Liver: Functions and the role in our body systems
The liver and kidneys both are the key vital organs to live life and keep us healthy. Both the organs are working constantly. Kidneys and liver both have hundreds of jobs to do day and night without tiring.
If they are exhausted then we should know how to detox your liver and kidneys naturally at home.
The liver is the powerhouse and central unit of the body. It manages important functions including protein synthesis, filtering of toxins, balancing nutrients, and digestion of fat with the help of bile juices. Also produces Vitamin K (blood clotting factors) and other regulating hormones.
If the Liver is not able to work properly due to any reason. It may lead to deranged liver functions. This can affects other body functions badly. Abdominal pain, yellow discoloration of the eye and skin; swelling in the legs, nausea, vomiting, and dark-colored urine are common symptoms of liver failure.
Kidneys: The role and functions in our body systems
Kidneys are filtering units of the body and have millions of filtering units called nephrons. Amazing little organs filter around 180-200 liter of blood every day. Play an important role in maintaining electrolytes balance and eliminating excess water. They get rid of waste products and toxins from the body.
If the kidneys are unable to filter out toxins and waste from the body. This leads to the retention of excess water and toxins in the body cells. This happens because of hindrance in the normal functions of the kidneys.
The building up of unprocessed crystals further leads to kidney stones. Hampered kidney functions; lowers the filtering process and lead to further retention of toxins in the body.
Symptoms of kidney stones and kidney failure include abdominal pain, burning micturition; nausea and severe vomiting, persistent urge to pass urine, and swelling over the face and body.
Let’s discuss first the causes of liver and kidney failure before jumping onto the topic of how to detox your liver and kidneys naturally at home.
Causes of Liver failure and Deranged Liver Function test
- Excessive and prolonged alcohol consumption
- Obesity, Fatty foods, and Non Alcoholic Fatty liver Disease
- Painkillers, antipyretic and NSAID drugs
- Environmental toxins and adulterated Food
- Viral Hepatitis and other infections
- Poisonous Mushrooms (Death cap)
Causes of Kidney failure and Deranged Kidney Function test
- Urinary Tract infection
- Kidney Stones
- Dehydration and excessive acidic urine
- Nephrotoxic drugs like aminoglycosides and NSAIDs
- Environmental toxins and adulterated Food
What can help in improving your liver and kidney functions and their health?
So, let’s come to the point and discuss how to detox your liver and kidneys naturally at home. Liver and kidney detoxes involve dietary habits, juices, teas, and vitamin uses. A combination of hepato-protective and Nephroprotective herbs & medicinal plants is very useful.
This stuff helps in improving liver and kidney functions. However when toxins enter your body; the Liver metabolizes this and converts them into something lesser harmful and excretes it.
Similarly, herbs and medicinal plants have diuretic and Nephroprotective properties. These plants promote kidney functions which improve functions by allowing kidneys to filter out and flush toxins and waste products from the body.
There is scientific evidence that natural products, green leafy vegetables, and medicinal plants detox and cleanse, and actually, work in improving the kidney and liver function tests.
How to improve the health of your liver
Below are the ways to improve your liver health and how to detox your liver and kidneys naturally at home:
Limit and control Alcohol consumption
Firstly every alcoholic beverage consumption leads to more work to be done by your liver; secondly to metabolize it.
The more you drink, the difficult and harder it becomes for your liver to work. Excessive and prolonged alcohol consumption destroys liver cells and causes alcoholic liver disease (ALD).
In addition; so many drugs have drug interaction reactions with alcohol and should be avoided mixing alcohol and your medication.
Exercise regularly, improve your dietary habits and control weight
Obesity, high BMI, and fatty foods cause extra calories which are deposited in the adipose tissues and cause accumulation of fat over the body and liver as well. Accumulation of fat leads to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), liver failure, and cirrhosis of the liver.
Regular exercise and low-fat diet help in burning out the extra calories which reduce fat deposits on the liver and improve overall liver functions.
Monitor the use of your medications and NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)
Most of the drugs and medications are safe for your liver if taken as per the prescribed doses. But taking higher than recommended doses or taking several drugs at a time can damage your liver.
