There are literally thousands of proverbs in ancient China, but when it comes to nutrition, none are as fitting as “a closed mouth catches no flies. The ancient Chinese believed that choosing the healthiest food for mouth health was essential, particularly when it came to maintaining a healthy liver and gut microbiome.
As one of the biggest digestives glands in the body, the liver plays a significant role in metabolizing different elements. The liver is under continual stress; this is due to the multiple purposes it plays within our body’s including breaking down red blood cells, detoxification, supports protein synthesis, and stores glycogen.
In medical terms, liver disease refers to any damage caused that significantly weakens or inhibits the liver’s ability to function effectively and efficiently.
In particular, the role nutrition and greens play in detoxifying the liver are currently being heavily studied by experts in the fields of nutrition and ethnobotany. More than ever, the general population’s consumption of greens and vegetables is at an all-time high.
Plants and vegetables contain ingredients directly associated with liver health and play a crucial role in detoxifying the body, specifically the liver. (1) Plants based elements are essential components that make up the foundation of many alternative and complementary medications.
Green Nutrition And The Liver Connection
For thousands of years, humans have been consuming nutritious edible plants, fruits, wild crops, domesticated crops, and vegetables for their medicinal and survival purposes.
Despite the long history and extensive distribution of application, the understanding of these plants’ influence on the liver remains inadequate.
Researchers’ challenge is determining which plants from the literally thousands of edible ones out there possess potential health benefits that may help mitigate liver disease and help maintain liver health.
Based on contemporary research in ethnobotany areas, scientists are working hard to find and emphasize the positive and negative influences edible plants may have on liver health and function. (2)
Millions of people worldwide have been bombarded with harmful toxins and chemicals sprayed on our foods as pesticides. These toxic chemicals can have a significant adverse effect on the body and, in particular, the liver.
With the availability of a wide range of foods such as greens, vegetables, fruits, and health supplements, the good news is that there is a way to detoxify your liver naturally. By doing so, you can return the liver’s functional capability and keep it healthy, stress-free, and operating efficiently for many years to come.
The Stanford University’s Children’s Hospital states, “the liver regulates most chemical levels in the blood and excretes a product called bile, which helps to break down fats, preparing them for further digestion and absorption.”
However, over time, our liver is continuously exposed to toxic chemicals that adversely affect the liver and stop it from functioning effectively and efficiently. When the liver is not working correctly, it can cause severe long term problems for the body.
Positive Benefits Of A Greens Liver Detox
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Weight Loss
Cleansing your liver with greens is an excellent way to shed those extra pounds you’ve accumulated over the Christmas break.
Apart from looking and feeling much better, the overall health benefits of keeping in shape are plentifull.
According to the Global Healing Centre, “many people are oblivious that the liver is profoundly necessary for the breakdown of fat. In every respect, the liver is just as imperative to fat loss as the intestines and the stomach.”
By cleansing your liver, you support the body in producing bile, which in turn metabolizes fat. Bile is absolutely essential in the digestive process, so if you are serious about losing those extra pounds, you should seriously consider a liver detox.
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Liver Stones
Liver stones develop in the, you guessed it, the liver, and they occur due to an overabundance of cholesterol in the body. The bile we previously talked about becomes hardened due to the cholesterol; these are referred to as crystalline stones that cause blockages hindering the liver from functioning effectively.
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Full Body Benefits
In the medical profession, doctors have a saying, “as the liver goes, so goes your body” That’s how crucial the liver is to your overall health. When you detoxify your liver with greens, you’re detoxifying your whole body, potentially clearing up other small problems you may be suffering from. (3)
In today’s day and age, where our bodies are continually being hit with harmful chemicals and toxins, it’s essential to keep the liver healthy and clean; after all, the liver is the gateway to the rest of the body.
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Boost Of Energy
Cleansing your liver provides a massive boost of energy; The nutrients found in high-quality greens supplements also increase concentration and focus and reduce stress and anxiety.
You’ll have much more energy for the important things in life, like taking a walk with your family, working out regularly, and spending some much needed time for yourself.
By cleansing the liver you take advantage of its “transmutation process,” meaning that the liver transforms other elements and compounds, allowing essential nutrients the body requires. Again, this frees up energy for exercising and other daily activities.
