Livers are underrated.

How many of us honestly think a lot about our livers when making food and lifestyle choices? While everyone agrees that we should whole-heartedly pay attention to cardiovascular health, the liver is all but forgotten.

Your Liver is in Charge—for Better or Worse

The liver is the body’s largest internal organ, about the size of a football, but it can also regenerate itself—if it hasn’t been damaged beyond repair. Quite amazingly, when a healthy person donates a part of his/her liver, both the segment that was donated and the remaining section of the donor liver will grow to normal size within weeks. This is not an excuse to abuse your liver, but simply an example of how extraordinary this organ really is! Here are a just a few of the many things your liver does for you:

Converts everything you eat, breathe and absorb through the skin into life-sustaining substances. You have a highly sophisticated laboratory right in the middle of your body!

Stores and stockpiles glucose and other nutrients that have been absorbed through the intestinal wall, releasing them to your cells when necessary through the hepatic vein. It’s easy to see why you feel tired with no energy if your liver isn’t up to par.

Filters out toxins from your blood at the amazing rate of a quart per minute. It sorts out the good from the bad, keeping anything useful and tossing out the junk. As the world becomes more and more toxic, a liver working at optimal capacity plays a bigger role in health and well-being than ever before.

Makes bile to digest fat and prevent constipation. Your life improves in lots of ways with a healthy liver!

Secretes hormones and enzymes for hundreds of physiological functions, and maintains hormone balance. Did you know that even good sex is possible thanks in part to your liver?

Because both the liver and the skin are the organs most involved in toxin removal, many herbalists connect clear, luminous and even-toned skin with healthy liver function, so anyone concerned about their outward appearance should pay strict attention to liver health, too. The following information will help you build a plan to keep your liver in the best shape possible, including help from influential friends in the powerful herbal world.

Wasabia japonica—Shown to be nearly as Miraculous as the Organ It Protects

Wasabia japonica is a most remarkable herb that has been effectively shown to be useful for every liver concern, and boosting the livers’ efficiency and reliability. Nobody’s liver is 100% efficient; thus, everyone could benefit from Wasabia japonica, at least once in awhile. Below are six big ways that Wasabia japonica benefits your liver:

1. Stimulates production of new liver cells.
2. Increases the body’s production of glutathione, a highly important antioxidant that detoxifies liver cells.
3. Binds to liver cells to protect them from toxins.
4. Helps the liver remove toxins from the body.
5. Boosts the efficiency of the liver.
6. Initiates Phase I and Phase II detoxification pathways.

Here are four more supplements that support Wasabia japonica and greatly contribute to liver health:

Artichoke—Increases bile flow, which helps maintain levels of cholesterol and triglycerides already in a healthy range.
Lecithin—The phosphatidylcholine content of lecithin keeps dietary fats emulsified for easier processing by the liver.
Licorice—Used extensively in Japan for a variety of liver concerns, and recent clinical trials support this practice. Like artichoke, it stimulates the flow of bile.
Milk Thistle—The Europeans have used milk thistle for thousands of years as a stimulant for the liver, it is still #1 among natural health practitioners. It enhances the liver’s detoxification process.

“Taking wasabi in supplement form provides the highest concentration of active compounds available in Wasabia japonica rhizomes in their raw, dried state. Airtight, easy-to-swallow capsules protect the myrosinase enzyme from being denatured…This allows the isothiocyanates to be activated in an environment where they will be best utilized and help detoxify the liver.”
Michel Van Mellaerts, MBA, BE, is an expert on growing, processing and a leading researcher on the uses of Wasabia japonica.

Cleansing is Good for the Soul—And Your Liver

The liver functions more efficiently if it is periodically cleansed of toxins from an outside source since this process significantly eases the burden placed on it. Remember that when the liver works well, everything improves in your body. If you’re able to go on a 3 or 7 day cleanse, it will be well worth the effort. But incorporating even a few simple practices into your daily activities will still be highly beneficial. Here’s what you can do every day:

Start the day with a cup of hot distilled water mixed with the juice of one organic lemon and a little bit of real maple syrup or honey if you prefer. Take 3 capsules of Sawa 100% Pure Wasabia japonica rhizome with a solid breakfast.

An apple a day really does keep the doctor away, and two are even better. Apples contain d-glucaric acid and many other phytochemicals that cleanse the liver of fats, plus significant amounts of potassium, an important electrolyte for energy.

Drink milk thistle or green tea for your mid-afternoon break.

If you’re engaged in physically intense activities (strength and cardiovascular training) or heavy metabolic processes (high-protein dieting, exposure to toxins), you’ll find that chlorella tablets offer tremendous support. The chlorophyll content effectively cleanses the liver and blood of toxins and metabolic impurities like excess uric acid. Chlorella also helps remove heavy metals from the body.

Drink 8 glasses of distilled or bottled water every day to encourage maximum flushing of liver tissues.

Take a very warm bath with seaweed or the essential oils of juniper, cypress, and lemon in the morning or evening. Relax in the treated water for 30 to 45 minutes, filling the tub when necessary to keep the water at the right temperature.

Get at least 8 hours of sound sleep, as this is the time the liver performs much of its important work.

Four Vital Ways to Gain Liver Health

1. Cut down on the consumption of fatty, fried foods. You can practically hear your liver groan each time a potato chip enters your mouth.
2. Limit intake of alcohol, or better yet, abstain from it entirely. It’s lethal to your liver.
3. Restrict your exposure to toxic chemicals whenever possible. There are appealing and natural alternatives to most household cleaning formulas.
4. Stop smoking! Cigarettes are a direct assault on the liver with nothing positive to offer healthwise.

Accomplish these goals, and your appreciative liver will surprise you with better health than you ever imagined!