Essential Oils That Your Liver Will Love
“The liver is the body’s factory – it makes the stuff that stops you from bleeding when injured and it extracts the healthy bits from food and gets rid of the rest. The liver is the body’s waste disposal plant - it cleans the blood and breaks down and removes harmful drugs, alcohol and poisons and it recycles waste into new building blocks for the body.” baseformula
In my college years, I had to take science courses as a prerequisite for my degree as a pharmacist. I studied the different organs and their function, but until I got into the functional medicine world, I did not understand how crucial it is to have a healthy liver.
I know today that without a healthy liver, it’s impossible to have a properly working metabolism, healthy circulation, balanced hormones, clean blood and a strong digestive system.
The liver is considered one of the hardest working organs in the body and the largest internal organ in the human body. The liver is always communicating with other digestive organs, receiving information about the level of available nutrients or the presence of threats like prescription medications, heavy metals or toxic substances.
When your liver functions properly it will:
- Increase energy
- Clear skin
- Clear sinuses
- Stronger immune system
- Better digestive function
- Sharper mind
- Better oral health
Food is an amazing support to the liver as well, and brings it to be a high functioning machine where the body can clear and detox better, and eliminate the wastes and toxins. This reduces the toxic burden on the body. When asking yourself what does the immune system do, keep in mind that it’s a combination of different things to keep you healthy.
The Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver
The main characteristic of this condition is too much fat stored in liver cells, marked by liver inflammation, and may progress to advanced scarring (cirrhosis) and liver failure.
This damage is similar to the damage caused by heavy alcohol use.
This condition shows up in patients of mine with conditions such as being overweight or obese, having insulin resistance, in which your cells don't take up sugar in response to the hormone insulin, high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) and high levels of fats, particularly triglycerides, in the blood.
“A protocol for cleansing the liver is especially necessary when “…the diet is excessively rich in cooked, starchy foods and sweets, and contains no green sprouts, no salads and little fruit…”—which happens to sound a lot like what many of us eat during the holiday-filled winter months. In addition to the food we eat, exposure to prescription and recreational drugs, environmental pollutants, and alcohol can take its toll on the liver.” polaritytherapy
How to Keep Your Liver Healthy
The US National Library of Medicine, National Institute of Health states that there is a correlation between plant consumption and liver health.
Essential oils are derived from plants in a concentrated manner, making them ideal for maintaining liver health. NIH
- Choose a healthy diet that's rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and healthy fats.
- Choose cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower kale and turnips.
- Remove toxic foods from your diet
- Drink raw vegetables juice
- Increase potassium rich foods like sweet potatoes, tomato sauces, beet greens and spinach, kidney and Lima beans and bananas.
- Add supplements like milk thistle, dandelion, turmeric and essential oils like lemon, grapefruit and orange, to help support the cleansing of the liver.
Some ways to a healthier liver by the American Liver Foundation includes maintaining a healthy weight, eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly and avoiding toxins.
Additionally, “The liver can be detoxified and cleansed by drinking more water. Good hydration is important for most basic physiological functions of the liver. Sufficient hydration is required to promote blood circulation and to dissolve nutrients.” NIH
Essential Oils That Your Liver Will Love
In addition to leading a lifestyle that is healthy all around, there are a number of essential oils that have been medically and traditionally recognized as being supportive to liver health.
Ginger Essential Oil: GEO might be an effective dietary supplement to ameliorate NAFLD-related metabolic diseases, and citral could play a vital role in its management.” Pubmed.gov
Garlic Essential Oil: is cited in a study here that states that “Garlic essential oil protects against obesity-triggered nonalcoholic fatty liver disease through modulation of lipid metabolism and oxidative stress.” Pubmed
Rosemary Essential Oil: this is said to be the most beneficial to the liver, as it helps cleanse the blood and flush out harmful toxins from the liver. Being that the liver produces enzymes needed for proper digestion, this oil, rosemary, is believed to stimulate the production and flow of bile which aids digestion. It also has a tonic effect on the liver, so that it works more efficiently and it is often used in the treatment of liver problems that include cirrhosis and jaundice.
Peppermint Essential Oil: stimulates healthy bile flow from the liver and gallbladder, as well as supports the digestive system.
Fennel Essential Oil: supports the digestive function and has an antiseptic, tonic effect on the liver, as well as it is believed to protect the liver from various toxins.
Lemon and Thyme Essential Oils: useful when the liver is congested.
How To Use Essential Oils for Liver Health
- Massage oils and aromatic baths: This will enable them to enter the bloodstream and reach the liver quickly.
- Place a few drops in a diffuser for inhalation
- Ingestion: As instructed, certain oils can be ingested for optimum benefit
Other parts of the body have pain receptors, yet the liver does not, so it’s imperative to maintain proper health so the liver can maintain optimum health and rejuvenate itself.
Now that winter is upon us, it is the perfect time to pay attention to your liver health, and to use essential oils to boost immune system. In addition it is helpful to use supplements to boost immune system as well.
As always, confer with your medical professionals before beginning any treatments, and get started with our unique blend to support your liver health.
