Liver Detox

Have you ever sipped on a glass of wine or a cocktail in the summertime and thought to yourself, “Geez, I feel like I’ve been on one long vacation?”

If so, you are not alone.

For some reason, I feel like I’m on vacation for the whole season in the summer. It’s great, but I tend to drink more and eat less. I let my normal routines slide, and I relax. I believe drinking in moderation will not hurt, but I also believe in taking a break and taking care of yourself. The liver is such an important organ that needs to be shown love. Just like we do maintenance on our outer body, we should maintain our inward body, too. So, I wanted to share an amazing herb that will help with preventative maintenance and possibly help with existing liver diseases.

Dandelion (Taraxacum Officinale Weber) is a member of the Asteraceae (Compositae) family, native to Europe but found throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Dandelion is an entirely edible plant. Its leaves, roots, and flowers are incorporated into many different food products. Dandelions are earthy and bitter in flavor. I won’t lie and say that it tastes amazing, but I will say that the health benefits outweigh the not-so-amazing flavor. Dandelion can “detoxify” the blood. Treatment with different dandelion-containing herbal combinations seems to improve constipation, diarrhea, and intestinal cramping. This herbal remedy has been called the “liver tonic.” Several studies show that dandelion is also a rich source of vitamins A, B, C, D, and E, choline, inositol, lecithin, magnesium, iron, silicon, copper, phosphorus, zinc, manganese, and potassium.

So, if you ever have thoughts of a dandelion detox, do your research, and if it’s right for you, grab yourself some dandelion or dandelion tea, and let’s start detoxing together.