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What is Liver Detox Tea?

Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel

Liver detox tea is a beverage that is consumed to help cleanse and improve the function and overall health of the liver. The tea is steeped in hot water for three to five minutes and consumed while it is still warm or hot. Some kinds of liver detox tea call for longer steeping periods, some which are as long as 20 minutes.

Most kinds of liver detox tea are made with a combination of herbs. The specific herbs that are used are hepatic herbs, a term that is used to describe herbs that target the liver. Some of the herbs that are commonly used in liver detox tea include dandelion, prickly ash, yarrow, barberry, fennel, or milk thistle. Sometimes other herbs such as black root, celery, golden seal, horseradish, mountain grape, wild indigo, motherwort, and hyssop are included.

A cup of liver detox tea.
A cup of liver detox tea.

Some of the herbs that are used in liver detox tea are also herbs that help to cleanse the blood and increase the body's metabolism. Such herbs include mountain grape, prickly ash, and dandelion. Because these herbs have multiple benefits that help to boost the function of the liver and one's overall health, they are quite commonly used in liver detox tea blends.

Liver detox tea is meant to clense the liver and improve its functionality.
Liver detox tea is meant to clense the liver and improve its functionality.

In order to improve the benefits of liver detox tea — to take a step further to boost the metabolism and cleanse the body as a whole — some people add a squeeze of fresh lemon and a dash of cayenne pepper to the tea. It is important to add the cayenne pepper just before drinking the beverage as it only becomes more potent the longer it is in the water.

There are a number of reasons to drink liver detox tea. The purpose of the liver is to filter out toxins and any sort of poisons that we ingest. The liver also helps to break down fats and sugars. When one consumes foods and beverages that are high in toxins or substances that require a great deal of effort to break down, the liver has to work hard. In so doing, the liver may be overtaxed and unable to perform functions that keep people healthy.

By cleansing the liver with liver detox tea, the entire body is cleansed as a result. By allowing the liver to function in a better way, the entire body will benefit from the liver's ability to focus on important cleansing processes. This can be achieved by drinking liver detox tea, which can be found in many health food stores and drug stores, on a regular basis.

Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel

In addition to her work as a freelance writer for WiseGEEK, Diane is the executive editor of Black Lawrence Press, an independent publishing company based in upstate New York. She has also edited several anthologies, the e-newsletter Sapling, and The Adirondack Review. Diane has a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and an M.A. from Brooklyn College.

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Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel

In addition to her work as a freelance writer for WiseGEEK, Diane is the executive editor of Black Lawrence Press, an independent publishing company based in upstate New York. She has also edited several anthologies, the e-newsletter Sapling, and The Adirondack Review. Diane has a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and an M.A. from Brooklyn College.

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    • A cup of liver detox tea.
      By: hitdelight
      A cup of liver detox tea.
    • Liver detox tea is meant to clense the liver and improve its functionality.
      By: AlienCat
      Liver detox tea is meant to clense the liver and improve its functionality.