15 Ways to Boost Your Liver for Great Health

Your liver must perform over 500 functions, making it potentially one of the most overburdened organs in your body. Our modern lifestyle, replete with air pollution, food additives and high amounts of stress ensure that the liver has plenty to do.

So, it’s no surprise that the liver can become sluggish, making it a factor in many health conditions, including: allergies, arthritis, asthma, bad breath, chronic fatigue syndrome, cravings for sweets, depression, environmental illness/multiple chemical sensitivities, fatigue, fibromyalgia, headaches and migraines, hepatitis, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, hypoglycemia, hormone imbalances, immune system disorders, irritable bowel syndrome, overweight or obesity, poor digestion, recurring nausea and/or vomiting, skin diseases, and ulcerative colitis. Of course there are other factors involved in these conditions so it is important to see a physician if you suffer from any of them.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about the liver is its ability to regenerate itself. When it is given the critical nutrients, a healthy whole foods diet, and herbs to help it function, it can be restored to health in most circumstances. Strengthening the liver is one of the ways to boost energy, balance weight, and strengthen overall health.

Here are 15 ways to give your liver a boost:

1. The liver requires high amounts of vitamins and minerals to perform its many functions. Your diet should be high in fruits and vegetables and fibrer-rich foods.

2. Your liver must filter food additives. Eliminate processed foods, artificial food additives, colors, and preservatives from your diet to give your liver a break.

3. Eat plenty of fresh carrots and beets, both of which are powerful liver cleansing and rebuilding foods. In addition, eat plenty of green foods. The chlorophyll, which gives plants their green color, helps cleanse the liver.

4. Try to eat two heaping tablespoons of ground flaxseeds. They bind to hormone receptor sites, preventing excess hormones including synthetic xenoestrogens from plastics and other chemicals, from floating around your bloodstream. One of the liver’s five hundred jobs is to filter excess hormones. By eating flaxseeds and flax oil you are helping it function more effectively. Flaxseeds can be sprinkled on cereal, toast, salads, or blended into smoothies.

Keep reading to learn about the best liver-boosting herbs and nutrients…

1 of 3

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Teresa W.

5:40AM PDT on Mar 24, 2012

Fruit and vegetables are actually very harmful to the liver.

send a green star

Harsha V.

10:10PM PDT on Mar 23, 2012

Each time, I read this article, I get a practical suggestion for my individual habits. This time it is about flax seeds! Let me explore more

A great article. Thanks a lot

Sarah M.

8:31AM PDT on Mar 19, 2012

Thank you.

Siti R.

11:55AM PDT on Mar 18, 2012

am livered-up! thanks for the article.

Elizabeth K.

5:00PM PDT on Mar 14, 2012

I'd say that avoiding all drugs (except those necessary to save your life) is even more important than the good advice given.

That includes over-the-counter and prescription drugs used to suppress symptoms of flu and colds. There's herbal things you can take to get over these common, though admittedly uncomfortable, attempts by your body to clean itself out.

Vicynthia T.

6:15AM PDT on Mar 11, 2012

Heidi A.

1:04AM PST on Mar 5, 2012

Wow! I had no idea.

Annemarie W.

7:26PM PST on Mar 3, 2012

The liver is amazing! You can't live without your liver!

Dale O.

12:53PM PST on Mar 3, 2012

Marvellous, but will never give up butter and cheese, just use sparingly and salt less butter tastes better, even adding herbs to the mix. Will start eating garlic to keep the vampires-and eekkk every one else away if it is raw garlic.

Shane C.

4:19PM PST on Mar 2, 2012

I Had No Idea, That The Liver Had So Many Functions. If Your Reading, This Comment Right Now Please Watch CBC The National, Tonight At 10 o'clock. Today Is Mar 2.
I Am Being Examined By Dr Wong , At The Toronto Western Hospital . Dr Wong Is A Liver Specialist. Bringing Awareness To Hep A, B, And C.
Close To 30 Years Ago, I Went On Vacation, To Acapulco, Mexico I Accidentally Drank Some Water. I Got Very Ill, 104 Temp. I Was Seen By 2 Separate Doctors, At The Hyatt Regency Hotel. I Remember One Doctor Giving Me Two Needles, And The Second Doctor Giving Me One. They Were Trying To Break The Fever That I Had. I Would Not Even Know Now, If I Hadn't Applied For Life Insurance.