How Your Body Detoxifies & Why Your Liver Needs Support

A series: Part 1

I want to preface this by saying—no, this post isn’t here to tell you that detox products are useless just because your liver and kidneys already handle detoxification. We already know that.

But what often gets overlooked is that while our bodies are designed to detoxify, they don’t always do it efficiently—especially when burdened by stress, poor diet, environmental toxins, and everyday exposure to chemicals.

The term detox has been thrown around so much that it’s lost all meaning. It’s been plastered on product labels, promising to "cleanse your system" or "flush out toxins," with little explanation of how detoxification actually works. But real detoxification isn’t about a three-day juice cleanse or a trendy tea—it’s a constant, intricate process that your liver, kidneys, lymphatic system, and even your skin are carrying out every single day.

That said, just because detoxification is happening doesn’t mean it’s happening well. Certain lifestyle factors can slow these processes down, making it harder for your body to eliminate waste efficiently. The good news? There are ways to support detoxification naturally—through diet, lifestyle, and, yes, the right herbs.

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A Series on Detoxification

Originally, I planned to cover all of our body’s natural detoxification pathways—the liver, skin, lymphatic system, kidneys, GI system, etc. But then I realized... that’s way too much to grasp in one sitting. And I’m writing these articles to help my readers, not overwhelm them (toxic overload, lol, don’t detox me).

So, we’re breaking this up into a series! That way, we can focus on one system at a time and dive deeper into the beautiful herbs that support them.

First up? The liver.

Photo by Europeana on Unsplash

(Paid subscribers will get access to expanded materia medica on liver-supporting herbs in the next edition of The Herbalist’s Notebook!)

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Let’s Break Down How the Liver… Well… Breaks Things Down

One of the liver’s most important jobs is metabolizing and detoxifying xenobiotics—a fancy term for foreign substances like drugs, chemicals, or toxins. While the liver can break down some of these substances using lysosomes (think of them as the cleanup crew—breaking down waste, old cell parts, and unwanted materials), most of the heavy lifting happens through a process called biotransformation.

Biotransformation: Phase I & Phase II Detoxification

Liver detoxification happens in two main steps:

1️⃣ Phase I Detoxification

• This step modifies toxins by exposing or adding an oxygen molecule, making them more reactive.

• It’s carried out by enzymes from the cytochrome P450 (CYP450) family (which I am obsessed with, by the way!).

• Phase I reactions include oxidation, reduction, and hydrolysis—all of which prepare the toxin for further processing in Phase II.

2️⃣ Phase II Detoxification

• Here’s where the liver gets creative and "packages" these modified toxins by attaching them to other molecules to make them even more water-soluble (aka easier to eliminate).

• This process, called conjugation, happens through three main pathways:

  • Glucuronidation – Adds glucuronic acid (used for substances like bilirubin).

  • Sulfation – Alcohols and similar compounds are conjugated with sulfate.

  • Glutathione Conjugation – Attaches glutathione, a powerful antioxidant, to toxic metabolites. (Fun fact: If the liver runs low on glutathione, toxins can build up—this is what happens in acetaminophen overdose.)

Some scientists even refer to the final transport of these processed metabolites via blood or bile as Phase III detoxification—which we will cover later in this series!

Other Organs in Detoxification

While the liver is the star of the show, it doesn’t work alone. Other detoxification organs—like the kidneys and gut—also help break down and eliminate these substances.

But how well your body handles drug metabolism depends on several factors, including:

• Age

• Gender

• Genetics

• Pregnancy

• Liver or kidney function

• Inflammation

• Drug-drug interactions

All of these influence how efficiently the liver processes and eliminates toxins.

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Why Your Liver Needs Support

Yes, the liver is built to detoxify—but that doesn’t mean it’s invincible. Modern life constantly exposes us to toxins, and when the liver gets overwhelmed, its efficiency can slow down.

Some common burdens on the liver include:

• Alcohol consumption

• Processed foods & excess sugar

• Medications (acetaminophen, NSAIDs, statins, etc.)

• Pesticides & environmental pollutants

• Chronic stress & inflammation

When these factors overload the liver, it can lead to:

• Sluggish bile production (which affects digestion and detox)

• Difficulty breaking down & eliminating toxins

• Increased oxidative stress & inflammation

• Buildup of harmful substances in the body

Supporting your liver isn’t about forcing it to “detox”—it’s about giving it the right tools to function efficiently. And this is where herbs like milk thistle come in.

Photo by Anastasia R. on Unsplash

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Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum)

🌿 Parts Used: Seeds
🌿 Actions: Hepatic, demulcent, cholagogue, antihepatotoxic

Milk thistle has been used for centuries as a liver tonic, and for good reason.

Why Milk Thistle?

✔ Protects liver cells from damage
✔ Supports bile production & flow
✔ Used in both traditional & modern medicine
✔ Helps restore liver function impaired by disease or toxin exposure

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How to Take Milk Thistle

Milk thistle is easy to incorporate into daily life:

🌿 Whole Seeds – The seeds have a mild, nutty flavor and make a delicious garnish for salads, oatmeal, or smoothie bowls. You can also grind them and sprinkle them over food.

☕ Tea/Infusion – Lightly crushing the seeds before steeping helps extract some of the beneficial compounds.

🫙 Tincture (Alcohol or Glycerite Extract) – A convenient and concentrated way to take milk thistle.

💊 Standardized Extract – For therapeutic effects, David Hoffmann, AHG, recommends up to 600 mg per day of an extract standardized to 80% silymarin.

(Paid subscribers will have access to more liver-support herbs in the next edition of The Herbalist’s Notebook!)

Please feel free to share this article! All shares, likes, comments and subscriptions are so greatly appreciated. And as always, do not hesitate to message me with any questions!

Next time in the detox series we will cover the lymphatic system and herbs that help get that lymph moving!

See you then :)

Agy

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Bibliography

• Gillessen, A., & Schmidt, H. H. (2020). Silymarin as supportive treatment in liver diseases: A narrative review. Advances in Therapy, 37(4), 1279–1301. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12325-020-01251-y

• Hoffmann, D. (2003). Medical Herbalism: The Science and Practice of Herbal Medicine. Healing Arts Press.

• Kalra A, Yetiskul E, Wehrle CJ, et al. Physiology, Liver. StatPearls Publishing (Updated 2023). NCBI

• Wood, M. (2008). The Earthwise Herbal, Volume I: A Complete Guide to Old World Medicinal Plants. North Atlantic Books.