Teas for Liver Health: Support The Vital Organ With Tea
The liver, one of the most important organd in the human body as well as the largest (it’s about the size of a rugby football, and weighs more than three pounds), confronts at least one seasonal test every year in the United States: October through December.
It all begins with the candy-inhaling Halloween bacchanal, continues across November as we dig into comfort food and savor Thanksgiving feasts, and grows even more challenging as we holiday-party our way into the New Year. As the body’s natural detoxifier, the liver must handle the flood of fatty, sweet, salty, processed and boozy foods and beverages that wash through the body during the year’s final quarter.
As the kick-off to the annual liver trial draws near, we dive into the liver and its functions, and offer a trio of teas that give the organ a hand as it works its way through processing wine and whiskey, cookies and cakes, and gravy, goose and green bean casserole.
The Skinny on the Liver
The liver’s role in human health is much more than so much chopped liver. Among other things, the glandular organ performs up to 500 functions for the body, everything from maintaining glucose levels to stocking iron and storing nutrients.
Fat makes up about 10% of the liver; when that number rises above 10% physicians consider it a “fatty liver,” and begin to counsel patients about heightened risk for type 2 diabetes. In addition to its detox powers, the liver also creates the blood upon which we all depend for life. It also possesses a magnificent ability to regenerate itself, which also contributes toward the relative ease (compared to other organs) with which surgeons can transplant livers. Also, when somebody donates half of their liver, the part of the organ left behind quickly begins building new tissues; in time, a full liver once again gets formed.
The liver:
- Produces bile, which is essential for getting rid of waste and breaking down fats in the small intestine during digestion
- Manufactures cholesterol and proteins to carry fats through the body
- Creates proteins for blood plasma
- Holds 13 percent of the body’s blood supply
It’s one of the body’s stars. Keeping the liver healthy and vigorous matters for human health. Diet is vital; one rich in ultra-processed and fatty foods, as well as alcohol, stresses the liver. We don’t want to stress the liver. Instead, we desire pampering the organ.
As everything people eat or drink passes through the liver, then the many botanicals found in tea also work their way through it. And some of the compounds found in tea serve as liver balm.
Teas for Liver Health: DetoxiTea
Many teas contribute toward liver vitality through different botanicals. But we designed our custom DetoxiTea to specifically address the liver, as well as the kidneys.
This wonderful liver tonic turns in part to organic dandelion root, an extremely powerful botanical that people have leveraged for centuries for liver health. But it also incorporates organic lapacho (also known as Paul d’arco), a bark harvested from a South American tree known as the “tree of life” that is packed with antimicrobial properties.
Honeybush, a South African shrub similar to rooibos, enhances the activity of enzymes (cytosolic glutathione S-transferase alpha) in the liver, which contributes toward liver stoutness.
We round out the blend with organic lemon peel and organic cinnamon, which add pleasing flavors to the powerful combination of botanicals.
Teas for Liver: Organic Ripe Puerh
Tea artisans perform all manner of natural wizardry upon tea leaves to yield tea’s diversity of flavors: a range of growing methods, different kinds of oxidation protocols, varying methods for arresting oxidation, and more. But only one style, puerh, applies fermentation to tea leaves. The results are superb, and sought after by tea aficionados. In addition, the fermentation process adds health benefits to the tea.
One of puerh’s health advantages is its ability to decrease fat accumulation, which may help mitigate nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. The condition emerges when the liver holds excess fat. Puerh has endured a fair bit of scientific research exploring its potential health benefits. Some of that research addresses the liver, and the results are promising.
Great news on the puerh front: Not only is it good for the liver, it also offers complex and excellent flavors. There’s a reason people around the world collect and store puerh: it yields a wealth of tastes, and as it ages — just as with wine — the flavors grow increasingly complex.
Teas for Liver: Organic Sunrise Chai
Chai blends contain a welter of spices and herbs, many of which boost health. This is one reason we adore chai, although our love of the tea mainly revolves around its superb flavor.
Of our many chais — we carry 10 — Sunrise Chai may stand as the most liver-beneficial. Why? Organic turmeric. The turmeric root captured a balance of the wellness zeitgeist about a decade ago, and its reputation for optimizing health has not receded — for good reason.
Researchers have identified turmeric as a powerful antioxidant, one that fights free radicals and helps the body’s cells heal and strengthen. In fact, some studies suggest that the rhizome may help treat nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; as a potent inflammation fighter, turmeric’s potential benefits make sense, as liver inflammation is a key symptom of the condition.
This broad blend of ingredients includes ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, clove, cardamom, fennel, black pepper and cayenne. The bespoke mix offers bold flavors; we love sipping this one with a smidgen of honey and perhaps a dollop of milk of some sort, including nut milks like coconut and oat.
