Liver detox supplements can be taken to support your liver on a day-to-day basis or go for a seasonal detox to care for a liver that might be a bit overwhelmed. Let’s look at ways to love your liver, things to know before doing a liver detox and our favourite liver detox supplements to support the wellbeing of your liver in 2022.
What does the liver do?
The liver is on the right-hand side of your body, under the rib cage. It’s a vital organ, famous for cleansing the blood and filtering waste, it also has many other very important jobs, here a just a few:
- Produces bile for fat digestion.
- Detoxifies alcohol, drugs, and toxins, to be eliminated as waste.
- Stores vitamins and minerals like B12 and iron.
- Processes fructose, and stores glucose for when it’s needed later
- Breaks down hormones once they’ve been used
The liver also processes food, drink, and other things that we put into, or onto our body. If it’ constantly needing to process margaritas or sugary treats, it can get a little overloaded. When the liver is unable to process everything, it simply packages up those toxins and excess hormones with some fat and sends it off to a place where it can ‘deal with it later’. If the liver is overloaded it may not be able to perform its other tasks as efficiently which may lead to imbalances.
Everyday ways to support your liver
There are so many ways we can support our liver to function at its best. It’s all about reducing the liver load and supporting the body with all the vitamins and minerals it needs. To do a natural liver cleanse every day:
- Limit alcohol and caffeine.
- Maintain a healthy weight and exercise regularly.
- Have a variety of fresh vegetables and fruit and eat organically where possible.
- Drink water instead of juice and fizzy drinks.
- Remember that cigarettes, recreational drugs, and exposure to chemicals in your environment place extra load on the liver.
- Remove as much of the plastics as possible in your kitchen. Never store or reheat a meal in plastic.
- Replace your household cleaners with natural ones.
- Slowly replace your skincare and makeup with natural products.
The best liver cleanse diet is one that includes plenty of vegetables, fibre, bitter salad greens, and limits dietary sugars. Check out the 5 surprising foods to support your liver.
Does liver detox work?
The liver is pretty good at carrying out its job of detoxifying day to day, however if you are feeling a little sluggish or you’re needing a reset, you can support your liver even further by doing a liver detox with liver support supplements:
- Antioxidants like liposomal glutathione and curcumin support the liver’s cells as they encounter any ‘unfriendly’ toxins.
- Liver cleanse herbal formulas and teas usually contain one of or a mixture of Milk thistle and Globe artichoke which can support liver cell health.
- B Vitamins are required for all liver processes.
Doing a liver detox supports the liver to do its many jobs and liver supplements support the healthy integrity and function of liver cells.
Benefits of liver supplements
Whether you’re supporting your liver daily or with a liver detox supplement, you can look forward to enjoying:
- Clear and glowing skin.
- Bright eyes.
- Healthy digestion and metabolism of fats.
- Healthy hormone metabolism and estrogen clearance for hormonal balance.
- A liver that is operating at its best supports the wellbeing of the whole body.
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How to do a liver detox
If you are wanting to do a more intensive liver detox, then we have you covered. Some people like to do one yearly detox in spring, and others do a seasonal detox to make sure that their liver is always in tip top shape. There are a couple of key things to keep in mind for the best liver detox:
- Reduce the load on your liver – this means giving your liver a break from things that can keep it busy (caffeine, alcohol, fructose, and other sugars).
- Up your fibre intake - fibre binds to toxins and excess metabolic waste in the bowel, which supports the elimination of the not-so-good stuff via bowel movements.
- Drink plenty of water – Staying hydrated is super important when doing a liver detox to flush out toxins.
- Use liver supporting supplements – choose a herbal supplement to support liver cell function, antioxidants to support the integrity of liver cells, binders for healthy heavy metal detoxification, and other gut and kidney supporting products for elimination.
- Take it easy – depending on your current state of health, when you start your liver detox you may feel slightly muzzy headed, a bit tired or notice digestive changes. Support your body by drinking plenty of water, getting adequate sleep, and by sticking to gentle forms of exercise like walking, yoga, and pilates.
What is elimination?
Your body has a few ‘elimination channels’, to get rid of waste, they are your bowels, the kidneys, your lungs, and the skin. So it’s important to make sure that these channels are clear and working at their best to remove toxins.
- Support the bowels with lots of dietary fibre and water. Bone broths, slippery elm, and probiotics can also support healthy bowel movements.
- Support your kidneys by keeping up your water intake.
- Support your lungs by getting plenty of fresh air.
- Support your skin by using a dry body brush to stimulate blood flow and doing exercise to produce sweat.
