The liver is involved in thousands of biochemical mechanisms making it second only to the brain in importance and complexity. Natural health practitioners are also acutely aware of the detrimental effects on the liver of modern living, with its chemicals, excessive fat intake, pesticides, hormones, and stress. This suggests that we as a culture are in need of liver support. You should consider liver support supplementation if you:

* Have a history of a Fatty Liver

* Consume Alcohol

* Consume Tobacco Products

* Have been taking Medications/Drugs

* Are exposed to Environmental Toxins or Chemicals or Second Hand Smoke

* Have a history of Liver or Gall Bladder Problems

Dandelion

Dandelion root enhances bile flow, thus improving conditions such as liver congestion, bile duct inflammation, hepatitis, gallstones, and jaundice. Dandelion increases bile flow by affecting the liver directly to cause an increase in bile production and flow to the gallbladder, and exerting a direct effect on the gallbladder by causing a contraction and release of stored bile. Dandelion’s hepatic tonic effect may be attributable to the high choline content.

Milk Thistle

Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) has been used since Greco-Roman times as an herbal remedy for a variety of ailments, particularly liver problems. Several scientific studies suggest that active substances in milk thistle (particularly silymarin) protect the liver from damage caused by viruses, toxins, alcohol, and certain drugs such as acetaminophen (a common over the counter medication used for headaches and pain; acetaminophen, also called paracetamol, can cause liver damage if taken in large quantities or by people who drink alcohol regularly.)

Many professional herbalists recommend milk thistle extract for the prevention and/or treatment of various liver disorders including viral hepatitis, fatty liver associated with long term alcohol use, and liver damage from drugs and industrial toxins such as carbon tetrachloride.

About the author:

Chester is a health nutrition consultant and is the owner of AstroNutrition – a provider of premium health nutrition and sports supplements.

One of the major causes of acne is hormone imbalance.

The first part of balancing your hormones is by regulating their production.

The second part to balancing your hormones is by effectively removing used up hormones from the body via the liver.

Both parts play a part in leaving too many hormones in the system that are responsible for excess skin oil production which leads to acne by clogging your pores and allowing the growth of bacteria.

In this article we will see how the liver deals with used up hormones and how you can help this process so that you don’t end up with too many hormones in your system.

The liver is responsible for deactivating hormones so their levels aren’t too high. This can become a demanding task considering it must also deal with other pollutants such as car fumes, heavy metals, smoke, pesticides and all the other toxic materials that find their way into your body.

The liver can become quite sluggish with all the above stresses are thrown at it. You want to provide the liver with nutrients that help stregthen it’s function and help it eliminate waste and used up hormones.

There are many herbs and extracts can that help with liver function. Alot of research has been done on Milk Thistle. This extract is excellent for protecting the liver and also improves its detoxing abilities.

Studies have shown that milk thistle goes directly to the liver cells and promotes repair and regeneration.

Other beneficial herbs for the liver include: Cleavers, Nettles, Gravel Root, Golden Rod and Yellow Dock. Many companies have produces supplements that contain some of these herbs and others in combination specifically for the liver and can be purchased from any good health store.

Liver detox kits can also be beneficial if your finances allow.

About the author:

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