Seeking Guidence

[Guest guest]

My husband was just diagnosed with Cirrohisis. He was perscribed a

med. that played havaoc on his liver, yes he had been a social drinker

for years but had been fine till this med was added. His primary care

doc(who gave him the med) is focusing ion the drinking alone. I have

read that by not drinking and some other changes in lifestyle such as

a more concentrated diet etc, the liver can heal itself. On mine own I

have done some research but am looking for more and from those who may

have had some sucess.

He has not had a drink in well over a month; and most importantly has

vowed to whip this.

[Guest guest]

without a doubt, silymarin (Milk Thistle) has to be the best liver remedy for

rejuvinating the cells and tissues and detox.

 

http://silymarin.com/

 

this site will give you all the info for you to make an informed decision.

 

with blessings

Annie

 

darblly <darblly wrote:

My husband was just diagnosed with Cirrohisis. He was perscribed a

med. that played havaoc on his liver, yes he had been a social drinker

for years but had been fine till this med was added. His primary care

doc(who gave him the med) is focusing ion the drinking alone. I have

read that by not drinking and some other changes in lifestyle such as

a more concentrated diet etc, the liver can heal itself. On mine own I

have done some research but am looking for more and from those who may

have had some sucess.

He has not had a drink in well over a month; and most importantly has

vowed to whip this.

[Guest guest]

How would using milk thistle as a liver cleanse compare to the 'package'

of Chinese herbs - gold coin grass, Chinese bitters, coptis and curcuma?

 

thanks,

rachel

 

 

 

 

Annie Clay wrote:

 

>without a doubt, silymarin (Milk Thistle) has to be the best liver remedy for

rejuvinating the cells and tissues and detox.

>

> http://silymarin.com/

>

> this site will give you all the info for you to make an informed decision.

>

> with blessings

> Annie

>

>

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

, rachel mason

<groups wrote:

>

> How would using milk thistle as a liver cleanse compare to

the 'package' of Chinese herbs - gold coin grass, Chinese bitters,

coptis and curcuma?

> thanks,

> rachel

 

 

In comparison to Milk Thistle, they are literally " useless " either

as single herbs or as a 'package'! Gold coin grass is often used to

soften and help eliminate gallstones. That is all, according to Dr.

Whitaker.

Coptis is used for gall bladder health as well. It is used in order

to eliminate any 'excess' estrogens and to alleviate recurrent lung

infections.

Chinese bitters improves digestive health.

Curcuma is just another name for Turmeric. Now, there is a 'wealth'

of research backing its use for liver restoration!

 

The liver cleanses that contain the above mentioned herbs are

useless. They are in effect perpetuating a scam, and a very

profitable one at that.

 

Dr weil claims that there is " no research " backing liver cleanses of

any kind.

 

www.drweil.com

---

Hepatitis B and C can be controlled with herbal medicines. Use of

milk thistle seed extract, about 3-6 capsules of a good quality

standardized extract, along with strict avoidance of drugs and

alcohol, and about 5 grams a day of a personalized liver tonic

formula made with herb such as the following is very, very helpful.

 

Think of it as a liver multi-vitamin:

 

White peony root (bai shao / Paeonia lactiflora) soothes and calms

liver

 

Salvia root (dan shen / Salvia miltiorrhiza) reduces inflammation,

improves circulation

 

Bupleurum root (chai hu / B. chinensis) - calming liver tonic

 

Capillaris herb (yin chen hao / Artemisia capillaris) - removes

liver inflammation

 

Cordyceps mushroom (dong chong xia cao /C. sinensis) - lung tonic,

liver tonic

 

Bromelain enzyme (Ananas comusus) - digestive, antiinflammatory

Eclipta (han lian cao / E. prostrata) - Cools and nourishes blood,

heals liver

 

Ganoderma mushroom (ling zhi / G. lucidum) - strengthens immune

system, calms liver

 

