Easy Ways To Look After Your Liver - And Why You’ll Want To!
Let’s Talk About Your Liver:
Think you’re great at multitasking? I’ve no doubt you are—but even your best efforts can’t compare to the work your liver does every single day as your body’s power plant, multitasker and detox centre.
You see your liver is working 24/7 to keep your energy levels steady, to break down fat, and to process and package everything from hormones and pesticides to chemicals, drugs, bacteria, toxins, and alcohol so they can be safely removed from the body.
So if you want more energy, hormone balance, better sleep, healthier skin and a slimmer waistline, the key to it all lies in keeping your liver healthy. Let’s unpack that a bit further below:
Low Energy
Glucose is your body and brain’s main source of fuel or energy. Whatever your body doesn’t need immediately, it’s gonna store (primarily) in your muscles and liver for a time it needs it - like when your blood glucose levels start to fall too low. When this happens your pancreas releases a hormone which triggers the stored glycogen in your liver to convert back into glucose your body can use it for energy. Your liver therefore plays a key role in keeping your blood glucose and energy levels steady throughout the day.
Stress and Sleep Deprivation
Ever wake up between 1–3 AM? In traditional Chinese Medicine, that’s “liver o’clock” and is used as a sign or signal that your liver may be struggling. Among the many jobs your liver has, one of them is to break down cortisol (your stress hormone) and melatonin (your sleep hormone). In cases of chronic stress, your liver may become overwhelmed, meaning the excess cortisol can remain in your system for longer making it hard for you to fall asleep (high cortisol, low melatonin), stay asleep (low melatonin) or wake refreshed.
Period problems
If you want healthier periods and hormone balance, you have to look after your liver. If your liver is overburdened and not able to break down hormones like oestrogen and progesterone optimally, it can create the stage for a host of period related problems like irregular periods, heavy bleeding, PMS, brain fog, fertility problems and mood swings.
Skin breakouts
When your liver is overwhelmed by a buildup of toxins from your diet, medications, alcohol, drugs, or environmental pollutants, it may struggle to keep up with the demand we make on it. If these substances aren’t effectively processed and eliminated, they can recirculate in the body, sometimes becoming even more harmful. This creates additional stress on the liver—especially if your kidneys and bowels, which are also key elimination pathways, aren’t functioning optimally.
When all these systems are overburdened, your skin becomes the backup detox route. This can lead to issues like severe acne, redness, irritation etc. Reducing the burden on your liver, while supporting it to do it job with greater efficiency will help keep your skin clear and glowing.
Belly fat
Your liver is a key player in fat metabolism, hormone balance, and regulating insulin levels. When the liver becomes overwhelmed, it may struggle to manage healthy insulin levels (a fat storage hormone) and to process and eliminate excess hormones like oestrogen and cortisol, effectively. Insulin resistance and high levels of oestrogen and cortisol are all linked to weight gain, especially around the middle. Good liver health is therefore crucial if you want to maintain a healthy weight and balanced hormones.
Signs And Symptoms Your Liver Is Overburdened:
Coated tongue
Bad breath
Red palms and soles
Flushed facial appearance or excessive facial blood vessels (capillaries/veins)
Acne, Rosacea, hives, dermatitis
Yellow conjunctiva on the eyes
Red, swollen, itchy eyes (allergic eyes)
Dark circles under the eyes
Brownish spots and blemishes on the skin (liver spots)
Rashes and itchy skin (pruritis)
Jaundice
Intolerance to fatty foods
Intolerance to alcohol
Indigestion
Mood changes, deep seated anger/repressed emotions, depression
Fertility and hormone problems
Recurrent headaches associated with nausea
Chemical and food sensitivities
Auto-immune disease
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
I could go on, but you get the gist……..and really all I wanted to show you was how intertwined the health of your liver is with other areas of your health you likely care or feel concerned about.
Instead of getting bogged down in the detail or letting any of it worry you, let it inspire you into action instead by choosing one of the three simple, manageable tips below that you can easily add into your daily or weekly routines.
Juice your way to a healthier liver:
Let’s face it, time is short, and eating 10 serves of veg over the course of a day is still a far off goal for most people. Try adding a juice into your daily routine instead. The ones listed below are designed to pack in the kind of thirst quenching vitamins and minerals your liver needs to do its job. Juices packed with leafy greens, lemon, and ginger provide the vitamins and antioxidants your liver needs to detox efficiently, supporting both its energy-producing and hormone-balancing duties
To keep things interesting and make sure you find something that appeals, I'm giving you three recipes to play with!
1. Green Juice:
2 handfuls of mixed leafy greens, 1/2 a cucumber, 1 small handful of fresh coriander or parsley, 1/2 lemon, 1 celery stalk, 1 apple
2. Red Juice:
2 medium beets/400gr chopped beets, 1⁄2 an organic lemon (with peel), handful of leafy greens, 1/2 thumb sized piece of ginger, 2 celery stalks
3. Orange Juice:
9 small carrots, 1cm of turmeric root, 1 thumb sized piece of ginger, 2 x celery stalks, 1 apple
If you don’t have a cold press juicer, just use a blender and add a glass of water to your ingredients before blending. Strain through a juice bag or muslin cloth to extract the juice. And that’s all there is to it. If you don't like the idea of wasting the fibre rich pulp, get creative and try adding it to a batch of muffins, crackers or breakfast bars. These juices are best consumed immediately, but as that’s not always practical, freeze in glass bottles (just don't fill right up to the top) to preserve the nutrients.
Supplement your way to a healthier liver
With new supplements and clever marketing screaming at you from various social channels, it can be difficult to know what to choose.
I say, you can’t go wrong with Milk Thistle
Think of it as your liver’s personal bodyguard, protecting it from toxins and helping it recover when things get a little wild.
This herbal supplement is rich in silymarin, an antioxidant that prevents depletion of glutathione by alcohol and chemicals, reduces inflammation, repairs liver cells, and improves detoxification. It’s the bomb.
If you can find A.Vogel’s Milk Thistle drops, take the recommended dose in water throughout the month.
Or binge-watch your way to a healthier liver
Ever wish you could detox while bingeing your favourite true crime show (only me, ok!)? Say hello to castor oil packs
‘Preliminary evidence supports the use of topical castor oil for normalising liver enzymes and positively affecting liver function. Researchers suggest that castor oil seeds have been used to cure inflammation and treat liver infections in Indian medicine systems for years’
Clinically, they are used by many holistic practitioners like myself to help reduce stress and anxiety, improve bowel regularity, reduce menstrual cramps, and to improve skin health and acne.
How to Use Castor Oil Packs Safely - the Step-by-Step Guide
Buy a ready made organic castor oil pack for less-mess. Check out the Queen of Throne’s or CastorVida brands online
Apply 1 tbsp of Castor Oil to the soft cotton side of the pack, then place it over the side of your liver area under your right rib cage and secure it in place. If you’re using a cut out piece of cotton cloth, make sure to cover it with plastic wrap as the oil can get everywhere and stain
Place a heating pad or hot water bottle over the top.
Hit the remote control and relax for 15-90 minutes, allowing the oil to soak into your skin.
Wipe off your skin and return the cloth back to its pack.
Store in the refrigerator. Can be reused up to 30 times
There you have it - three small but mighty ways you can support your liver and make a big difference to how you feel. These quick, doable tips can fit right into the busiest lifestyles, even in the most hectic of times, so find the one you like the sound of most, make it a habit and get ready to experience a lighter, brighter, more energised you!
