrates: 53.8g
Fiber: 9.7g
Sugars: 3.4g
Protein: 20.2g
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Carbohydrates: 13.3g
Fiber: 5.4g
Sugars: 4.9g
Protein: 8.6g
Serves 2
5 tablespoons cashew butter
2 pinches saffron threads
¾ cup distilled water
Pinch black pepper
Fine zest of ½ orange
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 white or yellow onion, diced
12 cups fresh kale, washed and dried, stems trimmed
3 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
For Saffron Cream, in a food processor or blender, puree cashew butter, saffron, water, pepper, and orange zest until creamy and smooth. Set aside.
In a large skillet, heat grapeseed oil over medium heat. Add garlic and onion and saute for 1 minute. Add kale and cover; cook for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove lid and cook an additional 1 minute. Toss with ½ of the Saffron Cream, adding more, if needed, for desired consistency. Reserve the remainder for other recipes, or use as desired. Divide among serving plates and top with pumpkin seeds.
Nutrition:
Serving size: about 1 ½ cups
Calories: 475
Fat: 24.1g
Saturated fat: 2.7g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 180mg
Potassium: 2317mg
Carbohydrates: 53.8g
Fiber: 9.7g
Sugars: 3.4g
Protein: 20.2g
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Carbohydrates: 13.3g
Fiber: 5.4g
Sugars: 4.9g
Protein: 8.6g
Maitake Spring Rolls
Serves 6
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
8 thin asparagus, stems trimmed about 1 inch and roughly chopped
4 maitake mushrooms, roughly chopped
¼ red cabbage, shredded
1 teaspoon turmeric
Pinch sea salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
12 (or more) spring roll wrappers
Heat grapeseed oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add garlic and saute about 30 seconds. Add asparagus, mushrooms and cabbage and toss. Add turmeric, sea salt, black pepper, and toss to coat. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
Place one spring roll wrapper on flat surface and fill with about 2 tablespoons of asparagus mixture. Fold in each end and then roll into a spring roll shape. Repeat with remaining wrappers and mixture until all used. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce such as Honey Mustard, low sodium soy sauce or Hoisin Sauce.
Nutrition:
Serving size: about 2 spring rolls
Calories: 225
Fat: 3.4g
Saturated fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 6mg
Sodium: 413mg
Potassium: 228mg
Carbohydrates: 41.0g
Fiber: 2.7g
Sugars: 1.8g
Protein: 7.6g
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Carbohydrates: 13.3g
Fiber: 5.4g
Sugars: 4.9g
Protein: 8.6g
Serves 6
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
8 thin asparagus, stems trimmed about 1 inch and roughly chopped
4 maitake mushrooms, roughly chopped
¼ red cabbage, shredded
1 teaspoon turmeric
Pinch sea salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
12 (or more) spring roll wrappers
Heat grapeseed oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add garlic and saute about 30 seconds. Add asparagus, mushrooms and cabbage and toss. Add turmeric, sea salt, black pepper, and toss to coat. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
Place one spring roll wrapper on flat surface and fill with about 2 tablespoons of asparagus mixture. Fold in each end and then roll into a spring roll shape. Repeat with remaining wrappers and mixture until all used. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce such as Honey Mustard, low sodium soy sauce or Hoisin Sauce.
Nutrition:
Serving size: about 2 spring rolls
Calories: 225
Fat: 3.4g
Saturated fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 6mg
Sodium: 413mg
Potassium: 228mg
Carbohydrates: 41.0g
Fiber: 2.7g
Sugars: 1.8g
Protein: 7.6g
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Carbohydrates: 13.3g
Fiber: 5.4g
Sugars: 4.9g
Protein: 8.6g
Detoxifying Beet Smoothie
Makes about 6 cups
Distilled water, as desired for thickness, at least 2 cups
2 medium raw beets
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
11 to 12 mint leaves
Juice of 2 lemons
Juice of 2 limes
½ granny smith apple
½ cup seedless red grapes
Pinch turmeric
Pinch cumin
Pinch cardamom
¼ avocado
½ tablespoon flax seed
1 tablespoon milk thistle extract
1 tablespoon Buplureum root
5 strands cordyceps mushrooms
Add 1 cup of distilled water to a food processor or blender. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Place in refrigerator to chill for about 20 minutes. Serve as desired. Recommended: 8 ounces for breakfast or as a mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack, daily.
Nutrition:
Serving size: about 1 cup
Calories: 58
Fat: 2.1g
Saturated fat: 0.5g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 10mg
Potassium: 223mg
Carbohydrates: 10.3g
Fiber: 2.6g
Sugars: 5.3g
Protein: 1.2g
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Carbohydrates: 13.3g
Fiber: 5.4g
Sugars: 4.9g
Protein: 8.6g
Makes about 6 cups
Distilled water, as desired for thickness, at least 2 cups
2 medium raw beets
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
11 to 12 mint leaves
Juice of 2 lemons
Juice of 2 limes
½ granny smith apple
½ cup seedless red grapes
Pinch turmeric
Pinch cumin
Pinch cardamom
¼ avocado
½ tablespoon flax seed
1 tablespoon milk thistle extract
1 tablespoon Buplureum root
5 strands cordyceps mushrooms
Add 1 cup of distilled water to a food processor or blender. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Place in refrigerator to chill for about 20 minutes. Serve as desired. Recommended: 8 ounces for breakfast or as a mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack, daily.
Nutrition:
Serving size: about 1 cup
Calories: 58
Fat: 2.1g
Saturated fat: 0.5g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 10mg
Potassium: 223mg
Carbohydrates: 10.3g
Fiber: 2.6g
Sugars: 5.3g
Protein: 1.2g
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Carbohydrates: 13.3g
Fiber: 5.4g
Sugars: 4.9g
Protein: 8.6g