Your liver is vital to your overall health. It produces blood proteins and metabolizes lipids and sugar. And it’s your body’s detox machine. Dandelion helps your liver by supporting how it functions and protecting it from toxin exposure.
1. In traditional and herbal medicine dandelion is considered to be a liver cleanser.
Bitters (sesquiterpene lactones) are found in both the leaves and the root of dandelion. The bitters in dandelion support your liver function by stimulating bile flow from the liver.
2. Dandelion root supports your liver’s detox function because it contains choline.
Choline is a macronutrient that helps in the process of methylation, which is an important part of detoxification.
3. The choline in dandelion root also protects your liver from toxin exposure.
Since your liver is the first line of defense against toxic chemicals it’s also the organ most often affected by toxic chemicals and environmental pollutants.
When your liver doesn’t have enough choline to deal with toxins efficiently, you could end up with abnormal deposits of fat in your liver. A fatty liver is one common way your liver responds to toxic chemical exposure.
4. Dandelion polysaccharides protect your liver by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation.
Oxidative stress occurs when your body produces more free radicals than it can deal with. It's the main factor that causes liver injury. Dandelion roots are an important source of polysaccharides.
5. Like its roots, dandelion leaf extract also protects your liver from damage caused by toxic chemical exposure.
Leaf extracts significantly suppress fat accumulation in the liver. They may be a promising approach for the prevention and treatment of obesity-related nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
Dandelion leaf extracts also protect the liver by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation.
Easy ways to add dandelion to your diet include using early spring leaves in salads, drinking leaf and root teas and extracts made from the whole dandelion plant. For more info check out The Benefits of Dandelion.