Diet and lifestyle

Avoid all solid foods for a few days, instead drink freshly prepared vegetable and fruit juices (not from a carton) at meal times. Homemade watery soups could also be eaten but avoid adding meat and other fatty foods as these will burden the liver further. Juices will take some stress off the liver and allow it to recover somewhat and provide good nutrition.

Carrot juice is very cleansing and nourishing to the liver as are dark green leaves. Other beneficial foods to juice include broccoli, artichoke, cabbage, tomatoes, beetroots, sweet peppers, radishes, watercress and ginger.

Avoid all fatty foods such as meat, dairy, oils and processed foods containing hydrogenated fats (margarines, baked and fried foods, sauces etc). Eat legumes and other beans for their high protein content.

The exception to the above is olive oil which is helpful to the liver but only when raw, taken either on a teaspoon or stirred in to lemon juice.

Drink freshly squeezed lemon juice for breakfast, add some other citrus such as lime, grapefruit or orange to make up a full glass. Lemon juice aids the liver in detoxing and self cleansing.

Eat a bunch of organic grapes daily to stimulate liver secretions and bile production.

Add a teaspoon of turmeric powder to juices or herbal teas, up to 3 teaspoons daily.

Natural healing