Most people have a vague idea that they have a liver, kidneys, and a colon; some know where they are and what they do. When we talk about things like the “lymphatics” and the gallbladder and spleen, few people know their function or location. So, your liver is located just over and to the right of your midline, tucked partially under your right rib cage. It is involved in too many processes to mention here, but is the primary filter in the body. That means it packages, metabolizes, and neutralizes many things we intake and produce.

This is the time of year many people think of as an opportunity to start anew. A cleanse or detox can mean many things and can be strong or gentle in its action and can involve dietary changes or not. Primarily, a cleanse involves targeting the primary elimination organs or channels through which our body gets rid of excess nutrients, toxins, or other waste products.

It can involve removing solid foods from the diet, or eating only unprocessed, easy to digest foods for a period of time, and usually involves supplementing fiber to help “sweep” the intestines, some liver and kidney stimulating herbs, and possibly plant-based laxatives. Often, people experience increased energy, better digestion, and better sleep and mental clarity after doing a cleanse for a week to a month.

Stress, inflammation, and exposure to chemicals and taking many pharmaceutical medicines all take its toll on the liver. Sometimes avoiding all of the above can be hard to do, so in lieu of that, many medicinal herbs are excellent for the liver. Eating bitter salad greens, taking herbs in capsule, tea, or liquid extract form such as burdock root, artichoke leaf, milk thistle seed, and dandelion root, are great ways to stimulate the liver to release toxins and many also act as gentle diuretics by stimulating the kidneys, while promoting the flow of digestive juices.

Katya Difani is founder of Herban Wellness, an herb and nutrition shop in downtown Kirkland. Read more at: herbanwellness.net/blog.