colorful drinks detox juices

Have you been experiencing nausea or vomiting, or constantly feeling tired and sluggish?

Is your urine a dark yellowish color?

Do you have a decreased appetite with an increased mid-section?

Do you drink alcohol every week?

You may want to start a liver cleanse. Most people don’t think twice about their liver, but it is such an important organ.

The liver performs hundreds of functions and acts as a filtration system for everything that enters into your body. Every second, the liver prevents toxins from passing over into your blood stream.

Everything that you eat has to be filtered through the liver. Your liver basically tells your body to either use what’s coming in, or to get rid of it.

Your liver is one of your hardest working organs. When your liver cannot filter toxins as quick as they enter, chemicals start to build up, and eventually causes disease and illness.

Before You Start a Detox Cleanse

If you’ve made up your mind in doing a liver cleanse, give your body that extra fighting chance by doing everything you possibly can in giving your body the upper hand.

This includes eliminating all toxins, chemicals, GMOs, MSG, sugar, refined/processed food, dairy, caffeine, fried foods, and saturated fats from your diet. Also, stop smoking and drinking at least a week before and after your cleanse.

Try to eliminate chemicals found in common household detergents and fabric sheets, cleaning products, shampoos, soaps, and air fresheners. Replace as many as you can with natural or DIY products.

If you’re going to invest in a gym membership, make sure that they offers classes such as yoga or Pilates. These types of meditative exercises stimulate your circulation, lymphatic system, and digestive system.

Liver Cleansing Foods & Recipes

liver health detox cleanse remove toxins naturally

If your liver is not working properly, you may experience nausea, vomiting, dark urine, yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice), decreased appetite and an increased mid-section. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, make an appointment with your doctor right away.

Even if your liver is healthy, it is still good to help your organs naturally detox by watching what you eat and what you put onto your skin. Get into good habits while you are still healthy.

The liver is designed to naturally detox on its own, but we can help it along by proper nutrition, diet, and exercise. Unhealthy livers lose the ability to efficiently filter out waste, and toxins start to build up in our bodies.

Prevention is the cheapest and easiest way at maintaining a healthy body.

Foods that are great for liver health are lemons, avocado, turmeric, dandelion leaves, garlic, and carrots.

Ingredients for Liver Cleanses

liver health diy detox foods remove toxins naturally

  • Milk Thistle
  • Lemons
  • Avocados
  • Turmeric
  • Dandelion Leaves
  • Garlic
  • Carrots

Check out the full benefits and explanations of these ingredients in Liver Cleanses & Detoxes.

Recommended:

1. Milk Thistle

milk thistle purple flower liver detox diy remove toxins naturally

Milk thistle has been widely studied because of its ability to repair injured cells.

Milk thistle also slows down the progression of liver damage. It is able to neutralize any toxins that have entered the cells, as well as block the entrance of any other toxins.

According to Dr. Josh Axe, milk thistle has been proven effective in supporting the liver in detoxification from:

  • Heavy Metals
  • Prescription Medications
  • Chemotherapy
  • Radiation
  • Alcohol Abuse
  • Environmental Pollution

Method: The standard dosage of milk thistle is 140 milligrams, three times a day. For people with liver injuries, the dosage is usually increased, for a longer period of time.

Recommended:

2. Lemon Juice

Lemon juice fresh vitamin C water cleanse

Lemons have a high content of antiseptic properties that are strong enough to kill the influenza virus and Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori).

Lemons contain high levels of vitamin C. Vitamin C helps the body to produce glutathione, which activates the detoxing enzymes of the liver.

Lemons also decrease inflammation and help flush out uric acid and other buildups.

Method: Let your lemon juice mixture sit in a glass jar for at least 30 minutes (or longer if you have time). Drink every morning as soon as you wake up, on an empty stomach.

  • 1 whole lemon – sliced, with peel kept on
  • 1 liter of warm filtered water

Recommended:

3. Turmeric Tea

turmeric herb fresh roots orange powder

Turmeric is one of the oldest herbs studied around the world. Curcumin is an active component of turmeric.

A study from the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry found that curcumin could halt liver tissue damage.

Method: For a healthy liver — drink everyday, once a day.

  • 1 teaspoon of grounded turmeric
  • 1 cup of warm, pure, filtered water
  • 1 teaspoon of raw organic honey
  • a dash of ceylon cinnamon

Recommended:

4. Dandelion Leaves & Tea

dandelion fresh green leaves liver cleanse detox diy remove toxins naturally

Dandelion leaves contain an antioxidant called flavonoids. They cleanse the liver, purify the blood, and increase the flow of urine.