Guduchi stem (Tinospora cordifolia) - detoxifying liver and energy

tonic

 

Licorice root (gan cao / Glycyrrhiza glabra) - soothes stomach,

detoxifies liver

 

Red peony root (chi shao / Peonia rubra ) removes blood congestion

 

Schisandra fruit (wu wei zi / S. chinensis) - liver tonic

 

Scute root (huang qin / Scutellaria baicalensis) removes

inflammation from blood and liver

 

Shilajatu complex (bituminous minerals) - liver and kidney tonic

 

Tien qi root (san qi / Panax pseudoginseng) - wound-healing agen

 

Turmeric root (haridra / Curcuma longa) liver tonic,

antiinflammatory

 

Vasaka leaf (Adhatoda vasica) removes liver inflammation

 

JoAnn

[Guest guest]

H JoAnn,

 

Thanks for the info, but I am confused. You say these are useless, yet

what you write appear to show something beneficial. Am I missing

something? I am allergic to milk thistle, among many other things, and

a Chinese practitioner suggested I use these four items. I was told

coptis and curcuma help move stagnant bile.

 

thanks,

rachel

 

>In comparison to Milk Thistle, they are literally " useless " either

>as single herbs or as a 'package'! Gold coin grass is often used to

>soften and help eliminate gallstones. That is all, according to Dr.

>Whitaker.

>Coptis is used for gall bladder health as well. It is used in order

>to eliminate any 'excess' estrogens and to alleviate recurrent lung

>infections.

>Chinese bitters improves digestive health.

>Curcuma is just another name for Turmeric. Now, there is a 'wealth'

>of research backing its use for liver restoration!

>

>The liver cleanses that contain the above mentioned herbs are

>useless. They are in effect perpetuating a scam, and a very

>profitable one at that.

>

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

, rachel mason

<groups wrote:

>

> H JoAnn,

>

> Thanks for the info, but I am confused. You say these are

useless, yet what you write appear to show something beneficial. Am

I missing something? I am allergic to milk thistle, among many

other things, and a Chinese practitioner suggested I use these four

items. I was told coptis and curcuma help move stagnant bile.

>

> thanks,

> rachel

 

 

Hi Rachel!

 

By all means, I would encourage you to follow your natural

practitioner's advice! Since no side-by-side studies have been

performed comparing these nutrients, we cannot say that anyone of

them are better than the other. Unfortunately, since you responded

to another posting inquiring about beneficial " liver herbs " , I

assumed that you were also dealing exclusively with the liver.

 

Tbis is the reason it is difficult to answer these group questions

such as yours when so little information is given for reference. I

certainly was not implicating that the above mentioned herbs were

useless...period, however it is difficult to read between the lines

and as you neglected to mention that you were dealing with the gall

bladder as well, my response did not deal with that.

However,my message indicated that the herbs you mentioned were quite

helpful for gall bladder problems, i.e. ( " to help move stagnant

bile " .)

 

Gold coin grass is often used to >soften and help eliminate

gallstones, according to Dr. Whitaker.

> >Coptis is used for gall bladder health as well.

 

> >Curcuma is just another name for Turmeric. Now, there is

a 'wealth' of research backing its use for liver restoration!

 

One of the key manners in which silymarin enhances " detoxification

reaction " is " preventing " the " depletion " of glutathione.

the level of glutathione in the liver is critically linked to the

liver's ability to detoxify.

 

The higher the glutathione content, the greater the liver's capacity

to detoxify harmful chemicals.Typically,when we are exposed to

chemicals which can damage the liver including alcohol, the

concentration of glutathione in the liver is substantially reduced.

This reduction in glutathione makes the liver cell susceptible

to damage.

 

Silymarin not only prevents the depletion of glutathione

induced by alcohol and other toxic chemicals, but has been shown to

increase the level of glutathione of the liver by up to 35%.

