When selecting tomato sauce, paste or puree, be sure to choose those made only from organic tomatoes. To make your own concentrated tomato sauce, slice organic tomatoes in half, and roast face down in the oven for 30 minutes at degrees F, until the skin has shriveled.

Remove from the oven, and let cool. Slide the skins off, and gently crush in your food processor or blender. Strain to remove seeds, if you desire.

Pour into a Dutch oven, and let simmer until thick, one to two hours. Rich in antioxidants, beet greens are loaded with potassium. Add beets and beet greens to your fresh vegetable juice recipe; finely chop and add raw to salads; or sauté lightly, like other greens.

Beets also naturally cleanse the gallbladder and improve bile flow. White beans, kidney beans and lima beans are all rich in potassium, protein and fiber. Swap out garbanzo beans for one of these potassium-rich beans in your favorite hummus recipe.

Enjoy it with carrot sticks and celery sticks. In addition to potassium, blackstrap molasses is rich with iron, calcium, manganese and copper. Incorporate blackstrap molasses into your diet by replacing other natural sweeteners with it.

You can use it to create barbecue sauces and to top oatmeal or quinoa porridge in the mornings. Two teaspoons added to coffee intensifies the richness of the coffee, while lowering the acidic taste. And finally, add a banana to your favorite smoothie. Bananas assist in digestion and help release toxins and heavy metals from the body — all of which are essential during a liver cleanse.

Please note: If you have high levels of potassium in your kidneys, foods rich in potassium should be consumed moderately.

Coffee enemas help with constipation , reduce fatigue and aid in liver detoxification. An enema targets the lower portion of your large intestine and can be done at home, unlike colonics, which include the entire bowel and are performed outside the home by a professional.

During the enema, organic coffee is retained in your bowel, allowing the fluid to enter the liver through the intestinal wall. This has a stimulating effect that increases bile flow, helping jump-start both your gallbladder and your liver. This sparks the production of the chemical glutathione, a strong cleansing compound that helps release the buildup of toxins in your system.

Combine two tablespoons of organic ground coffee with three cups of filtered or distilled water in a pot, and bring to a boil. Simmer gently for 15 minutes, and allow to cool.

Strain the mixture through cheesecloth, and use in your enema kit. Milk thistle helps eliminate the buildup of heavy metals , prescription medications, environmental pollutants and alcohol in the liver. In addition, it helps reduce the negative effects on the liver after chemotherapy and radiation.

Research indicates that the active ingredient silymarin helps strengthen the cell walls in the liver, while supporting healthy regeneration. Most homeowners hate the dandelion, as it populates yards every spring, but, this flower and its roots are actually packed with vitamins and minerals.

Dandelion root has a natural diuretic effect, allowing your liver to more quickly eliminate toxins. It also helps strengthen the immune system , balance blood sugar levels , relieve heartburn and soothe digestive upset.

Burdock root is another option in the same plant family as dandelions that can help detox your system by cleansing the blood, therefore helping support liver function. Like milk thistle, both dandelion root and burdock root can be taken in both supplement form or as a detox tea.

Turmeric supports healthy liver tissue and liver metabolism. You can also purchase a liver support supplement that combines many of these key botanicals, such as milk thistle seed, dandelion root, beet root and bupleurum root to help detoxify the liver, assist in healthy liver function and also work as an anti-inflammatory.

Liver from young, healthy, grass-fed cattle or chicken liver is rich with vitamins A and B, folic acid, choline, iron, copper, zinc, chromium, and CoQ Liver is one of the most nutrient-dense foods we can eat and unsurprisingly an organ-nourishing food.

Seek a supplement that guarantees no hormones, pesticides or antibiotics are used in the feeding and care of the cattle. In addition to the healthy foods and supplements mentioned above, you can give your liver a boost by starting with a quick, hour liver cleanse.

In the seven days prior to this short cleanse, eat the following liver detox foods:. Avoid any processed foods, and eat free-range organic meats, refined carbohydrates and gluten sparingly. This preparation will help facilitate the cleanse. During the week you are preparing your body, also try this Secret Detox Drink.

It boosts your energy and helps you detox and cleanse the liver. This recipe calls for apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, cinnamon and water. Then, during the week of your cleanse try this liver detox drink. This recipe will help support your body while cleansing. You should consume a minimum of 72 ounces of this mixture and 72 ounces of water.