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Look And Feel Younger
Greens help eliminate toxins from your liver and the rest of your body. This will help you look and feel years younger.
Because the liver can break down fat, it gives you the appearance of looking slimmer and gives you an overall look of freshness and rejuvenation.
Dandelions And Liver Health
The best time of the year to find dandelions is early spring. Unfortunately, the vast majority of people try to rid their lawns or gardens of dandelion despite them being an important therapeutic plant in most eastern nations.
In the East, dandelions are known to strengthen the liver, help with jaundice and other liver blockage symptoms. It’s also jam-packed with nutrients, and contrary to popular belief, they are very delicious if prepared correctly.
The dandelions play an essential part in detoxifying the liver and can help mitigate gallbladder congestion. The leaves can be eaten regularly and, in some countries, are considered a spring tonic.
Interestingly enough, dandelion played an important role in keeping populations out of malnutrition, especially after long, harsh winters.
The leaves of dandelion contain 15% protein and are an incredibly rich source of vitamins and minerals. Just one cup of dandelions contains over 110% of the daily value for vitamin A, 32% for vitamin C, and a whopping 535% of vitamin K.
Greens supplements that contain dandelion are also an effective and convenient way to reach your daily recommended allowances when it comes to essential nutrients.
The non-nutrients in edible plant foods also offer essential benefits in preventing cancer and the subsequent blockage of carcinogenesis.
Greens that are rich in phytoestrogens also provide therapeutic benefits; these plants include alfalfa, barley grass,ginkgo, ginseng, and licorice root.
The most commonly found sources of phytoestrogens are the bulbs of the green bean family.
Cautions
Generally speaking, manufacturers of nutritional health supplements struggle to provide clinically proven data and safety documentation to back up their claims.
This is why, when choosing greens supplements, it’s vital to make sure the products have been third-party tested, that the ingredients are 100% organic and that preferably it’s made in the USA with full transparency.
Doctors and other health care professionals must also educate themselves as much as possible when it comes to plant-based foods and their role in preventing and mitigating chronic disease. In particular, the way prescription drugs and plant-based medicine interact with each other.
Plants with a natural laxative effect, such as aloe vera, senna leaf, and dandelion, can help clear the harmful toxins from the liver and digestive system.
Other factors
The liver can also be detoxified by drinking adequate amounts of water. Making sure you are hydrated adequately ensures the liver can function effectively and efficiently. Most of the physiological functions in the liver require sufficient levels of water.
For example, hydration is needed for blood circulation and the dissolving of nutrients.
Sufficient water consumption stimulates and expedites the metabolism process of bile, digestion, and absorption, which helps the excretion of waste.
The best remedy of all is maintaining an active, well-balanced, and healthy lifestyle. Exercising daily and watching what you eat can drastically improve the liver’s function and improve overall health, quality of life, and longevity.
Avoiding things such as smoking, binge drinking, overeating, and fasting is highly recommended. One of the primary reasons fasting should be avoided is that it can create irregular secretion of digestive fluids.
Another critical element to detoxifying the liver, body, mind, and soul is getting a good night’s sleep. Poor sleep quality has been linked to an increase in liver disease incidence.
Sleep apnea, along with short duration sleep, has also been related to periodic hypoxia. A good tip here is to sleep on your side to avoid sleeping on your back as much as possible.
Final Words
A balanced diet is vital for liver well-being. A healthy lifestyle incorporates enjoying a bright spirit, staying smoke and alcohol-free, having excellent sleep quality, and consuming sufficient water levels.
Dark leafy greens, citrus fruits, and specific seeds provide chemopreventive properties that may help prevent or mitigate liver cancer. Greens are also classified as “estrogens,” which are incredibly useful at healing hepatitis.
Almost all the foods we eat are connected with the well-being of the liver.
Nutrition rich in greens ingredients is becoming common for personal wellness; people use nutritional greens supplements from plant sources, both over-the-counter and prescription orders, to detoxify and purify the liver.
Preventing and treating liver disease through supplementation is a vital component of alternative medicine. Moving forward, it could form the basis of an entirely new method of treatment.
