Herbal Action: Hepatics

liver support

Hepatic herbs strengthen, tone, and stimulate the metabolic and secretive functions of the liver. They help reduce liver damage caused by stressors and disease, supporting the liver as the body's primary filter and detox organ.

Many hepatics are also bitters, since bitterness often signals the compounds that stimulate bile flow.

What they do:

• Strengthen and tone liver tissue

• Stimulate liver metabolic function

• Support the liver's secretive functions (bile production and flow)

• Help reduce liver damage from stressors and disease

How they're used: 

Typically taken as extracts, teas, or capsules, often as part of longer-term liver-support rather than a single dose. Some hepatics (like dandelion root or milk thistle) are gentle enough for regular daily use, while others are used more specifically for a defined period.

When to consider them: 

For hepatitis, jaundice, skin eruptions, sluggish liver, indigestion, constipation, chronic skin conditions, gallstones, chronic allergies, chronic inflammation, cirrhosis, and autoimmunity.

Herbs

• Agrimony

• Angelica

• Barberry

• Bayberry

• Bitter root

• Blessed thistle

• Blue flag

• Carrot

• Cascara sagrada

• Cleavers

• Dandelion

• Fennel

• Gentian

• Hops

• Hyssop

• Liverwort

• Milk thistle

• Oregon grape

• Podophyllum

• Poke

• Red root

• Self heal

• Wild Yam

• Wood betony

• Wormwood

• Yarrow

• Yellow dock

• Reishi

• Schisandra

• Turmeric