Liver Health: How to Maintain Efficient Liver Function

The first thing to know about the liver is that it is the largest gland in our body. It is located on the right side of the abdomen and, most importantly, this organ is crucial for our metabolism. Liver function is involved in the digestion of food, metabolism of drugs, and it takes care of disposing toxic substances from our body. In fact, the liver is among the excretory organs, those assigned to the disposal of toxins, and it is the main one. Therefore, monitoring liver health means monitoring the general health of the body.

WHAT TIRES THE LIVER?

The liver is the “Swiss” organ of the body: super efficient, always punctual, and rarely takes holidays or complains when tired. Yet even liver function can go into crisis and if it even stops, it can cause irreversible damage. The main causes of liver dysfunction concern improper diet and incorrect lifestyle. From a dietary perspective, to keep the liver healthy, one should moderately consume fried foods, saturated fats, smoked foods, grilled or charred foods, as well as limit salt and alcohol consumption. However, risk factors also include sedentary lifestyle, overweight, high stress, and not least the abuse of medications.

SHOULD WE DETOXIFY THE LIVER?

Doing a cycle of purification and detoxification of the liver allows to lighten the hepatic workload, favoring the disposal of toxins. As always, choosing a balanced diet, favoring abundant portions of vegetables, is the first step to take. However, there are also medicinal plants and natural remedies for a hepatic detox cycle, to be exploited in the form of supplements or herbal teas.

NATURAL REMEDIES TO KEEP THE LIVER HEALTHY

Among the herbs useful for purifying the liver is Silymarin, the flavonoid of Milk Thistle, a powerful hepatic protector and liver cell regenerator. Silymarin protects the liver from free radicals and toxic intermediate metabolites. It also increases the synthesis of Glutathione which helps to eliminate the accumulation of toxins in the liver, such as heavy metals, drugs, and alcohol.

Dandelion is another medicinal herb used to purify the liver because it stimulates the secretions of this organ acting as a cholagogue, purifying, and diuretic herb. The artichoke, known for its purifying effects, eating it boiled is a classic to extract all its nutritional properties: this vegetable has a purifying action on the liver cells but also on blood and kidneys, it is a regulator of the bile flow and has a protective action on the liver.