If you are looking for drinks to cleanse the liver, you will surely find yourself among the wave of recommendations for ginger water with lemon, one of those options that reign in the universe of home remedies that promise to strengthen this organ.
Ginger and lemon are two outstanding ingredients in kitchens for their flavor in infusions, cocktails, desserts and stews, but in addition they have been used in cooking. traditional medicine for generations because they can have benefits for your body thanks to their antioxidants and other healthy compounds, but is it a good drink for the liver?
The liver is an organ that we have in the abdomen and has essential functions such as filtering blood and cleanse the body of toxins, as well as produce bile. Cleveland Clinic explains that some lifestyles can harm youwhich is why everything you drink and eat influences this part of the body.
Just as excess sugary drinks and alcohol affect you, there are alternatives that benefit the liverso that it works correctly, and here we find lemon water with ginger, although perhaps not as miraculously as you expect.
Home remedies: Is ginger with lemon good for the liver?
Ginger water with lemon is a healthy mixture, but as with many other home remedies, not everything that promises is fulfilled as expected.
People usually consume this drink with the expectation of clean this organ in 3 daysreduce inflammation or cure fatty liver, but it is not as simple as it sounds.
Neither the ginger nor lemon are a medical treatment for any condition, if anything they are a mixture that can bring benefits as part of a healthy lifestyle and could bring good results for liver health as a result.
Rich in antioxidants
Both ingredients They are rich in antioxidantshealthy compounds that help against oxidative stress that causes chronic diseases. So this drink can be a good option for your body in general, which includes the liver.
Ginger has gingerols and shogaols, with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects that contribute to liver health by reducing inflammation and protecting against cellular damage, its role in prevention of some types of cancer, including liver cancer; while lemon is rich in vitamin C, which strengthens the immune system.
Does not detoxify the kidneys
There are several reasons why ‘detox’ drinks like these do not work to remove toxins from the body:
- Detox drinks are unnecessary because this process already happens on its own thanks to liverkidneys and gastrointestinal tract, describes the Mayo Clinic.
- A liver detox It is often sought after by those who overindulge in alcohol and other unhealthy foods: “If you think you need a liver detox, you should know that there’s not much it can do for you”explains MD Web.
- “If you really need a detox, you probably need a liver transplant,” he adds. The Conversation.
- The liver cleanses do not repair the damage caused by alcohol abuse, poor nutrition, etc., reiterates Dr. Josefina Sánchez García, on the Salud Mapfre blog.
It doesn’t cleanse the liver, but it could help it do its job.
Healthline explains for those who consume ginger with lemon as a detoxifier that this could only be a ‘nudge’:
“Since ginger could fight germs, diseases, inflammation and harmful molecules, Taking a little each day can help improve overall health. Ginger is a natural root, so taking it will also provide you with added nutrients.”
The specialist Josefina Sánchez García says that practicing healthy lifestyle habits can help the liver with its workloadpart of it is eating fruits and vegetables, avoiding excess alcohol, fats, sugary drinks; as well as drinking enough water.
“Water consumption has multiple benefits and one of them is to purify the body. It is recommended to drink at least between 1.5 and 2 liters of water per day,” he details.
What effect does lemon have on the liver?
There is no conclusive research on this, but there are some indications of possible benefits:
- BioMed Research International (2017) found that lemon juice has protective effects for the liver in mice with liver lesions.
- Antioxidants in lemon have been shown to improve liver health and reduce liver fluid, according to animal studies cited by Live Strong.
How does ginger affect the liver?
Ginger is analyzed for its effects on the liver, and has been found to have potential to benefit your health.
For example, Healthline mentions that this plant “could help protect the liver against toxins such as alcohol”.
The Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences (2010) saw that their supplements could help reduce liver damage; while Nutrition and Metabolism saw that it is capable of protect against liver fibrosis (formation of degenerative scars).
Regarding fatty liver, there is preliminary research, but we need to know more about it:
- World Journal of Gastroenterology highlights that this plant helps prevent or treat fatty liver disease non-alcoholic.
- People with this disease who took ginger supplements reduced their total and ‘bad’ cholesterol, blood sugar, inflammation and fat accumulation in the liver.
What is lemon juice water with ginger used for?
What ginger can do is:
- Encourages you to drink more water: Many people do not drink enough healthy fluids throughout the day, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health advises stimulating their consumption by adding ingredients such as fresh peeled ginger and lemon slices.
- Benefits the kidneys: drinking enough water is already a way to maintain the proper functioning of these organs, in addition, the citrate in lemons is related to the prevention of kidney stones; of the ginger the effects are studied for slow down kidney failure.
- Promotes digestion: drinking more water prevents constipation; Both ingredients have compounds that help digestive health.
- Anti-inflammatory: thanks to the antioxidant compounds in ginger.
- It helps with weight control, if consumed as a replacement for higher-calorie drinks such as soda or coffee with milk, in conjunction with a balanced diet and exercise.
How do you prepare ginger water with lemon?
To prepare this drink, you need to wash, peel and slice ginger and add it to a liter of water to let it sit for several hours until it infuses. When serving, strain it and add the juice of a lemon and a few slices of citrus to the glass.
It is not recommended to add sugar, in any case you can opt for a teaspoon of honey.