A study on the effects of theanine on the liver showed that when it was administered to mice prior to ethanol exposure, it fully restored the mice's baseline liver functions. These results bode well for drinkers, since they imply that theanine can help prevent ethanol-induced liver injury.
How could something natural be bad for your liver? In fact, some common herbs could cause toxic liver disease. Watch out for supplements that contain aloe vera, black cohosh, cascara, chaparral, comfrey, ephedra, or kava.
“Herbal teas and supplements can definitively lead to liver injury and even liver failure — we call this herb-induced liver injury,” says Tatyana Kushner, MD, a hepatologist and an assistant professor in the division of liver diseases at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.
Some of the most frequently used non-bodybuilding supplements associated with hepatotoxicity include green tea extract and multi-ingredient nutritional supplements that contain both botanicals and other compounds. These products include familiar names like Hydroxycut, Oxy ELITE Pro and LipoKinetix.
Peppermint Tea
Since the liver is also involved in this digestive process, peppermint makes a great tea to help the liver with its digestive and detoxification functions.
It is the European Food and Safety Authority opinion that a dose of 800mg/day or above can lead to initial signs of liver damage.
Liver support herbal supplements include dandelion root, green tea, milk thistle extract and artichoke leaf. Other nutrients that also benefit the liver are vitamins C, D, and E and calcium D-glucarate.
Green tea extract and, more rarely, ingestion of large amounts of green tea have been implicated in cases of clinically apparent acute liver injury, including instances of acute liver failure and either need for urgent liver transplantation or death.
Benefits of green tea
A review of 10 studies from “Liver International” ISI Journal Citation Reports 2016 (Gastroenterology & Hepatology) reported that eight out of the 10 subjects found green tea had a protective effect against liver disease.
2. Why you shouldn't drink matcha? You shouldn't drink matcha if you're pregnant, breastfeeding or taking any medications.
Many citrus fruits, including lemon, can be added to water to help stimulate and flush out the liver. To help improve liver function, enjoy 4-6 tablespoons of lemon juice mixed with water each day.
Fill your fruit basket with apples, grapes and citrus fruits like oranges and lemons, which are proven to be liver-friendly fruits. Consume grapes as it is, in the form of a grape juice or supplement your diet with grape seed extracts to increase antioxidant levels in your body and protect your liver from toxins.
Lemon water can also benefit your liver health. Studies have observed that the liver produces more enzymes in the presence of lemon when compared to other food items. Enzymes are essential to stimulate, accelerate, and catalyze various chemical reactions in the human body.
Is there a cure for cirrhosis of the liver? No, there is no cure for cirrhosis. The damage already done to your liver is permanent. However, depending on the underlying cause of your cirrhosis, there may be actions you can take to keep your cirrhosis from getting worse.
Limit the amount of alcohol you drink. Eat a well-balanced diet every day. That's five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables, along with fiber from vegetables, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. Be sure to include protein for the enzymes that help your body detox naturally.
The liver has a unique capacity among organs to regenerate itself after damage. A liver can regrow to a normal size even after up to 90% of it has been removed. But the liver isn't invincible. Many diseases and exposures can harm it beyond the point of repair.
Recently, however, several cases of clinically apparent liver injury have been reported in patients taking commercial herbal products that are labelled as containing ashwagandha. The liver injury presented 2 to 12 weeks after starting ashwagandha with a cholestatic or mixed pattern of injury, jaundice and pruritus.
Dietary supplementation of matcha effectively prevented excessive accumulation of visceral and hepatic lipid, elevated blood glucose, dyslipidemia, abnormal liver function, and steatosis hepatitis.