Detoxing Your Liver: Health Benefits of a Liver Cleanse

Have you heard of a liver cleanse? Liver cleanses rid your body of toxins to help you function and feel your best. With the increased toxin exposure and other liver-stressing factors like high-sugar diets, viral pathogens, and chronic stress we face today, your liver can likely use any help it can get. How can you support and detox your liver? Read on to learn how to safely and effectively detoxify your liver and the health benefits a liver detox brings.

Perhaps the most important organ for detoxification is the liver. With the help of the gallbladder, your liver works to filter out harmful unwanted toxins and create enzymes and antioxidants that help cleanse the body from these health-robbing chemicals, environmental pollutants, and normal cellular metabolic waste. Beside detoxing, your liver performs over 500 essential functions, including:  

• Digestion 
• Metabolism  
• Hormone production  
• Glucose balance 
• Immunity 
• Antioxidant activity 

Most importantly, the liver works to create, recycle, and store critical nutrients and compounds, and release them into the bloodstream when needed.¹ This is why a clean liver is essential for your best health and to keep your body functioning smoothly and properly.

An overload of toxins in your body can impact your liver’s essential functions, and cause toxins to build up, even in the liver itself. Here are some signs your liver may be over-burdened from toxins:

Low energy levels—When the liver is taxed, it becomes less able to produce glycogen, which gives you energy and balances blood sugar. This can lead to low energy levels as well as increased sugar cravings.² 

Hormone imbalances—The liver also helps regulate the balance of thyroid hormones, adrenal hormones like cortisol, as well as sex hormones including estrogen. Hormone imbalances can be linked to sluggish liver function, indicating the need for targeted liver support.³  

Gas, indigestion and bloating—Bile, a fluid produced by the liver, is necessary for elimination of toxins, and also supports a healthy microbiome balance in the gut. Without adequate bile production, healthy gut microbes can be outnumbered, causing uncomfortable gut issues like indigestion, gas and bloating.⁴ 

Immune imbalances—Allergies, environmental sensitivities food intolerances, and other signs of overactive immunity can be linked to an overtaxed or toxic liver. When histamines build up in the body and the liver can’t break them down as it’s supposed to, immune reactions can be more severe.⁵  

Poor sleep—A taxed liver can impair deep sleep and disrupt healthy sleep cycles. Research suggests that this link is due to impaired melatonin metabolism in the liver. Melatonin is a key hormone that is necessary for healthy sleep and wake cycles, and nighttime repair.⁶ 

Some serious liver issues unfortunately don’t have any warning signs. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is increasingly common among adults, and even children, and typically shows no symptoms. This condition appears in people who don’t actually consume excess alcohol, but develop excess fat deposits around the liver that hinder healthy liver function. It’s believed that this is from excess sugar consumption, specifically high fructose corn syrup.⁷ In the US, NAFLD is the most common liver condition, affecting about 25% of the population. If left untreated, it can cause long-term liver damage through chronic inflammation and scarring of the liver.

With a clean liver, you’ll feel more energized, and your body will have the nutrients it needs, without the risk of harmful toxic threats that could derail its function. Benefits of a liver detox include:  

• Healthy weight management  
• Greater energy 
• Healthy gut 
• Clear skin 

There are many natural ways you can safely detox your liver from harmful toxins. Amazingly, the liver is the one vital organ that can actively regenerate itself, with powerful healing and renewal properties. But in order to do this, it needs the right support.⁸ 

Here are some ways to naturally detox your liver: 

Avoiding inflammatory foods such as alcohol, sugar, and processed ingredients that can harm the liver and digestive system is a great place to start. Try eating fresh fruit and produce, and whole unprocessed foods. Cruciferous vegetables like Brussel’s sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower have powerful detox properties that can enhance the liver’s function. 

There are also natural detox ingredients and supplements that can support optimal liver function and detox.  

Fenugreek: As toxins build up, the liver becomes congested and bile thickens, which interferes with digestion, detoxification and other functions. Fenugreek is a great supplement to thin the bile and improve overall liver performance.  

Lipoic acid: A powerful protective antioxidant supportive for liver health and detoxification.  

