18 Ways to Improve Liver Function with Home Remedies - Home Remedies (2023)

One organ that has a very profound effect on your overall health is your liver. Proper liver function helps to filter out the toxins that enter your body and hinder hormonal and cellular function on nearly every level. Let’s look at a simple illustration to understand just how important your liver really is.

Dirty oil in a car can cause a great deal of damage to the moving parts, because they are poorly lubricated. Additionally, a dirty air filter can cut performance by allowing contaminants to get inside the engine and can bring it to a complete standstill. The liver, like the oil and air filters on your car, helps your body to function at its peak performance level.

Poor liver function is responsible for a host of health issues and diseases, because your liver is not filtering out the contaminants and toxins that enter your body through what you breathe, what you consume and what is absorbed through your skin. The Liver Doctor lists more than 50 health conditionswhich are directly related to liver function. Those 50+ conditions present themselves in the following areas:

• Abnormal Metabolism;
• Digestive Issues;
• Blood Sugar Issues;
• Nervous System and Psychological Issues;
• Immune dysfunction;
• Hormone imbalance;
• A long list of external symptoms.

We’re going to discuss 4 food types to reduce or eliminate from your diet to help stop the damage from continuing and then provide 14 home remedies to help you boost liver function in your body, but they are not all-inclusive. Severe conditions need to be treated by a health care professional.

There are many ways to improve liver function. The home remedies for improving liver function listed below are a great place to start if you are looking to improve the function of your liver.

Limit Processed Foods

One major factor in improving liver function is to limit or completely rid yourself of processed foods.

What to do:

• Avoid processed meats like hotdogs, lunch meat, sausages, brats and similar meats.
• Avoid canned and frozen fruits and vegetables and opt for whole foods.
• Rule of thumb: shop the outside of the store and stay out of the center aisles.

How it works:
Hydrogenated oils, processed sugars, high fructose corn syrup, nitrates and nitrites, and a host of other chemical additives are the leading cause of fatty liver disease.

Limit Refined Carbs

Limiting or eliminating refined carbohydrates from your diet is another way to improve liver function.

What to do:

• Reduce your consumption of bread and other foods that are made with refined flour, corn meal or corn starch.
• Even whole wheat substitutes should be limited, especially if you see the word “enriched,” on the label.

How it works:
Refined carbohydrates cause insulin spikes and insulin spikes are a major contributor to liver disease.

Get Rid of Sugary Drinks

To improve liver function, get rid of sugary drinks.

What to do:

• Getting rid of sugary sodas, juices with sugar added and energy drinks that are packed with sugar is a foregone conclusion.
• Eliminate diet drinks with artificial sweeteners from your diet as well.
• Use natural sweeteners like raw, cane sugar, honey, stevia and xylitol.

How it works:
Fructose is a major contributor to Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and most artificial sweeteners are even worse.

Reduce or Eliminate Alcohol

A major contributor to improved liver function is the reduction or elimination of alcohol from your diet.

What to do:

• If you are a frequent drinker or alcoholic, it might be necessary to eliminate alcohol completely.
• If you’re a moderate drinker, reduce your alcohol consumption.

How it works:
Fatty liver disease (FLD) and NAFLD cause inflammation and toxicity in the liver and prevent it from filtering other toxins.

Potassium

Consuming foods that are rich in potassium can help improve liver function.

What to do:

• Substitute baked or mashed sweet potatoes for potatoes.
• Make sweet potato fries using non-hydrogenated oils like olive, coconut, peanut or sesame oil.
• Eat plenty of bananas, spinach and avocados on a regular basis as well.

How it works:
Potassium is a major contributor when it comes to cleansing your liver.

Eat Citrus fruits

Eating more citrus fruits can help restore liver function as well.

What to do:

• Consume lemons, limes, oranges and grape fruit as a part of your regular diet.
• Make natural juices and drinks, without added sugar, to replace sugary drinks.

How it works:
The juice from citrus fruits provides detoxification enzymes that help to flush toxins out of your liver.

Dandelion Root

This irritating weed might be your best ally for restoring proper liver function.

What to do:

• Prepare dandelion root tea by boiling 2 Tbsp of chopped dandelion root in water for 10 minutes.
• Strain the tea into a mug and consume with a little bit of honey or other natural sweetener.
• You can also include dandelion leaves and stems to your salads.

How it works:
Dandelion roots are the tops when it comes to flushing toxins out of your liver. Stems and leaves are also good, but not as potent as the roots.

Walnuts

Walnuts are another great addition to your diet if your goal is to improve liver function.

What to do:

• Consume a handful of walnuts as a regular snack. Make certain that you chew them thoroughly, so that they are almost liquefied.
• Use walnuts in salads and other dishes.

How it works:
The amino acid, L-arginine, is a major player in detoxifying ammonia. The omega-3 fatty acids and glutathione also have liver cleansing properties.

Garlic

A superfood on everyone’s list is garlic. It’s also beneficial for improved liver function.

