Liver supplements are effective at cleaning the liver from excess toxins and improve overall health. They also help repair liver damage, optimize liver functioning, help improve cancer treatment and strengthen your bones.
Below you’ll find the top liver supplements ranked and reviewed by our expert health panel.
1. Nature’s Craft
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Nature’s Craft is among the best of the best, and includes powerful, clinically-backed ingredients that support healthy liver functioning.
What we like: Nature’s Craft contains dandelion root that’s used as a digestive tonic along side artichoke to stimulate blood flow from the liver to help reduce your hangovers. It also induces milk thistle to stimulate new liver cells, lower cholesterol and protect your skin against aging.
Flaws: This supplement only has 30 mg of zinc which is a little low. Regardless, it’s still our #1 pick of 2020.
2. Arazo Nutrition Liver Cleanse
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Arazo Nutrition supports a healthy detox and powerful liver. Among other traits, it also helps to improve your weight, energy, vitality, and gut health.
What we like: Arazo Nutrition’s liver cleanse contains milk thistle and 21 vital herbs and other natural ingredients, including: Alfalfa, celery seed, burdock root, yellow dock, grape seed extract, turmeric, red raspberry, berberine, and ginger.
Flaws: It’s not high in vitamins.
3. 1MD LiverMD
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1MD provides a powerful liver optimization supplement that will eliminate free radicals and protect your liver. After taking it, you shouldn’t be surprised to feel like you have more energy, a stronger metabolism, and better overall health.
What we like: LiverMD includes six clinically-reviewed ingredients for maximum potency. This formula stands out because it includes Siliphos silybin, a milk thistle extract that’s 10x more bioavailable than other milk thistle extracts.
Flaws: It only contains 80 mg of siliphos which may be low for some.
4. Hepagard
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This supplement is made to reduce bloating and inflammation caused by your liver without any side effects. It’s non-GMO, gluten-free and vegetarian friendly.
What we like: Research done on this liver supplement which includes milk thistle, n-acetylcysteine, dandelion root, artichoke leaf, and choline bitartrate outperform other ingredients for optimal liver protection. It’s one of the only supplements on our list to have this sort of data backing it.
Flaws: This supplement has fewer herbs than most others.
5. NOW Foods Liver Refresh
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If you want to promote optimal liver health and healthy detoxification, this is the supplement to get. A unique herbal-enzyme is mixed in with milk thistle for a balanced botanical formula.
What we like: N-Acetyl cysteine and methionine are included to help produce glutamine, which aids your body’s normal elimination pathways.
Flaws: You won’t find any dandelion extract is in this supplement.
6. LiveWell Labs Nutrition
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This liver supplement provides you with daily support for optimal liver function. Potent antioxidants are in this supplement to decrease free radical damage.
What we like: It has selenium, which is an antioxidant found in food, to repair liver damage and prevent oxidative stress. It also includes siliphos to help fight off toxins in your body.
Flaws: It only has 80 mg of siliphos.
7. Martin’s Nutrition
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With 22 essential liver herbs, including milk thistle extract, dandelion, beetroot, artichoke extract, chanca piedra, chicory root, yarrow, jujube seed, celery seed, alfalfa, burdock root, grape seed extract, red raspberry, and ginger, Martin’s liver detox formula is a powerful liver support agent.
What we like: Because of its robust formula, you’ll reduce your bloating and speed up your metabolism for a boost in energy and better digestion. It’s also rejuvenating and supports digestive enzyme production.
Flaws: It doesn’t have any protein.
8. 1 Body Store Liver Support
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This supplement helps you maintain a healthy weight by decreasing bloating and excessive weight gain that’s usually linked to liver damage from drinking and smoking.
What we like: This formula is powerful since it includes milk thistle and 17 other natural ingredients. With 1Body Liver Support, you’ll have more energy and vitality to power through your day since your liver stores glycogen, which is converted into glucose for energy.
Flaws: There’s no beetroot in this supplement.
9. CulTao
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If you’re lethargic and want to get rid of excess body fat, this is the liver support supplement for you. This product features organic selenium that’s imperative for your glutathione peroxidase, your body’s natural defense system, to function.
What we like: You’ll get the mental and physical energy your body needs for clarity to increase your work performance and productivity.
Flaws: Other liver supplements have more potent herbs for your liver than this supplement does.
10. Nature’s Nutrition Store
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Nature’s Nutrition Liver Cleanse contains 22 of the utmost plant-based ingredients are formulated in this liver supplement for optimum liver health.