After one day of the cranberry juice blend, reintroduce the foods you ate in preparation for the liver cleanse. You can also try other detox drinks support a liver detox. Popular Nutrition Posts All Time This Week {position} Detox Your Liver: A 6-Step Liver Cleanse.

More Nutrition Dr. Axe on Facebook 82 Dr. Axe on Twitter 4 Dr. Axe on Instagram Dr. Axe on Google Plus Dr. Axe on Youtube Dr. Axe on Pintrest 68 Share on Email Print Article Your heart plays a crucial role in your health. Axe on Facebook 14 Dr. Axe on Twitter 22 Dr. Learn more about whether liver supplements work and how to keep a liver healthy, here.

Detox diets claim to rid the body of toxic substances, but there is currently no good quality scientific evidence to support their use. Detoxing involves helping the body remove harmful substances, usually through eating certain foods.

Here, learn which dietary changes can help and why. In most cases, the organs in the body cleanse the blood without any extra help.

In this article, learn about blood cleansers and whether they work. Parasite cleanses aim to rid the body of parasitic infections, such as worms.

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Medical News Today. Health Conditions Health Products Discover Tools Connect. Do liver cleanses work? Evidence and risks. Medically reviewed by Debra Rose Wilson, Ph. What is a liver cleanse?

Fact or fiction? Losing weight Liver-friendly foods Other options Should you try it? Share on Pinterest A liver cleanse may involve may involve choosing or avoiding specific foods, or going on a juice fast. Liver cleanse: Fact or fiction? Share on Pinterest A liver cleanse will not cure a liver disease, and should not be used to replace normal treatment.

Can cleansing the liver help you lose weight? Liver-friendly foods. Share on Pinterest Avoiding foods high in fat, such as meat, fish, or dairy, may help people with liver disease.

Other ways to improve liver health. Should you try a liver cleanse? How we reviewed this article: Sources. Medical News Today has strict sourcing guidelines and draws only from peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations.

We avoid using tertiary references. We link primary sources — including studies, scientific references, and statistics — within each article and also list them in the resources section at the bottom of our articles.

You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy. Share this article. Latest news Ovarian tissue freezing may help delay, and even prevent menopause.

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Atlantic diet may help prevent metabolic syndrome. Related Coverage. Do liver supplements work? Medically reviewed by Dena Westphalen, PharmD.

But once you've mastered that, you might want to consider intermittent fasting for additional liver detox support. Research suggests that during periods of fasting, cells in the liver produce more of a protein associated with improved sugar metabolism and reduced levels of liver fat called GADD45β.

More research in this area is needed, but a number of experts promote intermittent fasting for a variety of reasons. One of the cool self-cleaning tools utilized during fasting is something called autophagy , which literally translates to 'self-eating. Ferira likens autophagy to "spring cleaning, but every day, assuming you're giving your body the tools it needs to get after this all-important cellular clean up.

A good introduction to intermittent fasting is the hour fast, in which you confine all of your daily eating to an eight-hour window and fast for the remaining 16 hours.

Try this for a week or two and see if you notice any changes in energy or mood. For more specific guidance, check out our guide to intermittent fasting meal plans and schedules.

We've already compiled our favorite liver supplements , but these are some specific nutrients to look for. When shopping for high-quality liver supplements, be wary of specific products that tout themselves as liver detoxes, liver cleanses, and liver flushes.

Many of these "cleanses" are harsh on the body and fail to comprehensively support liver function. That said, there are individual nutrient and plant bioactives that have scientific backing for their ability to support liver health by protecting liver cells, assisting in the filtering and removal of unwanted toxins, stimulating bile production, and more.

The following supplements are all generally safe, but you should still talk to a health care professional before taking one or more to ensure they don't interfere with your health regimen e.

One of the most well-known herbal supplements for liver health is milk thistle silymarin is its MVP bioactive , which is an extract from the seeds of the flowering milk thistle plant. It has antioxidant and inflammatory response balancing properties and has also been shown to boost glutathione levels 12 , known as the master antioxidant.

