By Franklin St. John

The traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) approach to liver function is based on the principle of qi (“chi”). Qi is what flows through all living things. If there is a smooth or balanced flow of qi through the body, then good health will be evident. Because the liver’s main job is to help keep proper balance in the body, if the liver is not functioning properly, there’s no way the body can maintain that balance. Then the health is in serious trouble.

In our chemically polluted world, the liver’s most important function is detoxification. In fact, the liver is the body’s center for detoxification. When pollutants enter the body—and they do—its first line of defense is the liver. The only way to make sure these pollutants never get the chance to attack the other organs and the DNA is to maintain a healthy liver. If the liver is over-worked, or if there are too many pollutants entering the body, the pollutants will cause free-radical formation and severe physiological damage.

In addition, the liver plays a part in more than 500 biochemical reactions in the body. So if liver function is compromised, a variety of health problems can arise.

Among the reactions and processes that the liver controls is carbohydrate metabolism, which is especially important for maintaining normal glucose levels. Anyone concerned with diabetes knows how critical this is to health.

Another crucial process the liver controls is fat metabolism. During this process, the liver breaks down fatty acids (beta oxidation), synthesizing lipoproteins, cholesterol and phospholipids, and pumping fats out of the body. If the liver is not functioning properly, where do you think these fats accumulate? If you guessed the arteries, you are correct.

Protein metabolism is another function in which the liver is intimately involved. The liver breaks down proteins for energy, removing harmful byproducts like ammonia and eliminating them from the body.

It’s interesting that we don’t even give much thought to some of the liver’s essential jobs. The immune system depends on a healthy liver, as do hormone and enzyme production. The liver also stores fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E, F and K and minerals like iron and copper.

With so much depending on the liver, it’s critical that we give it all the help we can.

In 1998, HerbaSway was issued US Patent 5,939,072 for a product that supports and maintains a healthy liver. The study behind the product is interesting; I recommend that you look up the patent to read the results of the study. The product’s name is Daily Detox, formally Liver Enhancer. This TCM formulation, consisting of a number of mushroom extracts and herbs, helps to keep the body in balance. Polysaccharides are its active ingredients that are critical for liver energy.

If you are truly concerned about your health, consider the steps you can take to protect your liver. In addition to eliminating as many pollutants from your body as possible, take a liver-enhancing supplement such as a detoxifying product. You’ll be glad you did.

Dr. Franklin St. John, founder of HerbaSway Laboratories, was taught traditional Chinese herbal medicine and Qigong by a Taoist Master from the mountains of China. For more information, visit HerbaSway.com or call 1.800.672.7322.