Ways to Love Your Liver to Lowering Your Toxic Burden, part 2

Ways to Love Your Liver  to Lowering Your Toxic Burden, part 2

Onions and Garlic

We already know that onions and garlic are tasty complements to some of our
favorite dishes, but they have proven medicinal, liver cleansing qualities as well. In
recent years, researchers have found that the benefits of these vegetables extend to
cancer prevention as well. The NCI administered a variety of studies attesting to this
fact and even published a fact sheet called Garlic and Cancer Prevention (Thomas
2010), in which it asserts, “A host of studies provide compelling evidence that garlic
and its organic allyl sulfur components are effective inhibitors of the cancer
process.” What’s more, “These studies reveal that the benefits of garlic are not
limited to a specific species, to a particular tissue, or to a specific carcinogen.”

Could this be part of the secret sauce that makes adherents of the Mediterranean diet
so healthful? We suspect so!

Other foods containing liver-cleansing factors include eggs, which, like onions
and garlic, are high in sulfur; high-fiber foods, such as apples, celery, legumes, oat
bran, and pears; brassica vegetables, such as bok choy, broccoli, and Brussels
sprouts; and the spices cinnamon, licorice, and turmeric.

Liver-Loving Herbs

Used in various civilizations for over two thousand years as a therapy for liver
and gallbladder problems, milk thistle is probably the herb most recognized in
association with liver health. Milk thistle seems to help the liver in three distinct
ways: First, it appears to help the liver regenerate via its antioxidant and antiinflammatory
properties (Song et al. 2006). Second, the active ingredient, silymarin,
can help prevent the uptake of toxins into the cells. And third, milk thistle actually
helps repair damaged liver cells. In other words, milk thistle may have direct
anticancer properties by virtue of its anti-inflammatory, antimetastatic, and
regulatory effects on the cancer cell cycle (Ramasamy and Agarwal 2008).

Along with milk thistle, the herbs yellow dock, Oregon grape root, dandelion,
Schisandra, and orange peel have also long been associated with liver vitality.

Before using herbs medicinally, always check with a competent herbalist or
other qualified practitioner for possible interactions with medications and other
herbs or supplements you may be taking.