Look for a milk thistle supplement that's standardized to contain a concentrated dose e. We already mentioned some glutathione-boosting foods you can eat to support your liver, but did you know that targeted supplements with a bioavailable form of glutathione called Setria® can also promote daily glutathione status and ample body stores 13 of the "master antioxidant?

Glutathione is a critical regulator of oxidative stress, quenching free radicals wherever it goes—including the liver, where it assists in conjugating toxic compounds into neutral ones so they can be easily eliminated from the body. Look for a glutathione supplement with or more milligrams of bioavailable glutathione like Setria® to bolster sufficient glutathione levels and promote whole-body antioxidant activity.

Turmeric root and its bioactive curcuminoids have demonstrated hepatoprotective i. The turmeric botanical also helps maintain inflammatory and oxidative balance thanks to antioxidant properties of turmeric and promote glutathione production.

Other research 15 suggests turmeric helps stimulate the production of bile—the fluid produced by our livers that aids in the digestion of fats within the small intestine. Of course, more research on turmeric and liver health needs to be done on humans before any official recommendations can be made, but things look promising.

Look for a turmeric supplement that shares info on the curcuminoids percent and part of the plant i. N-acetyl-L-cysteine aka NAC is a powerful antioxidant that has been shown to promote oxidative balance 16 in the liver and support the essential functions of our detox organs.

For optimal oxidative balance and glutathione production, look for a high-quality NAC supplement that includes a useful dose, for example milligrams or more of the potent antioxidant. If you haven't noticed by now, antioxidant activity is wildly important when it comes to promoting liver health and supporting the body's detoxification efforts day in and day out.

And if antioxidant-oxidant balance is the goal which, it always is , then potent antioxidant vitamin C simply has to be a part of the conversation. By quenching free radicals and promoting the regeneration of other key antioxidants—such as vitamin E and glutathione 18 —vitamin C bolsters antioxidant activity and helps regulate oxidative balance 19 throughout the body.

To fight oxidative stress in the liver, look for a vitamin C supplement with efficacious, bioavailable doses of the essential vitamin i.

Algae, specifically chlorella , is a powerful chelator, which means it can bind to and help remove heavy metals and other toxins that might otherwise tax your liver. As a unique sea vegetable, chlorella also contains several nutrients 20 and phytonutrients with antioxidant actions—including vitamin C, chlorophyll, beta-carotene, lutein, and lycopene—so you might consider adding a scoop of chlorella powder to your morning smoothie for a detoxifying boost.

Like chlorella, activated charcoal can help bind to and remove toxins that are circulating in your system. However, it can also bind to minerals and vitamins, so you should take it between meals and away from other supplements. Furthermore, robust studies have not been done to determine activated charcoal's long-term safety, so consider it a short-term, targeted strategy and partner with your healthcare practitioner on the best approach.

If you take other supplements in the morning, consider taking one activated charcoal tablet between lunch and dinner. This important antioxidant mineral is vital to the body's natural detoxification pathways for its free-radical-quenching abilities. Additionally, selenium has synergistic relationships with cysteine, glutathione, and other substances with active sulfur groups that help provide a wide range of protective actions and maintain oxidative balance for whole-body health.

Adults should get at least 55 micrograms of selenium a day through diet and supplementation, but can safely take a more concentrated amount, up to micrograms, to support the body's detox efforts.

Sweating helps take some of the detoxification burden off of your liver. According to Wendie Trubow, M. Ridding the body of the toxins is done through three major pathways.

Ferira explains, "While urine via the kidneys and poop via the gut might immediately come to mind as excretion pathways, the less obvious but no less important route of toxin removal is via sweating the skin. Not only a critical barrier, "the skin is our major detoxification organ, and sweating is the best way to get the toxins out of our body," Trubow says.

Additionally, exercise boosts your body's glutathione production, which aids in detoxification. If you don't exercise already, then embrace whatever movement brings you joy and works with your schedule.

Start with something like walking and build up to 30 minutes of aerobic activity per day. Strength training can also be helpful.

In addition to a variety of movement activities, sweating can be promoted via far infrared saunas , steam, or Epsom salt baths.

Too much stress in your life can negatively affect all facets of your well-being including your liver and contribute to internal oxidative stress To optimize your mental and physical well-being, it's in your best interest to address unchecked stress and adopt healthy habits that promote calm in your life.

