Whether you realize it or not, your liver desperately needs you. It needs you to take its health seriously and know how to care for it. Your liver works overtime, around the clock to filter blood, help with digestion, and remove toxins. You can help it. Have you had your milk thistle today? Start today and give your liver a boost with the ultimate liver cleanse diet and milk thistle.

Why Milk Thistle?

Milk thistle is a prickly plant native to Europe. It was introduced into North America by early colonists and is now found throughout the eastern United States, California, South America, Africa, Australia, and Asia (1). The active ingredients in milk thistle are a group of plant compounds collectively known as silymarin (2). Silymarin compounds are known to be strong antioxidants, antivirals, and anti-inflammatories 


But, how does this help your liver and why does it need help anyway?

Your Liver’s Story: Sorting and Filtering

Weighing in at about 3 pounds and setting on the right side of your abdomen, your liver is busy all day every day. Its functions are crucial to your health and life. Every time you take a bite or drink, your liver is ready and waiting.


When you eat, your food and drinks begin their digestion journey in your mouth. You chew and chew, and start to break down foods. Then, the food and drinks make their way down your esophagus to your stomach. Here, food is further broken down both chemically (by acid and enzymes), and mechanically (by churning). Once ready, the broken-down nutrients will make their way to your intestines. There, enzymes dismantle the nutrients further into absorbable sugars, amino acids, and fatty acids. Your intestines absorb the nutrients and send them to the liver.

The Mail Room

Now, have you ever seen a busy post office or mail sorting center? Your liver is the mailroom of the body. It has about 500 workers, and each has one job. As long as you give the workers a substance they know and can work with, the liver functions well. Overwhelm them, or give them foreign, chemical, or harmful substances, and it takes a toll on the workers. The toxins can build up.


Your liver “mail-room” takes in the nutrients, sorts them, and send them out to the body. The nutrients are sent out through the blood to cells and organs to be turned into usable energy, to be part of biochemical reactions (in the case of many vitamins and minerals), to help and repair cells, or to be stored. Your liver must be healthy to get this right.


What’s more, as it sorts, your liver also filters. It filters out toxins from foods, chemicals, and medications, and detoxifies the blood. Lastly, beyond all this, your liver helps your body maintain healthy blood sugars by not allowing them to go too low. It stores a bit of glucose it can send out in an emergency.


This is the around-the-clock hard work of your liver. The more stress the liver is under due to too many toxins, high and low blood sugars, and more, the more it can get worn out.

How Can Milk Thistle Help?

Milk thistle supports healthy liver function.


In fact, many people with liver damage and illness use milk thistle supplements. It’s been found to support healthy liver function after a liver is injured by acetaminophen, carbon tetrachloride, radiation, iron overload, phenylhydrazine, alcohol, cold ischaemia, and Amanita phalloides. (1). What’s more, it can provide protection to the liver against toxins (6, 7), and support liver function in those with inflamed and/or damaged livers (8).


How?


While the exact mechanism is not known, experts believe the silymarin compounds promote liver health. As your liver is working hard for you, it can become damaged when it filters out toxic substances. It’s thought that milk thistle’s antioxidant free radical damage and offer protection.

Milk Thistle Supports the Health of Other Organs

Milk thistle doesn’t stop with the liver. It also:


  • may help protect neurons and support healthy brain function while aging (10, 11)
  • stimulates bone mineralization (12, 13)
  • decreases skin inflammation and blemishes (14)
  • promotes insulin sensitivity (15)
  • supports healthy immune function

In addition to being part of the ultimate liver cleanse diet, milk thistle promotes whole-body health.


Of note, pregnant women, those allergic to milk thistle, people with blood sugar abnormalities, and others should discuss the use of milk thistles with their personal medical professionals.

More Ways to Help Your Liver

There are a few more things you can do to support healthy liver function. These include:


  • Limiting excessive carbohydrates and sugars in the diet. Every time you eat too many carbohydrates and sugar, your liver has to turn them into fatty acids for the body. Overworking your liver with sugar may harm it over time.
  • Choosing healthy monounsaturated fats as your main source of oils and fats. Specifically, use extra virgin olive oil, avocados, and other omega-9 fats in cooking and eating.
  • Limiting or avoiding alcohol. Alcohol intake directly affects the liver and requires it to work overtime to detoxify your blood.
  • Eating foods with fiber including vegetables, nuts, seeds, psyllium husk, and inulin.
  • Avoiding sugary drinks like soda.
  • Doing your best to maintain a healthy weight.


Each day you can choose to support your liver with healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle. And now, you can choose our ultimate liver cleanse diet.

Bottom Line

Your liver needs you. Starting today, you can join Dr. Colbert’s 21 Day Detox and Cleanse and give your body the ultimate liver cleanse diet. You’ll have wonderful food lists, meal plans, and instructions to use milk thistle each day alongside other nutrients that promote liver health.