What to do:

• Thoroughly chew and swallow garlic clove daily.
• Use more, fresh chopped garlic in your recipes.
• Infuse olive oil with garlic.
• Take a garlic supplement on a daily basis.

How it works:
Garlic is so potent because it performs several functions. The compounds allicin and selenium help cleanse and protect the liver from toxin damage, but it also reduce cholesterol and triglyceride levels, which retard proper liver function.

Ginger Root

Another superfood that helps to improve liver function is ginger root.

What to do:

• Grate 2 Tbsp of ginger.
• Add grated ginger to boiling water.
• Continue boiling on a low boil for 10 minutes.
• Strain into a cup, add lemon and honey, if desired and drink a couple times daily.

How it works:
A healthy digestive tract, provided by consuming ginger, helps detoxification, and anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties also help liver performance.

Green Tea

Green tea is another way to help improve liver function.

What to do:

• Prepare green tea according to package directions and consume a couple times a day.
• Add green tea to ginger, dandelion, or turmeric teas to double the benefits.

Caution: DO NOT use Green Tea Extracts. Studies show that they contribute to liver dysfunction.

How it works:
The catechins in green tea have cleansing and liver support functions.

Raw Vegetables

Eating raw vegetables also helps to improve liver function.

What to do:

• Consume vegetables raw in salads or as a snack.
• Learn to juice vegetables in order to get even more of their benefits into your body.
• Some of the best vegetables to consider are kale, cabbage, lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, beets and celery.

How it works:
Consuming raw vegetables increases the amounts of glucosinolate in your body, which encourages enzyme production in your liver. These enzymes help to flush out toxins and carcinogens.

Turmeric

Ginger’s first cousin, turmeric, plays an even larger role when it comes to improved liver function.

What to do:

• Grate 2 Tbsp of turmeric root.
• Boil in water for 10 minutes.
• Strain the tea into a mug and drink it with a dab of honey twice a day.
• You can also boil powdered turmeric in water or milk if you can’t get the whole root.

How it works:
The active ingredient in turmeric, curcumin, reduces inflammation, but it also helps encourage detoxifying enzyme production.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is another superfood that shows up on everybody’s list of home remedies. It supports improved liver function too.

What to do:

• Mix 1 Tbsp of raw, unfiltered, apple cider vinegar into a warm glass of water.
• You can add a dab of honey if you like.
• Drink twice a day before your meals.

How it works:
Apple cider vinegar reduces inflammation, helps to flush out toxins and helps eliminate fat that has accumulated in and around your liver.

Rosemary Oil

Rosemary oil is another superstar in the fight for enhanced liver function.

What to do:

• Rosemary oil can be introduced via the olfactory system using aromatic infusion.
• Add up to a dozen drops of rosemary oil to natural shampoos, soaps and lotions so it can be absorbed through the skin.
• Mediterranean dishes make use of rosemary as a spice.

How it works:
Rosemary helps encourage the production of enzymes that both improve digestion and detoxification.

Olive Oil

Olive oil is another major contributor to healthy liver function.

What to do:

• Since we took away hydrogenated oils from your diet earlier, we’re replacing it with cold-pressed, organic olive oil.
• Use olive oil for cooking, in salads and dips, and in place of butter or margarine spreads.

How it works:
Remember the illustration about dirty engine oil for your car? Olive oil helps your body produce a lipid base that vacuums up toxins in your bloodstream, allowing your liver to function more smoothly.

Coconut

Coconut, in any natural form, is of great benefit to proper liver function.

What to do:

• Replace hydrogenated oils with coconut oil in cooking and baking.
• Make and drink coconut milk on a daily basis.
• Add coconut milk into your favorite fruit juices and drinks.

How it works:
Coconut oil helps protect the liver against further damage while coconut water helps hydrate and promote healing.

Pineapple

Pineapple is almost everyone’s favorite tropical fruit and it has awesome properties to aid improved liver function.

What to do:

• DO NOT usecanned, sweetened, processed pineapple for any recipe.
• Use only natural, fresh or frozen pineapple as a regular addition to your salads and other meals, but avoid heating it, because heat destroys bromelain.
• Drink pineapple juice several times a week or daily (you can even add some coconut milk from above, just leave out the rum).

How it works:
The bromelain found in pineapple is a natural anti-inflammatory compound, which also aids in enzyme production for better digestion, fat reduction and detoxification.

Wrapping Things Up

Proper liver function is a major component of overall health and wellness. Since there are more than 50 symptoms from more than seven body functions, odds are that most of your health issues are related to a liver that isn’t doing its job of filtering out toxins. Take control of your health by pampering your liver and providing what it needs to be healthy.

We have provided some amazing home remedies for improving your liver function. We hope that these tips help you in some way.

Do you have any tips of your own for improving your liver function? We would love to hear your ideas and experiences. Please leave us a comment in the comments section below this article.

Images from depositphotos.com and pixabay.com.