Something as simple as an aromatherapy bath once or twice a week can do the trick. Try this detox bath recipe featuring ginger, Epsom salts, baking soda, and a few drops of your favorite essential oil—it will soothe your senses, relieve achy joints, and help you sweat out some toxins.

No time for a soak session? Dry brushing and hot towel scrubbing are two more soothing and detoxifying bathroom rituals that promote calm, as well as lymphatic circulation, which helps flush toxins from the body. Targeted nutritional approaches can help promote calm too. Quite simply, anything that brings you joy is a form of self-care.

Whether that's yoga, deep breathing, walking your dog, watching a show on Netflix, or even getting rid of a bunch of old junk in your closet think Marie Kondo's KonMari method , it's crucial that you make the time. RELATED: 5 Daily Detoxifying Rituals To Add To Your Self-Care Routine.

Ultimately, a liver cleanse or detox is a lifestyle change. There's no magic bullet when it comes to a liver cleanse or detox—and anything marketed as such ahem , a liver flush is rightfully questioned. However, there are a number of small, research-backed actions you can take to reduce your liver's workload and promote overall health.

Incorporate some of the suggestions above preferably under the guidance of your health care provider , and over time, your body and liver will thank you. Skip to Content. Shop Health Coaching Classes Editor's Picks Beauty Food Healthy Weight Login Login.

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Close Banner. Integrative Health expert reviewed. Author: Stephanie Eckelkamp. Ashley Jordan Ferira, Ph. By Stephanie Eckelkamp. There is little evidence to support this. Over time, however, exposure to chemicals can damage the liver. For example, drinking alcohol is a well-known way to ruin liver function over time.

While liver failure is a serious health problem, there is no evidence that dangerous toxins accumulate in otherwise healthy livers without specific exposure to large amounts of these chemicals. Mainstream medical practitioners argue that the liver does not need detoxing and that doing so might even be dangerous.

A healthy liver naturally cleanses itself. An unhealthy liver will not get better with a liver cleanse. A person with liver disease needs proper medical treatment and may require lifestyle or dietary changes. Some evidence suggests that supplements, such as milk thistle, may improve liver health.

However, there is no evidence that these supplements will detox the liver, or that they can cure any liver condition. Supporters believe that flushing the liver of toxins can improve metabolism, but there is no evidence to support this claim. This is because the body adjusts to the low nutrient intake by absorbing nutrients more slowly.

Some diets that claim to improve liver health require people to consume few calories for several days. This can result in temporary weight loss. Much of the weight loss, however, is water weight, which will return once a person begins to eat normally again. While it is not possible to cleanse the liver with any specific food or combination of foods, doctors may recommend dietary changes to people with liver disease.

For most people , avoiding very fatty foods and alcohol can reduce the risk of liver disease. People with healthy livers do not need to adopt specific diets.

Simply eating a balanced, whole food, varied diet and limiting alcohol intake will help preserve liver health. Some simple strategies that can reduce the risk of liver disease and help the liver rid the body of toxins include:. In some cases, they may even be dangerous.

A healthy lifestyle, balanced diet, and regular consultations with a doctor are far more valuable to the health of the liver than any fad diet or cleanse. Liver cleanses offer no proven benefits.

To protect liver health, people can adopt a more comprehensive, long-term health strategy. Liver supplements claim to help people maintain a healthy liver. Learn more about whether liver supplements work and how to keep a liver healthy, here. Detox diets claim to rid the body of toxic substances, but there is currently no good quality scientific evidence to support their use.

Drinking alcohol in moderation is the most crucial factor to protect against liver disease. When consumed in excessive amounts, alcohol can cause liver damage.

The recommended intake is just one standard drink per day for women, and two for men up to the age of Get vaccinated against hepatitis. Hepatitis is a liver disease caused by a virus.

All types of hepatitis A, B and C are very hard on your liver. The best approach is to protect yourself from exposure to these viruses. Choose medications carefully.

Your liver has to process medications, so whether you require prescription or nonprescription drugs, choose them carefully and speak to your doctor about alternative options.

Most importantly, never mix alcohol with any medications. Be wary of needles. Blood carries hepatitis viruses, so never share needles to inject drugs or medications.