Since the

ability of the liver to detoxify is largely related to the level of

glutathione in the liver, the results seem to indicate

that silymarin can increase detoxification reactions by up to 35%.

It is doubtful that the other herbs would be as beneficial as milk

thistle for preventing depleting glutathione levels.

 

Another very effective method is to alternate nutrients. This keeps

the body from developing sensitivities or desensitivities to any one

nutrient during prolonged treatments.

 

Once the liver has modified a toxin, it needs to be eliminated from

the body as soon as possible. One of the primary routes of

elimination is through the bile. However, when the excretion of bile

is inhibited(a condition called cholestasis), toxins stay in the

liver longer.

 

Cholestasis has several causes, including obstruction of the bile

ducts and impairment of bile flow within the liver. The most common

cause of

obstruction of the bile ducts is the presence of gallstones.

The prevalence of gallstones in this country has been linked to the

high-fat, low-fiber diet consumed by the majority of Americans.

 

Impairment of bile flow within the liver can be caused by a variety

of agents and conditions.

 

These conditions are often associated with alterations of liver

function in laboratory tests(serum bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase,

SGOT, LDH, GGTP, etc.) signifying cellular damage.

 

However, relying on these tests alone to evaluate liver

function is not adequate, since, in the initial or subclinical

stages of many problems with liver function, laboratory values

remain normal.

 

Causes of Cholestasis

 

Presence of gallstones

Alcohol

Endotoxins

Hereditary disorders such as Gilbert's syndrome

Hyperthyroidism or thyroxine supplementation

Viral hepatitis

Pregnancy

 

Certain chemicals or drugs:

 

Natural and synthetic steroidal hormones:

 

[comp: indent all following entries]Anabolic steroids

Estrogens

Oral contraceptives [all the following are not hormones]

 

Aminosalicylic acid

Chlorothiazide

Erythromycin estolate

Mepazine Phenylbutazone

Sulphadiazine

Thiouracil

 

How does diet impact detoxification- The first step in supporting

proper liver function is following a health promoting diet low in

animal foods and sugar, and high in whole plant

foods such as vegetables, whole grains, legumes, fruits, nuts, and

seeds.

 

Such a diet will provide a wide range of essential nutrients

the liver needs to carry on its important functions.

 

If you want to have a healthy liver, there are three things you

definitely want to stay away from: (1) saturated fats; (2) refined

sugar; and (3) alcohol. A diet high in saturated fat increases the

risk of developing fatty infiltration and/or cholestasis.

 

In contrast, a diet rich in dietary fiber, particularly the water-

soluble fibers, promotes increased " bile secretion " .

 

Special foods rich in factors which help protect the liver from

damage and improve liver function include: high sulfur containing

foods like

 

garlic, legumes, onions, and organic eggs (organic eggs contain 25%

less saturated fat); good sources of water-soluble

fibers such as pears, oat bran, apples, and legumes;

 

cabbage family vegetables especially

broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage;

 

and artichokes, beets, carrots, dandelion,

and many herbs and spices like turmeric, cinnamon, and licorice.

 

Choline, betaine, methionine, vitamin B6, folic acid, and vitamin

B12are important. These nutrients are referred to as " lipotropic

agents. "

 

Lipotropic agents are compounds which promote the flow of fat and

bileto and from the liver. In essence, they produce a " decongesting "

effecton the liver and promote improved liver function and fat

metabolism.

 

Formulas containing lipotropic agents are very useful in enhancing

detoxification reactions and other liver functions.

Lipotropic formulas

have been used for a wide variety of conditions by nutrition-

oriented physicians including a number of liver disorders including

hepatitis, cirrhosis, and chemical-induced liver disease.

 

 

 

> Oftentimes milk thistle is compared to alpha- lipoic acid, N-

acetyl cysteine, and

nucleic acids in its effectiveness to support liver detoxification

and aid in liver disease.

 

Blessings,

JoAnn