Paracetamol (Acetaminophen) is a common over-the-counter antipyretic drug which is used maximum and if it’s taken in higher and more than recommended doses can cause liver failure; especially if mixed with alcohol.
Do not mix NSAIDs and alcohol and go with the doctor’s advice for any kind of medicine even over-the-counter drugs.
Say not to adulterated Food and Avoid using packed food items
Packed food items and adulterated foods contain harmful chemicals which cause negative effect on liver cells and leads to inflammation of the liver (Hepatitis).
Avoid eating packed food, juices, and other stuff as much as you can. And avoid lustrous vegetables and food because there are chances of chemical painting on such items.
Follow infection control practices
Viruses causing hepatitis are highly contagious in nature; including Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and Hepatitis E. You should maintain hand hygiene practices and single-use the syringe to avoid spreading viral hepatitis infections.
Be careful while eating Mushrooms
Most of the mushrooms are edible and safe to eat, but there are poisonous wild mushrooms that can cause liver failure within 48 hours of eating. An example of this type of mushroom is Death Cap Mushroom.
Improve your dietary Habits
- Eat a variety of foods and increase the number of leafy vegetables in your food
- Drink 10-12 glasses of water every day to stay hydrated
- Get enough fiber diet
- Limit sugar, fatty, salty, and packed food
- Drink Tea and Coffee
- Makoi – Nightshade: Botanical Name – Solanum nigrum
Nightshade plant is a very effective and potent medicinal plant used for liver disease to reverse the diseased state to normal.
- Kasni – Chicory: Botanical name – Chicorium intybus
Chicory is another medicinal plant used widely in the Ayurveda and the Unani Medicine system of medicine to protect the liver.
How to improve the health of your kidneys
Following are the ways to cleanse your kidney and how to detox your liver and kidneys naturally at home:
Tea with Dandelion Root
Tea made with fresh Dandelion root is very helpful in cleansing kidneys. The dandelion plant’s yellow petals and leaves can be eaten in the salad to improve kidney functions. This combination has a diuretic property.
Cranberry and Beet Root
Cranberry juice is very effective for the urinary tract and removes excess calcium oxalate; prevents the stone formation and reduces the chances of urinary tract infection.
Beets can be eaten in salad and in the form of juices, it contains betaine which maintains urine acidity and removes calcium phosphate, and minimizes the chances of stone formation.
Cucumber Juice and Coconut water
Cucumber contains amino acids, cucurbitacin, and glycosides which act as diuretics and reduce uric acid deposits which help in dissolving kidney stones. Coconut water is rich in potassium and helps in balancing sodium and potassium levels and improves kidney function.
Dates and Basil Plant
Dates are rich in fiber and a good source of magnesium, very helpful in improving kidney functions if soaked in water for 24 hours after removing seeds and consumed in the morning.
Basil is used as a pain killer and antipyretic in Ayurveda which is a potent diuretic too. Basil also helps in lowering uric acid in the blood and improves kidney function and health.
Fruits like Lemon and Watermelon
Lemon juice has citric acid and due to its acidic property, it helps in dissolving calcium oxalate crystals and reduces the chance of stone formation.
Watermelon has a diuretic property and is rich in lycopene and potassium which helps in balancing acidity and improving the health of the kidneys and heart. Seeds of watermelon and musk melon are also very effective in chronic kidney diseases.
Kidney Beans and Apple Cider vinegar
Kidney beans resemble the shape of kidneys and are very effective in removing toxins from the kidney and flushing out stones.
Apple Cider vinegar contains citric acid which helps to remove uric acid stones from the kidney and is also helpful in dissolving uric acid stones.
Improve your dietary Habits
- Eat leafy vegetables
- Drink 10-12glass of water every day to stay hydrated
- Limit sugar and packed food
- A low salt diet is a savior for kidney disease
The Conclusion
I hope you got the answer to the question of how to detox your liver and kidneys naturally at home. In conclusion, Nature loves us and is given a solution to everything within it. We have oxygen generator plants to purify your room air and countless medicinal plants on earth. These plants help us to maintain our health.
When do we go against nature? Definitely, we do face the heat of diseases and imbalance in body functions. However, if follow the rules of nature and maintain a healthy balance between our dietary habits and lifestyle; then we are protected by nature itself.