Liver Cleanse - Frequently Asked Questions

If the answer is "yes" to any of these questions, then chances are you need to consider cleansing
the liver to further encourage "good" health.

An unhealthy liver is the cause of numerous chronic illnesses and disorders. It is one of the most neglected and disregarding organs in our body. And yet, it is vital in the process of protecting us from the toxins we are confronted with everyday. It is also a required component in the efforts to maintain a healthy weight. For anybody who is trying to lose weight, a healthy, balanced liver is a must. Liver Cleanse, with its Advanced Enzyme Technology, will help.
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The majority of people are not sure what the liver does. They are unaware that it plays a major role in the digestive process. The liver acts as a comprehensive body detoxifier.

Health threatening toxins accumulate in the liver. The liver must be able to break down toxins before they are excreted, ultimately via the colon or kidneys.

Other vital roles that a healthy liver is responsible for:

Liver Cleanse excels for liver detoxification and promoting healthy elimination of wastes from the body. Liver Cleanse is an exclusive herbal tonic - an all natural nutriceutical formula. This formula contains a unique combination of herbs, powerful antioxidants, amino acids, other nutritional factors, and Applied Health Solutions' Advanced Enzyme Technology™ (AET™) to provide maximum antioxidant potency and effectiveness. These ingredients provide maximum benefits for the liver.

Liver Cleanse is used as a liver tonic to promote a healthy digestive system, relieve digestive disorders, and aid in eliminating toxins and waste from the body. With detoxification, the liver function improves. When proper liver function is restored, liver degeneration can be stopped, and even reversed.

Coupled with appropriate eating habits, healthy liver function can also stimulate natural weight-loss. A healthy liver can promote fat metabolism and lower cholesterol levels.
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Today's lifestyles subject us to stressful living. The following four main factors contribute to a toxic liver:

These four areas will cause a toxic environment for our bodies, resulting in allergies, digestive problems, low energy, weight gain, high cholesterol, and disease. The importance of maintaining a healthy liver cannot be over-emphasized in its relationship to complete good health and well-being.
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If left unchecked, symptoms of liver dysfunction can result in chronic fatigue syndrome, immune disorders, high blood pressure, and the most serious and life threatening liver diseases - cirrhosis, chronic hepatitis, liver cancer, and complete liver failure.

An unhealthy liver creates a toxic condition that manifests itself in one or more of the following symptoms:

Fortunately, the liver has the ability to be able to regenerate itself with the proper care and treatment. With specific liver cleansing, even the potential for chronic illness, due to liver dysfunction, will decrease.

Today's world presents the potential for liver pollution in everything you do, including eating, breathing, and just living. The sooner you begin to integrate liver cleansing as a part of your regular health maintenance, the better you will feel and function.

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All-natural Liver Cleanse contains the following unique combination of nutritional factors to cleanse the liver and promote healthy liver function:

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Taurine

Taurine, one of the lesser known amino acids, plays several important roles in the body and is an essential component of cell membranes, where it plays a role in stabilizing transport across cell membranes and provides antioxidant protection.

Taurine plays a major role in the liver via the formation of bile acids and detoxification. Abnormally low levels of taurine are common in many patients with chemical sensitivities and allergies. Taurine is the major amino acid required for the removal of toxic chemicals and metabolites from the body. Taurine is important for conjugation of drugs and metabolites in the liver via the acylation route. Once conjugated, chemical toxins are removed from the body as a component of bile and also through water soluble acetates in the urine. Taurine is a key component of bile acids produced in the liver. As bile synthesis utilizes cholesterol, disordered bile synthesis may result in elevated cholesterol.

Taurine is the body's main antioxidant defense against production of excess hypochlorite ion and if this is not controlled it will lead to severe aggravation of chemical sensitivity. Impaired body synthesis of taurine will reduce the ability of the liver to detoxify environmental chemicals such as chlorine, chlorite (bleach), aldehydes (produced from alcohol excess), alcohols, petroleum solvents and ammonia. Taurine deficient persons are likely to have impaired mineral transport across the cell membrane producing imbalances in electrolytes and reduced ability of the liver to remove pollutants via the excretory routes of the bowel and kidneys.

Recent findings are demonstrating that taurine is one of the major nutrients involved in the bodies detoxification of harmful substances and drugs and should be considered in the treatment of all chemically sensitive patients.

Scientific reference: Orthoplex Research Bulletin --" Taurine the Detoxifying Amino Acid ".
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Those with sluggish liver function often have difficulty metabolizing fats and may have high cholesterol levels. Psyllium can help in such cases.

The largest trial ever conducted into the effects of Psyllium fiber carried out at the Universities of Newcastle and Sydney has proven that it is probably the best cholesterol lowering fiber available. Psyllium is proving a more consistent cholesterol lowering agent than oat fiber. Psyllium is a plentiful source of soluble fiber, and it is well accepted that soluble fiber has a significant role in the prevention and treatment of elevated cholesterol levels. Psyllium is best taken with food.
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Dandelion is known by herbalists as Taraxacum Officinale and its root has been used for liver and biliary complaints for centuries. Extensive records of its medicinal use exists from the 10th and 11th centuries when it was promoted by famous Arabian doctors. In 16th century Britain it was well established as an official drug of the apothecaries under the name of Herba Taraxacon and was a popular medicinal plant for the liver and digestive organs. Since the 16th century the Germans have used Dandelion extensively for "blood purifying" and liver congestion. It is truly a universal herb and is still found in the official pharmocopoeias of Switzerland, Poland, Hungary and Russia. A huge amount of research has been carried out on the medicinal and nutritional effects of dandelion in many European countries. Dandelion has been used as a herbal medicine for centuries in China, India and Nepal for liver ailments. Today dandelion is used widely as a tonic in North America, the Orient and Europe.

