Best herbs for liver repair….Natural remedies to repair the liver
When the liver becomes damaged, a buildup of fatty deposits forms. Although usually associated with excessive intake of alcohol, fatty deposits in the liver have now become associated with a new epidemic unrelated to alcohol—non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
The condition ranges in severity from minimal liver function impairment to more advanced liver damage. NAFLD is estimated to affect more than 20 percent of Americans, making it the most common liver disease in the U.S.
Roughly 2–3 percent of those with NAFLD develop non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a complication of NAFLD that can lead to cirrhosis and eventually liver failure.
🔹What Causes a Fatty Liver?
The biggest culprit is excess body weight. NAFLD develops in more than 70 percent of people who are 10 percent above their ideal body weights and in 100 percent of obese individuals.
Other factors that impair liver function and are associated with NASH include nutritional abnormalities, drugs, and occupational exposure to toxins.
Inflammation appears to be the common denominator in most cases. Not surprisingly, being overweight or obese is associated with insulin resistance and systemic inflammation.
The primary goal in most cases of NAFLD is improving insulin sensitivity through diet and supplement use, and losing any excess weight. Weight loss is the most effective treatment for NAFLD in overweight individuals.
The second phase of treating NAFLD naturally involves the use of liver-protective nutrients and herbs for enhanced bile and fat flow.
🔹Foods that Nourish the Liver
Eliminating high-glycemic foods is a critical first step for preventing and treating NAFLD.
It’s also important to increase your intake liver-friendly foods, including sulfur-rich garlic, onions, and eggs; fiber-packed pears, oat bran, apples, and legumes; cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage; artichokes, beets, carrots, and dandelion also support liver health, as do turmeric, cinnamon, and cilantro.
🔹Lipotropic Nutrients
Betaine, choline, methionine, vitamin B6, folic acid, and vitamin B12 are important “lipotropic agents”—compounds that promote the flow of fat and bile to and from the liver. These nutrients have a “decongestant-like” effect on the liver and enhance liver function and fat metabolism.
Lipotropic formulas are also thought to boost levels of two important liver substances: SAMe and glutathione. Additionally you can look to carnitine supplementation.
🔹Herbs for the Liver
There is a long list of plants that help improve liver function, including turmeric, dandelion, burdock, carrots, and artichoke. But the most impressive research is on silymarin, an extract of the herb milk thistle (Silybum marianum).
Silymarin enhances the liver’s detoxification processes and helps to boost the liver’s stores of glutathione—a key antioxidant involved in liver function that is low in NAFLD patients.
Dr Micheal Murray
