How does naturopathy support liver and kidney health?
Quick answer: Your liver and kidneys process hormones, toxins, medications, and metabolic waste daily. When these systems are under strain, it can manifest as fatigue, skin issues, hormonal imbalance, fluid retention, or recurrent urinary infections. Naturopathic support uses targeted herbal medicine and dietary strategies to restore function.
The liver and kidneys are your body’s primary detoxification and filtration organs. I take an evidence-based approach to supporting them — no dramatic “detoxes,” but targeted strategies to optimise the pathways your body already has. Healthy liver and kidney function underpins many aspects of wellbeing that people don’t always connect to these organs.
What are the signs that liver function needs support?
The liver performs over 500 functions including hormone metabolism, bile production, nutrient processing, and detoxification. When liver function is sluggish, it can present as fatigue, hormonal imbalance (the liver clears excess oestrogen), skin issues (particularly acne, eczema, and itchiness), poor tolerance of fatty foods, headaches, and chemical sensitivities.
Evidence-based liver support includes cruciferous vegetables (which upregulate phase II detoxification), bitter foods to stimulate bile flow, specific herbs like St Mary’s Thistle (silymarin) which has extensive research supporting its hepatoprotective effects (Abenavoli et al., 2018, Phytotherapy Research), and B vitamins, glutathione precursors, and amino acids that support both phases of liver detoxification.
How does the liver affect hormonal health?
Your liver is responsible for clearing used hormones — particularly oestrogen — from circulation. When liver clearance is impaired, oestrogen recirculates and accumulates, contributing to oestrogen dominance, PMS, heavy periods, fibroids, and hormonal acne. Supporting liver function is often a critical component of any hormonal treatment plan.
What about kidney health and recurrent UTIs?
Recurrent urinary tract infections are one of the most common kidney-related concerns I see, particularly in women. Rather than repeated courses of antibiotics (which further disrupt the microbiome), I focus on identifying the drivers — often gut dysbiosis, oestrogen decline (in perimenopause), or immune compromise — and providing targeted herbal antimicrobials, cranberry extract (which prevents bacterial adhesion to the urinary wall), and probiotics to restore urogenital flora.
References: Abenavoli, L., et al. (2018). Milk thistle (Silybum marianum): a concise overview on its chemistry, pharmacological, and nutraceutical uses. Phytotherapy Research, 32(11), 2202–2213.