Dandelion leaves’ diuretic effects are as strong as some pharmaceutical drugs, yet they are more gentle and come without any known side effect.

Method: Drink a detoxing dandelion tea daily. You can also get fresh dandelion leaves from an asian supermarket or a local farmer’s market. Add fresh dandelion leaves to your favorite salad daily.

Recommended: 

5. Garlic Drink

fresh garlic cloves for liver cleanses

Garlic protects your liver, kidney, heart, lungs, and blood from harmful toxins and heavy metals.

Garlic also has blood thinning properties, which makes it great for improving cardiac health.

This herb is also a natural diuretic. It forces out excess sodium and water from the body, and into your urine. This effect decreases your blood pressure naturally.

Garlic is great for overall health, immunity, and cleansing of the liver and kidneys.

Method: A great way of ensuring daily garlic is to add it to your cooking. Cooked garlic has a pleasant aroma and is delicious. You can also add a few cloves to your smoothies. If the taste of garlic is too strong for you, odorless garlic supplements are also a great option.

  • If you cannot handle eating the entire clove raw, hold a slice of garlic in your mouth and try sucking on the juices for 15 minutes.
  • You can also finely mince 1-2 cloves of garlic, mix it into a glass of water, and drink it.
  • Another method is to take the finely minced pieces, put it on a piece of fruit, and cover it with honey.

Recommended:

6. Carrot Juice carrot juice fresh carrots green leaves detox liver diy cleanse remove toxins naturally

Carrots are packed with carotenes, which fights cancer and removes toxins and heavy metals from the liver. The fibers in carrots bind to the toxins and eliminate them.

Carrots are best eaten when they are raw, organic, and unpeeled. Drink carrot juice everyday in the morning, on an empty stomach. Leave the peel on for added vitamins and minerals.

Method: Juice 5-7 organic raw carrots

Recommended:

7. Carrot Salad

fresh carrots organic stems root for liver cleanse
Eat a fresh daily carrot salad. Personally, I slice my carrots with a mandoline slicer. An extra chopped salad makes it more fun and easier to eat.

Home-made Organic Dressing: I was always hesitant in making a dressing with apple cider vinegar because of the strong smell and taste. But now that I’ve tried it, I can never go back!

The olive oil, freshly grounded peppercorn, and Himalayan salt perfectly balances out the taste, while the ACV provides a unique kick.

Method:

  • Shred or chop 1 whole carrot
  • Add any of your other favorite veggies (beets & dandelion leaves are great options)

Recipe for Organic Salad Dressing:

  • 2 teaspoons of organic olive oil
  • 3 teaspoon of raw organic apple cider vinegar
  • Add a dash of freshly grounded peppercorns
  • Add a dash of sea salt or pink Himalayan salt to taste

Recommended:

Final Word

There are many natural and safe ways to help detox your liver. Start off slow and let cleansing become part of your everyday routine. See how a cleaner body can change the way you feel and the way you think.

Rebecca Park has a degree in Nursing, Speech Pathology & Audiology. She currently lives in New York City, where she was born and raised. She enjoys traveling all over the world with her husband and son to learn about different cultures and their healthcare. As a practicing Registered Nurse, Rebecca likes to explore natural remedies and alternative methods to complement modern medicine to treat people as a whole and not just their symptoms.

5 COMMENTS

  1. Thank you for this fun and informative article! I’ve not followed a Tea blog before, but am excited now by the prospect, and am following the Instagrammers already. What a boost to my morning!

  2. Turmeric teas are great for cleansing your organs. It is the most natural way of detoxification, flushing out the toxins in your body. A cup of it regularly will do great changes in your body.

  3. My doc recommended me not to take apple cider vinegar, milk thistle, or any herb because they weren’t proven that it helps, therefore I shouldn’t take the chance. Yet, this article says to take it. I’m on the fence.

    • My doctor has told me the same thing. I’m confused and have no idea what is best. I’m a nurse and I work in an Infectious Disease Clinic with Hepatitis C patients. The doctor I work with always tells anyone who has Hep C and is taking milk thistle, to stop taking it. She says there are no clinical trials to prove taking milk thistle is advantageous to liver health. What is the truth?

  4. The truth is, the medical industry makes no money off you if you use natural remedies, number one reason they say not to use any. Second is they don’t want to get sued so they won’t advise you to try. Natural remedies were used since the beginning, chemical medicines not that long. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of medical marvels now, but nature is also marvelous.

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