The therapeutic properties of dandelion are due in part to its bitter substances taraxacin and inulin (a bitter glycoside). Other substances in dandelion are taraxanthin, sesquiterpenes, flavonoids, levulin, pectin, fatty acids, minerals and vitamins.

Bitters, such as those in dandelion, stimulate the digestive glands and the liver and activate the flow of bile.

Although dandelion's specific action is on the liver, it also acts as a general body tonic. It acts as a laxative, diuretic, anti-inflammatory, bitter tonic and cholagogue. Its cholagogue effect is useful for liver and gall bladder inflammation and congestion, as well as jaundiced states. It is of use in the early stages of cirrhosis of the liver such as alcoholic cirrhosis.

Professor John King, the American doctor famous for his works on medicinal herbs, recommends dandelion for " weak digestion, loss of appetite, constipation and hepatic (liver) torpor ". Its dual liver and kidney action makes dandelion an excellent detoxifying remedy for gout, rheumatism and skin complaints.

The Australian Journal Medical Herbalism Vol 3 (4),1991, refers to two studies, one by Vivarelli in 1938 and the other in Britain, which demonstrate the liver healing properties of dandelion. They found that dandelion successfully treats hepatitis, liver swelling, jaundice and indigestion in those with inadequate bile secretion.
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This herb has been known as a traditional liver tonic for centuries and more than 100 scientific research papers and a symposia have been produced on its liver healing properties, Reference Aust. Journal Medical Herbalism Vol 4 (1), 1992. Milk Thistle is also known as Silybum marianum, Silymarin or St Mary's Thistle. Milk Thistle has multiple actions; these are liver-protective, liver-regenerative, anti-hypoglycaemic, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. Milk Thistle can be used with benefit in the following conditions----

Clinical and laboratory studies and tissue examinations, both in humans and animals have found Milk Thistle to have beneficial effects in treating all of the above.

Milk Thistle has been found to reduce toxic fatty degeneration of the liver.

In 1969, the renowned phalloidine experiment was carried out by the researchers Vogel and Temme, Reference Arzneim Forsch 1969; 19:613-615. During this test, St Milk Thistle was proven to be liver protective. Phalloidine is extremely toxic to the liver. Milk Thistle can block its toxic effects, which indicates that it has powerful liver-protective capability.

Not only is this remarkable herb liver protective, it has also been found to help liver cells (hepatocytes) repair and regenerate themselves after they have been damaged. Milk Thistle contains a flavone which protects some of the intracellular components of liver cells (mitochondria and microsomes) from lipid peroxidation; this protective effect was 10 times more powerful than that of vitamin E.

The powerful detoxification enzymes in the liver that break down drugs and toxic chemicals are called the cytochrome P450 enzymes. These enzymes are improved by one of the components of Milk Thistle called silibinin.

A 3-month study following 67 patients with chronic hepatitis, toxic liver damage and biliary inflammation found that Milk Thistle greatly helped their liver disease. Reference: Talalaj S. A research paper--Silybum marianum. Sydney: NHAA, 1985.

The same study found that patients with alcoholic cirrhosis had a significantly higher survival rate if treated with Milk Thistle.
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Artichoke, also known as Cynara scolymus, is a bitter tonic with liver protective and liver restorative actions. It has also been used as a "blood purifier". During the 1930's, clinical studies established its value in lowering blood cholesterol, urea and nitrogen waste products of metabolism. Reference Rocchietta S: Minerva Med 50,612 (1959). It is of use as a liver restorative, in cases of liver insufficiency and damage, liver diseases, poor digestion, gall stones and chronic constipation. In overweight patients it can be used to lower elevated cholesterol and triglycerides. It can be used as a cleanser in cases of skin diseases and excessive body odor.

Slippery Elm Bark

The fine powder made from the bark of the slippery elm tree has a soothing effect upon the mucous membranes of the gastrointestinal tract. It produces temporary relief from the excessive acidity and reflux caused by digestive disorders. Slippery elm powder produces a protective lining upon inflammed and ulcerated mucosal surfaces and is thus of use for those with gastritis and stomach and duodenal ulcers. It may be of help in some cases of irritable bowel syndrome.
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Advanced Enzyme Technology^{^TM}

Many botanicals contain precursors that, when exposed to certain enzymes, are converted to potent and well-characterized antioxidant compounds. Two of these precursors are rutin and chlorogenic acid, which are enzymatically converted to quercetin and caffeic/quinnic acid. We have demonstrated this effect in our lab by incubating botanicals, such as barley grass and beet root, with our enzyme blends. Within minutes after adding the enzyme, the conversion to antioxidant compounds can be observed.

In the process of detoxification, I believe that free radicals are readily produced. These free radicals are prone to causing oxidative damage to cellular constituent. Caffeic acid, quercetin, quinnic acid, and ferulic acid have been shown to have antioxidant properties greater than that of vitamins E and C. All are produced through enzymes not found in the human system. By supplementing with fungal enzymes, one is assured of obtaining these antioxidant compounds from botanicals.

Devin Houston, Ph.D.
President
Houston Nutraceuticals, Inc.
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Frequently Asked Questions for Liver Cleanse