- Herbal Treatment for Healthy Living - CanStock Photo Inc/1314434
The liver is an amazing organ. It metabolizes fats and proteins, removes waste products from medications, alcohol and other substances, produces bile to emulsify fats, produces energy for the body to use and stores vitamins and minerals. It is so forgiving that 75% of the liver can be destroyed (the correct 75%) and the remaining 25% can regenerate a whole new liver.
Unless they have been diagnosed with liver damage or liver disease, most people never give a second thought to this most important organ.
Liver Diseases - Fatty Liver and Cirrhosis of the Liver
There are a number of liver diseases and two of the most common are fatty liver and cirrhosis.
Fatty liver is an excessive accumulation of fat inside the liver cells. Some of the causes of fatty liver are alcohol, obesity and diabetes. It generally produces no symptoms but may be detected during a physical examination as an enlarged liver. A biopsy is required for a definitive diagnosis. The treatment of fatty liver is generally to eliminate the cause or treat the underlying disorder.
Cirrhosis of the liver can be the next progressive step from fatty liver. It can and often is caused by excessive alcohol consumption. Cirrhosis of the liver may cause very few symptoms or may have complications such as portal hypertension with spleen enlargement, fluid accumulation in the abdominal cavity, kidney failure from liver failure, confusion or liver cancer.
Liver Health Through Herbal Treatment
There are many herbs that can assists in keeping the liver healthy. Dandelion and milk thistle are the most beneficial herbs for liver health. Dandelion is effective as a pancreatic and bile stimulant, it stimulates portal circulation and acts as a cholagogue stimulating the release of bile from the system. Dandelion also acts as a detoxifier. It should not, however, be taken in the case of a blocked bile duct.
In addition, dandelion is a useful diuretic with studies showing that it may lower blood cholesterol and assist with premenstrual syndrome by speeding the elimination of excess hormones from the system.
Dandelion is a well known coffee substitute and can be found in most health food stores in both the instant and ground form. It can also be taken in a tincture or capsule form. Wild Rose College includes dandelion root in its herbal detox formula.
Milk thistle is effective at promoting the flow of bile up to 60% in liver disorders. Milk thistle protects the liver by stimulating the production of new cells in place of the old ones. It lowers blood fats helps repair damage caused by alcohol and environmental poisons and assists liver function in chronic degenerative disease.
The important substance in milk thistle in treatment of liver disease is silymarin. Studies have shown that those with liver disease have marked improvements against those in the control group. Studies over a 41-month period have shown that silymarin has been beneficial and even helped extend the lives of those with severe cirrhosis scarring.
The liver is the prime centre of metabolic action and clearance in the body. All things ingested as well as many environmental pollutants can have good or bad effects on the liver. When the liver has problems good health suffers. A diet high in protein and low in fat is not only good for overall health, weight loss and energy level. It is also the best diet for keeping the liver functioning at its best.
References:
Kumar Vinay MD FRCPath, Coltran Ramzi S. MD, Robbins Staley L.MD, Basic Pathology 7th Edition,Saunders An Imprint of Elsevier Science Philidephia Pennsylvania
Venes Donald M.D.,MSJ et al, Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary, F.A. Davis Company Philadelphia
Merck & Co, The Merck Manual of Medical Information, Pocket Books a Division of Simon & Schuster Inc New York
Murray Michael T, N.D., The Healing Power of Herbs, Gramercy Books New York
Bartram Thomas FNIMH, Bartram's Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine, Marlowe & Company New York
Joy Borthwick - Joy has been a Chartered Herbalist since 2001 and obtained her Herbal Consulting degree in 2005 from Dominion Herbal College. She has been ...
