THE LIVER

Let’s talk about the liver for a moment. The most underrated organ I would say. Just to give you a perspective on how important our liver and its functions are; about 25% of our blood goes to our liver in any given moment versus only 15% to the brain. Think about that! The liver has numerous functions (more than 500) and it’s a big part of our digestive system which is why you can’t focus on gut health without also focusing on the liver, and vica versa. 

The liver is involved in the break down of food and the making of proteins, bile and cholesterol. The liver also has the job of turning sugar into glycogen so it can be stored in the liver, to keep our blood sugar stable after and between meals. It’s involved in the production of fatty acids, ATP and fighting infections, but one of the main functions are clearance and break down of toxins and old and used hormones, which is why the liver plays a MAJOR role when it comes to hormone health. 

Our body naturally detoxifies all the time, regardless of whether you are on a detox or not, and this is much due to our liver. This filtration system happens through two detoxification pathways, called 'phase 1' and ‘phase 2’. This way the liver manages to break down the toxins and hormones before eliminating it from the body, with help from the other organs of elimination, through urinea or stool. BUT this means that just because something is being broken down by the liver, dosen’t mean it’s out. It still needs to exit the body which again speak to the connection between the digestion and liver, as these broken down toxins and hormones need to be eliminated through e.g. bowel movements. No poop = no exit of these materials, so if your digestion is off, your liver is doing all this work to try to remove harmful substances, but they are just getting re-absorbed which puts an additional burden on your liver. 

This is why having a healthy digestion is a way of supporting your liver. Another way, is by directly helping your liver carry out the two pathways of detoxification by using herbs. My favorites are milk thistle and dandelion which can both improve liver function.