What we like: Nature’s Nutrition Liver Cleanse contains antioxidant-rich plants including milk thistle, beetroot, and artichoke are in this supplement.
Flaws: Unfortunately, there’s no siliphos in this supplement.
Who Needs Liver Supplements?
Your liver is responsible for removing toxins from your body by filtering your blood coming through your digestive tract. Alcohol, fat, sugar, and other toxins damage your liver, which affects the function and health of your other organs and body as a whole.
Liver supplements help your liver function and health, protect liver cells from damage, stimulate the growth of new liver cells, detoxify your liver, and improve the blood flow in your liver.
Anyone looking to repair their liver damage and optimize their liver function should take a liver supplement. Since liver supplements contain potent ingredients, such as milk thistle, artichoke extract, and dandelion extract, it can provide your body with a variety of benefits. For this reason, people who have underlying health issues that affect your brain, bones, or heart, can also benefit from taking a liver supplement.
How We Ranked
When ranking the best liver support supplements, we first looked at the ingredients. Specifically, we looked for milk thistle which supports liver health, promotes better skin, and reduces cholesterol. Our top pick, Nature’s Craft, contains 200 mg of this potent ingredient – among the highest on our list. Arazo Nutrition was also amongst our top-ranked supplements for its 200 mg of milk thistle, alongside 21 critical herbal natural ingredients, including alfalfa, celery seed, burdock root, yellow dock, grape seed extract, turmeric, red raspberry, berberine, and ginger.
Another thing we looked for in a quality liver supplement was its ability to reduce inflammation. Reducing inflammation in your liver is critical for it to remove toxins and function adequately. Hepagard made our list, because it reduced the bloating and inflammation of your liver.
Supplements that included artichoke extract and dandelion were also highly ranked since these are crucial elements to a strong liver supplement. Dr. Martin’s Nutrition contained both of these, providing a thorough liver cleanse. NOW Foods is another quality liver supplement that has artichoke, N-Acetyl cysteine and methionine to help produce glutamine, which aids in powerful liver detoxification.
Benefits
Liver supplements help repair liver damage. Milk thistle comes from the plant Silybum marianum, and it’s one of the main components found in liver supplements that gives you a host of benefits. The most common type of liver damage is hepatitis. This is an inflammation of your liver, which is caused by viruses. It can spread through blood or semen, contaminated food, or waters.
A study found that kids with leukemia who were treated with chemotherapy showed fewer signs of liver damage after taking a milk thistle supplement (1). Leukemia affects your blood and bone marrow, and since milk thistle is beneficial for your bones it can help recover the damage it does to your liver.
In 2017, a meta-analysis determined that an ingredient in milk thistle, silymarin, reduces certain enzymes and markers of liver damage of people with liver disease (2).
Artichoke is another ingredient in liver supplements that protects your liver. Studies show that people with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease reduced markers of liver damage with artichoke (3). Artichokes are a type of European plant that can help your overall health, including reducing bad cholesterol (LDL), regulating your blood pressure, improving your liver health, and improving your digestion.
Researchers discovered in 2016 that licorice root extract reverses the effects of alcohol-induced inflammation and fat accumulation in the liver of rats (4). Licorice root is a power herb found in liver supplements that can help diabetes, alleviate upper respiratory symptoms, and treat ulcers.
Turmeric is a powerful ingredient found in liver supplements as well that have abundant benefits. Turmeric can help your body fight off oxidative stress, and one study claims that oxidative stress plays a key role in the progression of chronic liver disease and liver cancer (5).
Liver supplements can help treat age-related brain dysfunction. As you age, brain dysfunction becomes more common and many people are affected by this. However, milk thistle is a potent ingredient that can treat this. Milk thistle has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, which means it can prevent the decline in brain function as you age (6).
Studies have found silymarin to stop oxidative damage from affecting brain cells to keep you mentally sharp (7).
Livers supplements can strengthen your bones. Studies show milk thistle mineralizes your bones and protects you against bone loss (8).
This is important for keeping your bones strong, especially in post-menopausal women. Similarly to age-related brain dysfunction, bones weaken as you age, and using herbs to combat this can be beneficial alongside exercise and a nutrient-dense diet.
Liver supplements could clear up your skin. Milk thistle can treat acne because of its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. The Journal of Clinical & Experimental Dermatology Research discovered that 210 milligrams of silymarin a day for 8 weeks reduces acne by 53% (9).
Bacteria trigger inflammation on your skin to onset acne. Any supplements that are antioxidant and anti-inflammatory will help reduce skin inflammation and make your skin healthier.
