The channels of elimination
The body has four channels of elimination that work to release toxins and acids everyday. Many organs play a supportive role in the process of detoxification, including the stomach (digestion), the liver (liberating the toxins), the small intestine (assimilation), the colon (removal of wastes) and the skin (elimination of toxins).
- The liver has two phases of detoxification. If either of these phases is impaired in any way, your ability to detoxify chemicals, heavy metals and environmental pollutants decreases.
- Next are the intestines that absorb essential vitamins and minerals from your food leaving behind waste products and insoluble fibre. It is important that your intestines have the right balance of friendly bacteria to aid this process. The colon reabsorbs water and excretes waste products from your body.
- The skin is the largest organ of your body, and eliminates toxins through perspiration.
- Finally, the kidneys are the filtration system of the body and have the massive job of working through wastes and eliminating them from the body via the bladder.
Maintaining a healthy diet with antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables can help your body do this naturally. But if you're chomping down on burgers, fried foods, pizzas, and donuts every other day, you might need something to naturally supplement your body's liver function, and in turn, the detoxification process. Make sure to consult your doctor before trying a liver cleanse. Here are some herbs that could help you support your liver function.
Boldo
Most commonly, boldo is credited with being an antioxidant for the liver, eliminating gallstones, and optimizing gallbladder health. But it is also promoted as a health tonic for other conditions including: upset stomach, rheumatism/achy joints, cystitis, liver disease, sleep problems, anxiety and constipation. Its leaves contain an essential oil rich in eucalyptol and alkaloids which stimulate the secretion of bile by facilitating its evacuation to the intestine
Artichoke
This plant is known to stimulate the liver. It may help the secretion of bile as well as digestive upsets.
Dandelion
This plant is found on all lawns at the beginning of the warmer days. We see them as weeds but they are way more than that. Its leaves are used in herbal medicine for its benefits in the secretion of bile and the elimination of toxins.
Milk thistle
Milk thistle is an herbal remedy derived from the milk thistle plant, also known as Silybum marianum. The silymarin extracted from milk thistle is known to have antioxidant, antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties. Some studies have shown improvements in liver function in people with liver diseases who have taken a milk thistle supplement. Suggesting it could help reduce liver inflammation and liver damage.
To support your digestion and liver function, A.Vogel has an amazing product that is called the Digestive Aid Complex which contains exactly those four herbs listed above. The product helps to relieve digestive disturbances such as: heartburn, acid reflux, excess burping, bloating, nausea, feeling of abnormal or slow digestion or early satiety. I enjoy the tabs as they are small and easy to carry around in a purse or when traveling. You can simply take one at night to wake up feeling lighter the next day!
Other ways to support the liver
- Eating more fibrous foods that are high in both soluble and insoluble fiber helps the liver function efficiently.
- Staying hydrated by drinking more water. The liver needs a lot of water to do its job. The flow is important for the bringing of nutrients to it as well as the carrying of waste products from it.
- Avoiding drugs and alcohol. Processing these can be very taxing for the liver.
- Take time to breathe deeply, slow down the pace, relax, meditate, or pray. Stress can aggravate liver congestion.
- Visit your health practitioner such as a physio, osteo or chiropractor. The liver works and stays healthy, because of the nerves controlling it. These nerves come from the spine. If the spine is misaligned, the nerves do not work as they should.
- Spice up your meals with spices and herbs that are known for their anti-inflammatory properties, such as turmeric, cinnamon and licorice.
- Minimize exposure to chemicals of all sorts—from food additives and cosmetics to caustic cleaning agents. Remember that the liver needs to break down every chemical entering the body either for use or excretion.
By supporting our liver through healthy lifestyle choices and habits, we are improving so many aspects of our health and allowing our body to be able to cleans itself through the liver.
Sources:
https://www.askanaturopath.com/liver-detox/
https://link.springer.com/article/10.2165/00003495-200161140-00003
https://klemow.wilkes.edu/Arctium13.html
https://www.utep.edu/herbal-safety/herbal-facts/herbal%20facts%20sheet/boldo.html
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27517806/
