It’s that time of year when you should help your liver!

Do you …

• Feel tired and lethargic all the time?
• Have difficulty losing weight?
• Experience poor immunity?
• Suffer with poor skin health?
• Experience symptoms of a sluggish metabolism including feelings of bloating, flatulence and nausea?
• Have elevated cholesterol levels?
• Experience severity of PMS and Menopausal symptoms?
• Experience unstable blood sugar levels?

If you have answered yes to any of the above, then it is time to give this vital organ a helping hand!
Every day, your body is exposed to a multitude of toxins, from alcohol, coffee, refined and processed foods, polluted air, chemicals we apply to our skin, and even the invisible pesticides and herbicides on our unwashed fruit and vegetables. The list is actually endless. A healthy, active liver will recognise, filter and remove toxins from your body. It is also important for:

• The metabolism of carbohydrates and assisting with maintaining healthy blood sugar levels
• The metabolism of fats, for example the manufacture of cholesterol and its subsequent breakdown into the bile salts
• Supporting a healthy immune system. The liver filters micro-organisms such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses from the bloodstream
• Supporting healthy weight as the liver is the body’s fat burning organ.

However when the liver is not firing on all cylinders it might need a helping hand by way of some proven liver tonics including:
MILK THISTLE: traditionally used to support liver and gall bladder function. Silymarin, a substance found in the seeds, exerts a highly protective effect on the liver, helping to support its function as well as preventing damage from toxic substances such as alcohol and environmental pollutants. The herb contains bitter ingredients, responsible for its action as a digestive tonic. This helps to stimulate the flow of bile from the liver and gall bladder. Bile is essential for digesting fatty foods.

GLOBE ARTICHOKE, the prickly Mediterranean vegetable plant you are all familiar with, benefits the liver by protecting against toxins and infection. This bitter herb helps improve digestion by stimulating bile flow from the liver making it useful for the treatment of gall bladder problems, chronic constipation and fatty liver. It also helps alleviate symptoms of indigestion, nausea, bloating and helps lower mild blood cholesterol levels.
SCHISANDRA,contains lignans which have liver protective actions as well as antioxidant properties helping to protect the liver against damage and helping regenerate damaged liver tissue, proving beneficial in the treatment of hepatitis and poor liver function. Schisandra has been used in traditional Chinese Medicine for over 2000 years as an overall tonic and restorative. The berries tone the kidneys and sexual organs, strengthen the nervous system and cleanse the blood, proving beneficial for herbalists treating skin conditions such as eczema.
TAURINE, an amino acid needed by the liver for removing toxic chemicals from the body and assisting with the elimination of waste. Taurine is a major constituent of bile and helps with maintaining healthy digestion. Inadequate levels of taurine are common in patients with chemical sensitivities and allergies.
ANTIOXIDANTS destroy free radicals and help to protect the cells of the body from toxins. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant vitamin for the liver and helps to reduce toxic damage to the liver cells from chemical overload. Selenium supports cellular health and healthy immunity.
How to give your liver a helping hand

• Start your day with a squeeze of lemon juice in water to supercharge your liver and aid digestive secretions
• Eat fresh pineapple or papaya after main meals. These fruits supply digestive enzymes to naturally help improve digestion
• Sprinkle a tablespoon of lecithin granules on breakfast cereal, stir into yoghurt with fruit or in smoothies. Lecithin aids the digestion and absorption of fats
• Take a daily liver formula.