Liver supplements can lower blood sugar levels. Research indicates that silymarin substantially reduces blood sugar levels (10). If your blood sugar levels are too high, you’re at an increased risk for type II diabetes.
Artichoke is another ingredient that can lower your blood sugar levels. 39 overweight adults taking kidney bean and artichoke extract daily for two months received a reduction in their blood sugar levels (11). Lowering your blood sugar levels will improve your mood, reduce fatigue, and improve your brain and blood vessel health.
Liver supplements can help treat hepatitis. A study of 20 people with hepatitis B failed to respond to traditional interferon treatment, but they responded to 1400 mg a day of silymarin and experienced a complete viral suppression within one week (12).
This is due to silymarin’s anti-inflammatory effects. Since hepatitis is the inflammation of your liver, silymarin is a natural medicinal herb for hepatitis.
Liver supplements could aid you during cancer treatment. This 2015 study shows that milk thistle can be used as an agent to help reduce the side effects of cancer treatment. Milk thistle is a flavonoid and has chemopreventive agents for hepatocellular carcinoma (13).
Although milk thistle isn’t a cancer treatment, it can help alleviate all the side effects of cancer treatment, such as anemia, appetite loss, bleeding and bruising, constipation, delirium, fatigue, and diarrhea.
In fact, some research reports other liver supplement herbs, such as artichoke extract to diminish cancer growth (14). That’s due to the polyphenolic extracts artichoke has. A high dose of this induces apoptosis and reduces the risks of cancer growth.
Liver supplements can optimize liver function. One study found that taking 420 milligrams of silymarin a day for 4 weeks reduces the risk of drug-induced liver injury by 28% in people taking anti-tuberculosis medications (15).
One 2012 study claims that a zinc supplement can protect your liver from oxidative stress from hepatitis C viral infections (16). Many liver supplements, like Nature’s Craft, contain zinc. It contains 30 mg of zinc, and zinc is important for fighting off bacteria and viruses. Interestingly enough, zinc is also an important mineral for optimizing your testosterone levels.
Aside from a quality liver supplement, eating foods high in fiber will improve your liver function. These foods include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, rice, and cereals. You also need to make sure you’re well-hydrated, so it’s important to drink plenty of water for optimal liver function.
Liver supplements may improve your cholesterol. LDL levels decrease in studies when it’s taken for 5-13 weeks (17).
LDL cholesterol is your bad cholesterol, and it’s important to get this under control to maintain good heart health. If your LDL is too high, plaque builds up on your arteries, which blocks the flood of blood to your heart.
Although LDL cholesterol isn’t good, HDL is the cholesterol that you want to increase. To increase HDL, consume olive oil, fatty fish, and exercise more.
Liver supplements could improve your blood pressure. A study of 98 men with high blood pressure suggested that your systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreases after consuming an artichoke extract for 12 weeks (18).
Artichoke is rich in potassium which helps balance out the excess sodium that raises your blood pressure. Of course, if you improve your blood pressure, you’ll improve your heart health and reduce your risks of heart-related diseases, such as arrhythmia, coronary artery disease, heart attacks, and strokes.
Liver supplements help promote the production of bile. Bile removes toxic toxins from your liver, and research supports artichoke to increase bile production (19). Removing toxins from your liver is imperative for your liver to function properly.
Since your liver acts as a filter for your body, it prevents these toxins from spreading to other organs of your body, which can lead to some serious health issues.
Liver supplements could improve your digestive system. After 12 weeks of taking an artichoke extract with inulin, one study showed 12 adults to experience an improvement in gut bacteria (20).
Gut bacteria play an important role in your digestive health and can improve your immune system, combat depression, and fight obesity.
FAQs
Q: Do liver supplements work?
A: Yes, liver supplements have a host of beneficial ingredients, such as milk thistle, artichoke, alfalfa, celery seed, burdock root, yellow dock, grape seed extract, turmeric, red raspberry, berberine, and ginger – all which are excellent for your body. Liver supplements improve your digestive health, bone health, production of bile, blood pressure, cholesterol, liver function, brain function, and blood sugar levels. Also, they treat hepatitis, can help you with cancer treatment, and clear up your skin.
Q: Are liver supplements hard on your liver?
A: No, liver supplements are not hard on your liver. In fact, liver supplements have many medicinal herbs that provide you with beneficial effects. Liver supplements often include milk thistle, artichoke, and dandelion; three powerful herbs that provide you with many health benefits, such as better brain function, improved blood pressure, improved cholesterol, aid in cancer treatment, and bone health.
