It is very likely that you have experienced one or more of the symptoms of a liver that is not working at peak performance.

Such as:

Abdominal swelling(bloating),

Allergies,

Constipation,

Dark urine,

Digestive problems,

Dry skin,

High cholesterol,

Fatigue,

Headaches,

High blood pressure,

Joint pain

Light-colored stools,

Loss of appetite,

Loss of libido,

Itching, Nausea, Neck or back tightness

The liver is the second largest organ in the body, and is located in the lower part of the rib-cage. It has many functions such as aiding digestion, producing bile, regulating blood sugar, storing excess sugar, clearing the blood of bacteria, other organisms and ingested toxins. It also produces many proteins, stores many vitamins, and has the unique ability to repair and re-grow after it is damaged. Chinese medicine sees a healthy liver as the most critical organ in the bodies ability to fight disease and help it to function properly.

These and many other common symptoms are often experienced, and yet people and many doctors simply try to treat the individual symptoms without any thought of a liver that is not at peak function. Liver function does not significantly decrease with age unless the liver becomes diseased

Serious liver diseases such as Advanced Liver Cirrhosis, Hepatitis A, B and C etc, should be dealt with by the medical professionals.

This article is meant to call attention to the importance of the liver, and the fact that things like pollution, fast foods (avoid deep-fried and fatty foods), drugs, alcohol, and poor lifestyles all contribute to sluggish livers and produce symptoms that are so common to other causes, that the real problem is missed.

You can help to keep your liver healthy by limiting alcohol and tobacco use, check any medicines you take for warnings of side effects that interact with liver function, try to avoid chemicals like pesticides, and air and water pollutants.

In the distant past people used to take "liver tonics" to treat feelings of bloating, nausea, lack of energy and general discomfort with good results. The new natural herbal remedy approach to liver dysfunction provides a good chance of keeping this vital organ healthy and functioning well.

Copyright 2006 Joe Rote this article may be freely distributed if the resource box stays attached and no part of the article changed without permission