Foods, herbs, teas, essential oils, movement and emotional practices for liver support.
Your liver is doing a lot more than you probably realise.
It’s one of your body’s great workhorses, quietly getting on with its job while you get on with yours.
Every day, we ask our liver to help process what we’re putting into our bodies, from the food we eat and the drinks we enjoy to all the nutrients and other substances that come along with them. It plays an important role in digestion and in processing what our body receives from what we consume.
So when we’re thinking about our overall well-being, the liver is one of the many areas that can be worth giving a little attention.
If we think of the liver as one of the body’s processing systems, there’s an interesting question we can ask:
What are we putting into the system in the first place?
The less unnecessary load we place on our bodies, the more opportunity we give them to get on with the work they’re already designed to do.
So supporting your liver isn’t only about adding something to your diet. It’s also about looking at what you’re putting into your body and asking:
Could I make my liver’s job a little easier?
And supporting your liver doesn’t have to mean embarking on a complicated cleanse or completely changing your lifestyle.
Sometimes it’s simply about giving your body more of the things it needs and creating the conditions that allow it to do what it does best.
So let’s explore some simple things you can try.
🥕 Start with food
Food is always a lovely place to begin.
Rather than looking for one magical food, think about bringing a variety of whole foods into your diet.
Some foods traditionally associated with liver support include:
🍋 Lemon – traditionally used for cleansing and toning the liver
🧄 Garlic
🍊 Grapefruit – associated with supporting healthy liver fat metabolism
❤️ Beetroot
🥕 Carrots
🥬 Leafy greens
🥑 Avocado
🍎 Apples
You don’t need to eat all of these every day. Think variety, colour and whole foods rather than perfection.
🍋 A little citrus in the morning
One of the things I personally enjoy and recommend is a fresh mixed citrus juice in the morning.
My usual combination is:
4–5 oranges + 1 grapefruit + 1 lemon + 1 lime (optional)
It’s a simple, refreshing way to bring several different citrus fruits into your day.
You can adjust the combination depending on what’s available, what’s in season and what you enjoy.
🥕 Cabala Juice
My Cabala Juice contains carrots, apples, beetroot and lemon, bringing several of these foods together in one simple drink.
🌿 Teas & herbs
There are also a number of herbs traditionally used to support the liver.
These include:
- Dandelion root or the whole plant
- Chicory root
- Milk thistle
- Stinging nettle
Stinging nettle is often thought of as an annoying garden plant, but it has a long history of use as a nourishing herb.
If you have access to fresh nettles, you can carefully harvest the leaves and make a simple herbal tea by steeping them in hot water.
And dandelion is another herb I particularly like to explore when talking about liver support.
🌿 Dandelion Spice Tea
My Dandelion Spice Tea is part of my Victoria Wellness Warrior wellness range, with delicious chai-style spices adding warmth and flavour to the dandelion base.
Want to try some?
🍋 Essential oils
Essential oils can be another way to incorporate aromatic plant oils into your well-being practices.
Some of the oils traditionally associated with liver-supportive practices include:
Geranium
Rosemary
Lemon
And others
One of the simplest ways to enjoy essential oils aromatically is through a vaporiser or diffuser, either a water-based or water-less style.
I also personally enjoy using geranium essential oil as a natural perfume.
Because essential oils are highly concentrated, appropriate use matters. If you’d like to explore which oils to use, how to use them and any precautions to consider, contact me for more information.
🕺 Movin’ & Groovin’
Your body is designed to move.
And you don’t need a different exercise program for every part of your body. Regular movement supports your overall well-being, so one of the simplest things you can do is get moving in a way you enjoy.
This is one of the reasons I love Movin’ & Groovin’.
The sessions get your whole body moving, so choose one that feels good and make movement part of your day.
And movement doesn’t have to mean a formal workout.
Go for a nice walk in the sunshine.
Get outside. Get some fresh air. Get in the sun.
Put on your favourite music and dance around the kitchen.
Stretch. Shake it out.
Just move.
💚 What about the emotional side?
There is another way of looking at the liver that I find interesting.
In some traditional and complementary approaches, the liver is associated with emotions such as frustration, anger, aggression, fear, indecision, guilt and blame.
You don’t have to adopt that framework as fact to find it useful as a prompt for self-reflection.
Instead, you might simply ask yourself:
What am I holding onto that I’m ready to release?
And that’s where the Emotional Remedy comes in.
Try this simple practice
Sit quietly.
Close your eyes and take some deep breaths.
As you sit quietly, think about releasing frustration, aggression, rage, fear, indecision, guilt and blame.
Take another deep breath.
Then, in your mind, repeat the word:
Clear.
Keep repeating the word clear as you breathe until you feel some kind of shift.
Then take another deep breath and repeat this affirmation:
I choose to live from the open space in my heart.
I look for love and find it everywhere.
I am quick to forgive.
I forgive myself.
I release anger, frustration and rage.
Take another deep breath and repeat the affirmation twice more, allowing a breath between each repetition.
You don’t need to force anything.
Simply sit, breathe and notice what happens.
🔥 When you’re feeling angry…
Sometimes emotions need somewhere to go.
If you’re feeling particularly frustrated or angry, you could try:
Screaming into a pillow until you’ve got nothing left to say
High-intensity exercise
Going for a vigorous walk or run
Shaking your body out
Getting outside for some fresh air
Taking some deep breaths once you’ve released some of that energy
The goal isn’t to pretend you aren’t angry.
It’s time to give yourself a safe way to acknowledge the feeling, move some of the energy through your body and then create some space around it.
🌿 A little support can go a long way
This is where personalised support can be helpful.
Rather than trying to make every change at once, we can look at your individual situation and explore practical ways to support your body through food, herbal teas, essential oils, lifestyle and emotional practices.
Want to explore this more deeply?
Book a free 20 minute wellness consultation with me and discover what’s possible for your liver and overall well-being journey!