Q: What liver supplements should I take for my liver?
A: You should take any of the liver supplements on our list, with our recommended one being Nature’s Craft. This liver supplement lowers your cholesterol and improves your skin from the damaging effects of aging. It has potent ingredients, such as dandelion root that is good for your urinary tract.
Ancestral Supplements and Arazo Nutrition are also amongst our top three liver supplements we recommend. Ancestral Supplements have vitamin A, B12, CoQ10, choline, folate, hyaluronic acid, and bioavailable heme iron. Arazo Nutrition contains milk thistle and 21 vital herbs of natural ingredients. Alfalfa, celery seed, burdock root, yellow dock, grape seed extract, turmeric, red raspberry, berberine, and ginger are some of the herbs in this supplement.
Q: What does the milk thistle in liver supplements do?
A: The milk thistle treats various liver problems, including cirrhosis, jaundice, hepatitis, and gallbladder disorders. Many liver supplements contain 200 mg of milk thistle, which contains the active ingredient, silymarin. Silymarin reduces the free radicals in your body by acting as an antioxidant. It has pharmacological properties, including hepatoprotective, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and cardioprotective activities.
Q: What are the side effects of milk thistle in liver supplements?
A: Some side effects that may occur if you take a milk thistle supplement include abdominal bloating/pain, allergic reactions, diarrhea, gas, indigestion, itching, loss of appetite, and nausea.
Q: How much milk thistle should you take with liver supplements?
A: You can take up to 420 mg/day of milk thistle. Since most liver supplements contain about 200 mg, you’ll be completely fine consuming it from a liver supplement.
Q: Does milk thistle in liver supplements detox your liver?
A: Since silymarin, the active ingredient in milk thistle, acts as an antioxidant by reducing free radical production, it could cause a detoxifying effect. This will improve your liver function and keep your body and organs safe by protecting them from harmful toxins. Your liver is responsible for storing nutrients your body can use, and it’s one of the largest organs in the body.
Q: Can you drink alcohol while drinking milk thistle in liver supplements?
A: Although too much alcohol negatively affects your liver, it shouldn’t affect the milk thistle in liver supplements. In fact, milk thistle can lessen the severity of alcohol-induced liver disease. When alcohol breaks down in your liver it can produce acetaldehyde and highly reactive molecules, free radicals.
This can damage your liver cells and cause serious liver disease. Some symptoms to look for if alcohol has affected your liver include abdominal pain and tenderness, dry mouth and increased thirst, fatigue, jaundice (yellowing of the skin), loss of appetite, and nausea.
Q: What medication should not be taken with milk thistle in liver supplements?
A: Allergy drugs, drugs for cholesterol, anti-anxiety drugs, antiplatelet and anticoagulant drugs, and some cancer drugs should be avoided while taking a liver supplement. Antiplatelet and anticoagulants drugs are medication to stop blood from clotting. It’s important to avoid these because these medications are broken down by the same liver enzymes as milk thistle, which can cause liver damage.
Q: How long should I take milk thistle in liver supplements if you have diabetes?
A: You can take 200 mg of milk thistle for 4 months to a year for diabetes. Diabetes doesn’t have a cure, but you can reverse it and control it without the use of medication. You’ll need to exercise, eat healthily, and take proper supplements like a liver supplement to help manage it.
Q: Is the milk thistle in liver supplements good for your kidneys?
A: Yes, because silymarin, the ingredient found in milk thistle, stimulates protein synthesis, and cell regeneration in your kidneys. Your kidneys are important for regulating extracellular fluid volume, osmolarity, ion concentrations, PH, the excretion of wastes and toxins, and the production of hormones.
If something is wrong with your kidneys, you may experience fatigue, trouble sleeping, dry and itchy skin, excessive urination, blood in your urine, and your ankles and feet could become swollen.
Q: What is silymarin used for liver supplements?
A: Silymarin is the active ingredient in milk thistle and is used for many health reasons. It treats liver problems, lowers cholesterol, and controls blood sugar levels. Lowering your bad cholesterol (LDL) is important for good cardiovascular health and controlling your blood sugar levels is important to protect you from diabetes.
Q: What does the silymarin in liver supplements do for your liver?
A: Silymarin helps with inflammation and cell repair. This will reduce the symptoms of liver diseases, such as jaundice, cirrhosis, liver cancer, and fatty liver disease.
Q: How much silymarin in liver supplements should I take a day?