- Spending time in a sauna is another way to support detoxification, just make sure you have a nice hot shower afterwards.
If you are not experiencing a daily bowel motion, then focus on getting your gut function working regularly using the tips above before doing an intensive liver cleanse. We really like the Biotics range from LifeStream, with options for the whole family to support efficient and regular bowel motions.
Top 10 Liver Supplements and Products
We’ve put together our favourite liver detox supplements that can be used for daily support or periodic liver detox. Daily support can include bitters, herbals, and antioxidants.
1. Wild Dispensary Liver Bitters
When you eat bitter tasting foods, this naturally activates the bitter taste receptors on your tongue, and primes the digestive system for the healthy release of enzymes that break down your meal, and the gall bladder to release bile. Bile emulsifies fats so that they can be processed efficiently and also secretes toxins to be eliminated. Bitters help support this natural process and are especially supportive of a healthy gall bladder and liver function.
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2. Artemis Liver Detox Tea
This gentle liver detox tea from Artemis is the perfect daily liver support. Start the day right with a tasty hot cup of infused herbs, including Fennel, Milk thistle, Globe artichoke, Peppermint, Calendula, and Dandelion root. This carefully blended, high-quality tea supports digestion, liver detoxification, and a healthy gut.
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3. Coyne Healthcare BioMax Glutathione Liposomal
Glutathione is the king of all antioxidants, supporting the integrity of liver cells, and the immune system. The body can make a little from its precursor N-Acetyl Cysteine, and we can get some via our diet. The best way to take glutathione is via liposomal technology for the best absorption, and uptake into the cells.
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4. Ethical Nutrients Curcumin Plus
Curcumin is another fantastic antioxidant. Curcumin is a phytochemical from the turmeric root, which conveys support to almost every system in the body, including the liver. This supplement contains an optimised form of curcumin, which has been formulated to be absorbed more readily in the gut.
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5. BioBalance Liver Cleanse & Detox
This handy liver detox supplement blends the extracts of liver supporting herbs, along with key nutrients like selenium, zinc, and iodine from kelp. This can be taken daily, or at a higher dose for a 15 day detox. Being in capsule form makes it ideal for those who prefer capsules to liquid herbal formulasfor taste reasons.
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6. Kiwiherb Organic Liver Cleanse
When it comes to herbal formulas Kiwiherb always delivers on quality. This liquid liver detox supplement contains concentrated organic Milk thistle, Dandelion root, Globe artichoke, and Liquorice. Being a liquid, it starts doing its job the moment it touches your tongue. It can be taken daily, as a ‘one off’ dose after indulgence, or as part of a detoxification program.
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7. Nature’s Sunshine Liquid Chlorophyll
Chlorophyll is a phytochemical that gives plants their green colour and is also responsible for the process of photosynthesis in plants (turning sunlight into energy). Chlorophyll contains many vitamins and minerals that support detoxification and it supports healthy alkalinity-it’s a great way to add more ‘greens’ to your day.
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8. Waihi Bush Organic Flax Fibre
Fibre is required for healthy gut motility, it has an important role to play in detoxification and removal of wastes from the body. It is a must-have when completing any detox program. Flaxseeds are especially good at binding to toxins and hormone metabolites as they travel through your gut.
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9. Radiance Activated Charcoal
Activated charcoal can bind to toxins in the gut – so that they don’t get absorbed into your blood stream. It can also address uncomfortable gas and bloating related to unwanted bugs from food. It’s a super popular option that lots of people keep in their pantry to use when the need arises.
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10. Nature’s Sunshine Clean Start – 14 Day Detox Program
For a gentle 14-day detox kit that tastes great, try this beauty from Nature’s Sunshine. The liver detox kit contains whole body herbal support along with the supergreen Chlorophyll, Psyllium for fibre, Bentonite clay as a binder, and Aloe vera to calm the digestive tract. This is perfect for the busy person as all the doses are conveniently pre-packaged and ready to go.
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Start gently
Taking a liver support or detox supplement for the first time? When you start, it can be a wise strategy to begin gradually. This allows the body time to adjust so your elimination pathways can get rid of waste efficiently. Start with ½ or ¼ of the recommended dose and slowly increase to the full recommended dose over several days to a week. Drink plenty of water and eat high fiber foods as mentioned earlier in the ‘How to do a liver detox’ section above.
The Best Liver Detox Supplements
A little kindness sent in our liver’s direction goes a long way. For glowing skin, bright eyes, and an overall sense of health and wellbeing, incorporate some liver supplements into your routine. At HealthPost we have a wide range of liver cleanse supplements to support you daily, or during your next liver detox.
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