Dandelion leaf and root: Supports bowel function and can help cleanse the liver and gallbladder. It contains specialized compounds that reduce stress on the liver, and support bile production, while helping the liver to filter toxins from the blood.¹⁰ 

Milk thistle: Possibly the most well-known for liver health, milk thistle is a powerful liver detox ingredient that also helps optimize digestion. Its main active compound, Silymarin, helps defend the liver against toxins, supports antioxidant activity, and promotes healthy liver function.¹¹

MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane): A biologically active form of sulfur that allows detoxification down to the cellular level, MSM supports immunity, joint health and tissue repair, and is shown to defend liver health against toxins including OTC pain medications.¹² 

Keep toxins from building up in the liver and body, with ecoNugenics targeted detox formulas featuring ingredients listed above, plus others, to provide essential benefits for long-term liver health and overall detox function.  

ecoDetox is a comprehensive liver support formula that contains a blend of powerful detox herbs and nutrients for optimal toxin metabolism and elimination.  ecoDetox contains natural liver-enhancing extracts of dandelion, milk thistle and other powerful botanicals like Lipoic acid and MSM, to support optimal liver detox and overall toxin elimination from the skin, lungs and other detox organs. It also contains select ingredients to support healthy antioxidant activity and help boost energy needed for detoxification.*   

• Supports healthy liver and kidney function* 
• Supports healthy detoxification* 
• Boosts antioxidant activity*

These liver cleanse capsules can be used daily to promote healthy liver function and overall health, or they can be included as part of a comprehensive cleansing and detox program, together with PectaClear Toxic Metal Cleanse, for gentle clinically-proven detoxification and long-term wellness.*

Toxins can be stubborn, but with natural ingredients and taking a proactive approach to your health, you can cleanse your liver and support it long-term.

Sources:

1. WiselyR.What Does the Liver Do, and How Do I Keep Mine Healthy? University of Michigan Health Blog website. Updated Nov 6, 2017. Accessed Jun 12, 2021. https://healthblog.uofmhealth.org/what-does-the-liver-do 
2. Swain, MD. Fatigue in Liver Disease: Pathophysiology and Clinical Management Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology. 2005 Oct;(20):181-188.
3. Charni-NatanM, Aloni-Grinstein R, Osher E, Rotter V. Liver and Steroid Hormones-Can a Touch of p53 Make a Difference?. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2019;10:374.
4. Tang W, Yi C,KalitskyJ, et al. Endotoxin downregulates hepatic expression of P-glycoprotein and MRP2 in 2-acetylaminofluorene-treated rats. Mol Cell Biol Res Commun. 2000 Aug;4(2):90-7. 
5. ZiemG, McTamney J. Profile of patients with chemical injury and sensitivity. Environ Health Perspect. 1997 Mar; 105(Suppl 2): 417–436
6. Zhao X, Wong P. Managing Sleep Disturbances in CirrhosisScientifica(Cairo). 2016; 2016: 6576812.
7. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Mayo Clinic website. Accessed June 12, 2021.https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/nonalcoholic-fatty-liver-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20354567 
8. Groeneveld D, Pereyra D, Veldhuis Z,et al.Intrahepatic fibrin(ogen) deposition drives liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy in mice and humans. Blood. 2019 Mar 14;133(11):1245-1256.  
9. StankovićMN, Mladenović D, Ninković M, et al. The effects of α-lipoic acid on liver oxidative stress and free fatty acid composition in methionine-choline deficient diet-induced NAFLD. J Med Food. 2014;17(2):254-261.  
10. Dandelion tea: Is it good for you? WebMD website. Accessed June 12, 2021. https://www.webmd.com/diet/dandelion-tea-is-it-good-for-you#1 
11. AbenavoliL, Capasso R, Milic N, Capasso F. Milk thistle in liver diseases: past, present, future. Phytother Res. 2010 Oct;24(10):1423-32. doi: 10.1002/ptr.3207. PMID: 20564545.
12. BohlooliS, Mohammadi S, Amirshahrokhi K, et al. Effect of Methylsulfonylmethane Pretreatment on Aceta-minophen Induced Hepatotoxicity in Rats. Iran J Basic Med Sci. 2013;16(8):896-900.