Your liver is the size of a football--albeit a deflated one. It sits under the rib cage just to the right of the stomach. The liver is responsible for a number of vital bodily functions. It helps you digest food, take in the nutrients that your body receives and, along with the kidneys, eliminates toxins from your body. With this in mind, it's vitally important that you do all you can to keep your liver strong and functioning properly. Even if you don't, certain herbs can help with that.
Flavonoids
The antioxidants in milk thistle (called flavonoids) have been found to be excellent for protecting the liver. Flavonoids essentially fight free radicals in the body that attack cells and cause damage to internal organs. The flavonoids of the milk thistle, along with those found in garlic, rosemary and grape leaf, help to protect the liver from damage. They also increase the amount of good liver enzymes responsible for the liver doing a more efficient job. Many of these flavonoid-providing herbs can be used in food preparation, often making the food more tasty.
Licorice
Licorice has been found to benefit the liver. Used by the Chinese for centuries, licorice neutralizes toxins that can be damaging to the liver and proper liver function. More specifically, licorice has been studied and found to produce amazing results for those afflicted with hepatitis by increasing the release of a chemical know as interferon, which has been proven effective in the treatment of hepatitis B.
Ginger
One of the liver's main functions is to break down food. When taking herbs in order to keep our liver healthy or to repair damage, adding ginger to the diet helps boost the effectiveness of those other herbs that we take. It does this in kind of a roundabout way. Ginger protects the herbs that we ingest from being broken down in the liver. This allows the herbs to circulate through the blood (and the liver) for a longer period, thus making them more effective in treating liver conditions and preventing liver damage.
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