The liver is located in the abdominal cavity on top of the stomach and weighs around 3 lb.. The liver holds 13 percent of the body's blood at any given time and is responsible for filtering toxins from the body. In addition, the liver is involved in more than 500 vital functions in the body, according to the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford. The liver detoxes blood in two phases.
Phase I
Phase I in liver detoxification involves biotransforming enzymes. These enzymes alter the chemicals or compounds in the blood, making them more water soluble, according to D.M. Grant in an article published in the 1991 issue of the "Journal of Inherited Metabolic Disease." These enzymes are part of a large family of enzymes that vary from person to person. Each individual has a personal or inherited genetic profile that is a strength or weakness in the biochemical pathway, which may explain the wide-ranging variance in how people tolerate various drugs and chemicals.
Phase I enzymes transform or convert fat-soluble substances. Substances such as inhaled petrol fumes, medication, recreational drugs, alcohol and other toxic substances can alter or damage the function of cells.
Phase II
In Phase II, the liver reacts by adding an extra molecule to the altered chemical. These conjugated chemicals are acted upon by more enzymes to make them water-soluble. The resulting water-soluble chemicals then are passed on to the kidneys. Molecules used in Phase II in the liver include glutathione, sulphate, glycine, acetate, cysteine and glucuronic acid, according to a report on "Functional Liver Detoxification Profile" prepared by Healthscope Functional Pathology,
Elimination
In Phase II, the liver converts harmful compounds and chemicals and produces bile, which helps carry waste from the body and break down fats in the small intestine during digestion. In the final stage, blood waste is processed through the kidneys and excreted by the body as urine. Toxins broken down by bile travels through the intestinal tract for eventual expulsion as feces.
