Liver Damage

About the size of a football, the liver is the largest internal organ of the human body. It is under the diaphragm, next to the kidneys, and above the intestines and stomach. A healthy adult liver weighs about three pounds and is dark reddish brown. Liver functions are critical to life. The liver is essential for digesting food and removing toxins from your body.

Liver damage can be caused by various factors that damage the liver, such as autoimmune diseases, viral infection, drug toxicity, and lifestyle factors such as alcohol use and obesity. Liver damage is serious and must be evaluated by a medical professional.

With time and lifestyle changes, the liver can reverse some damage and regenerate itself.

Liver functions include:

  • Blood Filter: All of the blood flowing through the stomach and intestines will go through the liver. This means that about 13 percent of our blood count is found in the liver at any time. The liver filters this blood, breaking down nutrients and medications into forms the body can use. The liver then cleans the waste products and harmful substances from the blood and sends them out of the body through the excretion of urine.
  • Bile Production: Bile is produced in the liver. This digestive juice aids in the digestion of fats. Bile is secreted through the bile duct from the liver to the gallbladder and small intestine. Once the bile reaches the small intestine, it breaks down fats and helps eliminate the waste products produced by this digestive process.
  • Cholesterol Production: Cholesterol is often seen as a negative, but actually, the cholesterol produced by our liver is essential to life; the problem comes from consuming too much dietary cholesterol. Cholesterol produced by the liver is used to strengthen cell membranes and by the body to produce various hormones.
  • Chemical Conversion: The liver converts several things. First, it converts glycerol, produced during the breakdown of triglycerides, into glucose. It then sends the glucose into the cardiovascular system, transforming it into energy, or it helps the body store the glucose for later use. Second, the liver can convert ammonia, a by-product of digesting proteins, into urea which is a non-toxic, water-soluble waste that is then excreted by the kidneys.
  • Protein Production: The liver produces proteins that are necessary to the body's health. Albumin is one such protein. This blood protein carries substances in the blood and helps maintain the body's water balance. Globulins, another protein produced in the liver, help the immune system fight infections, while prothrombin is used to clot blood.

Natural Home Remedies to Improve Function

Liver damage is caused by disease or unhealthy habits, such as overeating or drinking too much alcohol. Liver damage caused by a fatty liver may be due to diabetes or being overweight. The best solution is improving your eating, exercising, and reducing alcohol consumption. Doing this will not only improve your overall health, but it will also help your liver to heal.

  • Avoid refined sugar, processed foods, and fat. Sticking to a healthy diet will help your organs, including the liver, function correctly.
  • Remember to drink plenty of water. This improves the functioning of the liver, allowing it to rid your body of toxins and strengthen your sluggish system.
  • Exercise is essential. This will help you maintain flexibility and improve the blood circulation in your body, and if you need to lose weight, doing so will relieve strain on the liver.

It should be clear now why a healthy liver is important to the body. There are several things that you can do to improve the functioning of your liver.

Diet and Exercise

A healthy diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins can help support liver health. Avoiding processed foods, sugary drinks, and excessive alcohol consumption is also essential. One of the main things you can do to help keep your liver functioning properly is to eat healthy foods only when your body is hungry. Eating unhealthy foods too often overworks your liver. Eating green vegetables like spinach, cabbage, cucumbers, and sprouts is important. In addition, carrots, beans, beets, tomatoes, and mushrooms will help detoxify the body and increase liver function. Other foods that will help your liver function correctly include high-protein foods such as eggs and fish, and garlic.

The foods to avoid for your liver to function correctly include refined sugar and artificial sweeteners. These products are not good for the liver and can tire you. While fresh fruit is the best source of sugar, dried fruit, honey, and maple sugar can also be consumed sparingly. It would be best to avoid alcohol, as it adds a lot of stress to the liver. Deep-fried foods and refined flour will also make your liver sluggish.

Drink plenty of fluids to help flush toxins out of the liver and exercise daily to ensure your liver and other organs stay healthy. 

Regular exercise can help improve liver function by reducing inflammation and improving insulin sensitivity. Pilates, yoga, and other stretching and breathing exercises are helpful. Walking is another low-impact exercise that can help your liver function correctly.

Herbal Remedies

The most popular herbal home remedies to improve liver function include milk thistle, dandelion, fennel, and Verbena officinalis. These are powerful liver cleansers that help detoxify the body and can also help the liver repair itself if it is unhealthy.

Dandelion Tea

One of the most popular home remedies for improving liver function is dandelion. It is beneficial in liver detoxification.

Though most of us are familiar with this abundant weed marring our beautiful lawns, dandelions have a lot of health benefits. Dandelion roots have been used for thousands of years in traditional medical practices to help people's health. Herbalists use its bitter taste to promote healthy digestion and naturally boost immunity via raw dandelion root tea or as a supplement via capsule form.

The dandelions are harvested from dandelion farms. The roots are cleaned, dried, cut, and ground into fine particles. The tea is bitter but made less so with added sugar or honey.

Milk Thistle

Milk thistle is another supplement thought to be good for liver cleansing or recovery after a heavy night of over-indulgence.

Milk Thistle (Silybum Marianum) is processed to extract Silymarin flavonoids. Silymarin helps support cell health and function, promotes a healthy inflammatory response, and supports the body's antioxidant system, including immune response & liver protein synthesis. The Silymarin in milk thistle helps support liver function but helps increase the body's primary antioxidant called glutathione.

Turmeric

Turmeric is a spice with an active ingredient called curcumin, which has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It may help reduce liver inflammation and prevent liver damage.

Orange Juice

Orange juice is an excellent natural treatment that can aid in healing the liver. It is recommended that you drink the juice from two fresh-squeezed oranges each day. It is best to drink the juice on an empty stomach.

Artichokes

Artichokes have a chemical that helps strengthen your liver. It contains compounds that can help protect liver cells from damage and stimulate bile production. Eating artichokes also helps produce bile and can help break down the fat in the liver.

Herbal Supplements

Herbal remedy supplements that can help the liver include chicory, Indian aloe, jaundice berry, and licorice. These herbal supplements can help cleanse and detoxify the liver, as well as help rebuild it. Licorice should be used just a little at a time, as too much can cause blood pressure problems.

Garlic

Garlic has many health benefits, including liver protection. It contains compounds that can help reduce inflammation and oxidative stress in the liver.