The cranberry fruit has long been used for food and medicine, including by Native Americans who used it as a remedy for bladder and kidney diseases. Nutrients in cranberries help protect the liver and may improve its function, which makes it beneficial during a liver detox or cleanse. However, in some cases, cranberries may be harmful. Consult a naturopath or your family doctor before trying a detox.
Liver Detox Benefits
Your body has its own natural detoxification system, in which the liver plays several vital roles, including removing harmful toxins, medications, heavy metals and other substances from your blood so your body can eliminate them. But overexposure to pollutants, toxins, medications, illness and a poor diet causes your liver to work harder, which puts your liver at risk for damage and disease. A liver detox using cranberries and other natural foods, herbs and spices can give your liver a much-needed boost.
How Cranberries Help
Cranberries are rich sources of vitamin C, a potent antioxidant. When your liver works harder, it becomes a bigger target for free radicals, unstable oxygen molecules that damage cells and can even cause cell death. As such, vitamin C helps to protect your liver from damage and death. Vitamin C also triggers production of a key antioxidant your liver needs during detoxification, glutathione. This nutrient also binds to heavy metals and some drugs in your bloodstream, which improves your liver's ability to cleanse your blood of these substances.
Dose and Precautions
You can eat cranberries or drink cranberry juice to help detox your liver. The University of Maryland Medical Center recommends adults have 1.5 oz. daily of fresh or frozen cranberries, or drink 3 or more fluid ounces of pure juice daily. Alternatively, you can drink about 10 oz. of cranberry cocktail, but choose unsweetened varieties. Do not take cranberry if you have diabetes, kidney stones or you're on blood-thinners, such as warfarin, without consulting your doctor.
Other Natural Ways to Detox Your Liver
Despite its benefits for liver detoxification, cranberry shouldn't be your only detox aid. One of the best-known herbs for liver detoxification is milk thistle. According to certified nutritional specialist Ann Louise Gittleman, milk thistle is the "queen of the liver protectors." It fights free radicals, which can damage liver cells, protects the liver from alcohol, and helps liver cells and tissues to regenerate. Other effective liver detoxifiers include citrus fruits and vegetables such as beets, which are rich in betaine, a nutrient that also thins bile and protects the liver from alcohol damage. Consult with your doctor about liver detoxification.
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Cranberry
- "The Fast Track One-Day Detox Diet"; Ann Louise Gittleman Ph.D., C.N.S.; 2005
- "The Detox Strategy"; Brenda Watson, C.N.C., et al.; 2008
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