A: You can take between 200-400 mg of silymarin a day to treat liver disorders. Many liver supplements contain about 200 mg of milk thistle.
Q: What are the side effects of silymarin in liver supplements?
A: Abdominal bloating/pain, allergic reactions, diarrhea, gas, indigestion, itching, loss of appetite, and nausea are all possible side effects of taking a silymarin supplement. Silymarin has many benefits though that include liver support, good skin health, reduced cholesterol, managed weight loss, reducing insulin resistance, and improving allergic asthma symptoms.
Q: What are the side effects of artichoke extract in liver supplements?
A: If you take an artichoke extract supplement, you could experience gas, an upset stomach, or diarrhea. Also, you may experience allergic reactions, although this is typically seen in those allergic to plants, such as marigolds, daisies, and other similar herbs.
Q: Does the artichoke extract in liver supplements help you lose weight?
A: Artichoke extract isn’t directly used for weight loss, but it does help the digestion of fats and the reduction of LDL and triglycerides, which could be beneficial to weight loss.
Q: Are artichokes in liver supplements laxatives?
A: Artichokes can help with your bowel movement since it’s high in fiber, which is crucial for good digestion.
Q: Are artichokes in liver supplements good for your kidneys?
A: Yes, liver supplements can protect you against HC and HC-associated renal damage (21).
Q: Do artichokes in liver supplements cleanse the liver?
A: Yes, because artichoke increases your bile production, which aids your body in getting rid of toxins in your liver.
Q: What is the benefit of artichoke in liver supplements?
A: Artichoke is packed with antioxidants and will provide you with many benefits, including improving your digestive system, protecting your liver, and lowering blood sugar levels.
Q: Are artichokes in liver supplements anti-inflammatory?
A: Artichokes do contain anti-inflammatory antioxidants.
Q: What does dandelion extract in liver supplements do?
A: Dandelion extract treats stomach and liver problems. It can also help with acne, eczema, high cholesterol, heartburn, gastrointestinal disorders, diabetes, and cancer.
Q: Is dandelion in liver supplements good for weight loss?
A: If you drink dandelion tea, it could help with weight loss. It’s low in calories and the potassium acts as a diuretic.
Q: What are the benefits of dandelion in liver supplements?
A: Dandelion has many benefits, including fighting inflammation, controlling blood sugar levels, reducing cholesterol, lowering blood pressure, promoting a healthy liver, and helping with weight loss.
Q: What are the side effects of using dandelion in liver supplements?
A: Dandelion could cause allergic reactions, stomach discomfort, diarrhea, or heartburn in some people.
Q: Is the dandelion in liver supplements good for your kidneys?
A: Dandelion can help with your kidney function.
Q: What is licorice root in liver supplements good for?
A: Licorice root is anti-inflammatory and has antimicrobial effects. It can help your respiratory system, treat ulcers, and give you better digestive health.
Q: Is the licorice root in liver supplements harmful?
A: Licorice root could cause high blood pressure and low potassium levels. If your blood pressure is too high, you can develop cardiovascular issues and if you don’t have enough potassium you could get electrolyte imbalances that could affect your hydration and muscles.
Q: What are the side effects of licorice root in liver supplements?
A: Side effects of liver supplements include the absence of a menstrual period, congestive heart failure, low libido, erectile dysfunction, edema, fluid and sodium retention, headache, and hypertension.
Q: Is the licorice in liver supplements good for losing weight?
A: It can help you reduce your body fat and lose weight. That’s because it reduces your appetite and helps you feel satiated, so you end up eating less. Exercise and diet is the best way to lose weight, but it can be tough to do without a helping hand. One of the best ways to accelerate your weight loss progress is to decrease your appetite. Of course, if you aren’t hungry, you end up eating less which makes you lose weight.
Q: Does licorice root in liver supplements increase your testosterone?
A: Yes, one study proved it to increase total and free DHEA testosterone levels in males and females by 48.3% and 56.9% (22). Since testosterone is linked to muscle mass, this can also be an excellent supplement for building muscle and improving your body composition. Testosterone plays a key role in your overall health and is responsible for bone density, fat distribution muscle mass and strength, facial and body hair, red blood cell production, sex drive, and sperm production.
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Recap
Liver supplements are useful for filtering your body of harmful toxins from your digestive tract. A quality liver supplement will also repair your liver and have it functioning at optimal capacity.
More often than not, liver supplements are packed with powerful herbs that can restore other health issues, such as osteoporosis and age-related brain dysfunction.
For cpoe.org’s #1 recommended liver supplements, click here.