If you live on planet Earth, your liver is working overtime to keep your blood clean of toxic chemicals!  Keeping it functioning well is going to help keep you well.

You can support your liver by eating a clean, natural diet, avoiding chemicals and drugs, and doing the liver cleanse below.

First of all, why cleanse your liver you say?

The liver is in fact the second largest organ in the body.  It filters 1.4 liters or 3 pints of blood per minute.  It has over 300 functions in the body including: detoxification of pollutants and chemicals in the body, responsible for metabolism of fat, protein, and carbs, stores fat soluble vitamins, the supreme organ of metabolism, creates bile, helps maintain electrolyte and fluid balance, and is a blood purifier (just to name a few).
Here are some common symptoms of poor liver function:
  •  Allergies (especially sudden or later in life onset)
  •  Anxiety
  •  Bad breath in the morning and tongue is coated
  •  Cellulite
  •  Chemical and environmental sensitivities
  •  Chronic fatigue
  •  Concentration and memory problems
  •  Constipation
  •  Depression
  •  Difficulty losing weight
  •  Digestive problems
  •  Elevated cholesterol
  •  Fatigue
  •  Foggy brain
  •  Gall stones
  •  Gallbladder disease
  •  Headaches
  •  Heart palpitations
  •  High blood pressure
  •  Hives, rashes
  •  Hormonal imbalances
  •  Inability to handle fats without feeling nauseated or belching
  •  Indigestion
  •  Jaundice
  •  Mood swings-especially involving depression and anger
  •  Nausea (esp. after eating fatty foods)
  •  Obesity
  •  PMS as well as excessive menstrual flow containing many clots of blood
  •  Poor concentration and memory

In order to detoxify your liver successfully, the first you need to do is make sure your body is able to move the toxins out effectively.   It makes no sense to do a cleanse if the toxins can’t get out!  You would not believe how many people make this big mistake!

Why is this important?  If your large intestine is clogged with waste you are not eliminating, the toxins that you are cleansing from your liver will just sit there and get reabsorbed, making you feel worse!  I’m sure you don’t want that to happen!

To keep this from happening, you need to have a bowel movement 2-3 times a day.  Lots of raw foods, 1-2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds per day, or colon cleanse supplements can help get things moving in the right direction.

Herbs that support liver function: 

  • Milk thistle
  • Dandelion root and leaf
  • Schisandra berrry

Taking these herbs on a regular basis can help support your liver’s function and help keep you healthy.  You can even juice dandelion greens for a serious liver cleanse!  Pure Body Clear by Energetix is one of our favorite supplements for liver support that we use in our office with clients.

Be sure to check out our Pure Body Detox eBook for more in depth information on detoxification.

What if I feel worse when cleansing?

Nausea when liver cleansing is a common symptom that means your liver really needs cleansing!  If you feel worse when cleansing your liver, it may be what’s called a “healing crisis”.  As your body moves out toxins, you can temporarily feel worse before you feel better.  If this happens, you may want to do a colon cleanse to help move toxins out quicker, or eat more raw foods to help support your body during the cleanse.  If it gets too uncomfortable, just slow the cleansing down and support the liver with Milk thistle, Dandelion, or Schisandra.  When it comes to liver cleansing, slow and steady wins the race rather than doing it fast.  So, rather than an intense one-week liver cleanse, taking the herbs over a period of a few months is going to give you better results.

Happy Liver Cleansing!