A healthy liver plays such a vital role in keeping the entire body functioning optimally. Many diseases stem from poor liver function or are at least exacerbated by it. This is why improving the health of your liver can help heal many afflictions and enhance your total well-being.
How can you tell if your liver is healthy and functioning well? There are many signs of poor liver function which may be indicating that your liver is in need of a good overhaul, and if you don't have any of these signs, simply maintaining the health of your liver can be an invaluable preventative aid for living a disease-free life.
What Does Your Liver Do for You?
A well-functioning liver aids digestion by producing bile which helps the breakdown and subsequent assimilation of nutrients from ingested food, particularly fats and fat-soluble vitamins.
The liver also plays a key role in detoxifying the body by converting harmful substances into a less harmful form and removing the toxins from the body via the bile that is excreted into the digestive system and eliminated with the faeces.
A well working liver also helps in reducing free-radical damage to the tissues of the body, helping to ensure that body systems function optimally.
The liver plays a role in maintaining hormonal equilibrium in the body. It produces cholesterol for the manufacture of hormones and helps eliminate excess hormones such as oestrogen.
The liver also plays a role in maintaining energy levels by storing glycogen which when required, is converted into glucose for use in energy production.
The waste products of dead blood cells are also removed from the body via the bile that the liver produces.
Five Ways to Improve Your Liver Function
1. Include the following foods in your diet:
onions, garlic, turmeric, cabbage, broccoli, cabbage sprouts, broccoli sprouts, Brussel sprouts, artichokes, carrot, beetroot, pumpkin, raw nuts and seeds, reishi and shitake mushrooms, lemons, berries, apples, capsicums, leafy greens, brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat, millet, amaranth, brewer's yeast, and cold-pressed vegetable and nut/seed oils. Avoid all artificial food additives and eat organic food to reduce ingestion of chemicals.
2. Use herbs that are good for the liver: turmeric, dandelion, St. Mary's thistle, liquorice, globe artichoke, calendula, peppermint, and fennel.
3. Drink plenty of water in-between meals.
4. Eliminate exposure and ingestion of toxins as much as possible by eating organic foods, using natural non-toxic personal care and household products, and eliminate the use of toxic sprays in and around the house such as fly sprays and weed killers.
5. Avoid consumption of alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes.
Use a herbal detox aid such as organic Liver Cleanse or Liver Detox tea and a supplement such as Reishi Immune to help improve liver function and flush excess toxins from the body.
And if you really want to give your liver a fresh start for better well-being, Andreas Moritz's book, The Amazing Liver and Gallbladder Flush, is highly recommended.
Many health problems and diseases can be quite remarkably improved by improving the health of your liver. Think of your liver as your "right-hand man" when it comes to maintaining total well-being.