Hepatoprotection and so

[Shen Lung]

I've seen and researched a lot about neuroprotection and harm-redux related to the brain, but, little to none about the digestive system harm reduction.


In my particular case, I take suplemments/commplements for sports, and I like nootropics (even though 99% of them are placebos to me).
Either way, there's an important income of pills and capsules into my body almos every day (I like to vary between each compound, but, for what matters, almost every day something(s) enters my body.... [that's what she said..... sory for that]).

SO...

I'd like to gather information about what foods/medications/compounds/practices can relieve the digestive system from some (or all) of the harm made by the stuff we take... From MDMA, to sport suplements.


PD: This is very important for my and for my people (I'm from another planet called 'Argentina - South America'), because here noone knos NOTHING about harm-reduction and everyone just takes whatever they can put their hands on, and people are really hurting themselves. Some of us are starting to educate ourselves in this matters, but, as I said, there is little to no information about the digestive part of the issue.

Thanks in advance c:
And sory about my english.

 

[deruyityn]

If you're from south america then you should have heard of erythrina mulungu? which is native to your country and has been proven to have hepatoprotective effects.

 

[Shen Lung]

Nope xD I'm from Argentina. This tree is from Bolivia and Brazil<br>I belive Boldo is hepatoprotective... but I'm not sure. Must keep searching. Is there a combo to protect the whole body from a night of party/psico-tripping???

 

[GrymReefer]

The digestive system is pretty well equipped at protecting itself due to the various enzymes and bacteria that live and thrive within the GI. Actually most people don't know, but there is extremely detrimental bacteria living inside our GI that if it were to bleed out into our body it would cause some pretty substantial ailments or possibly death. Septic Shock anyone?

Hepatoprotective and the ideology surrounding that correlate to the liver (long name for it is antihepatotoxicity)

The thing about the liver is its the organ responsible for a large quantity of digestion of various compounds that are introduced into the body that aren't completely destroyed by the first layer of digestion (stomach acid) It intercepts and transforms hepatoxins into various byproducts to reduce possible damage and allow for easier expulsion from the body. It is technically another accessory in relation to the digestive system and once the liver is shot your basically f&$ked unless you get a transplant, but that is completely irrelevant at this moment.

The number one thing that is behind hepatoprotection is increasing the bile flow and mitigating the hepatoxic effects of various substances. Now our liver can regenerate due to some complicated cellular mechanics that don't need to be explained at this moment. (I honestly couldn't understand it completely when we learned about it in school) However, moderate to severe damage generally leads to scar tissue which is referred to as Cirrhosis. This only comes about after years upon years of below average liver function coupled with a wide array of variables ie: hepatoxic substances, poor diet, genetic factors, environmental factors....

Things to help improve liver function....

Garlic- it helps remove toxins and I believe it is high in a compound called selenium which definitely helps in promotion of liver detoxification.

Green tea- This is a big one and has been known for some time. It is packed full of antioxidants. The name of those antioxidants is called cathetchins? catetchins? Kitty cat a gens? I can't remember off the top of my head. Anyways they are fantastic and I've drank green tea before to improve my blood test in relation to liver enzyme levels. So I definitely know it works, but make sure you buy natural sources and not something that has been bottled, overly prossessed and crammed with sugar and preservatives.

Green leafy vegetables- Anything green that is a vegetable and taste like ass is good for you. They aid with antioxidant properties along with helping improve the body's PH (acidity/alkalinity)

milk thristle- Makes your bowels explode and demolishes porcelain toilets like its going out of fashion (not really). Also helps with liver bile movement. Be prepared to decommission a few toilets when taking large amounts of this.

EDIT...

The GI tract (gastrointestinal tract) is actually protecting you from various harmful bacterium that are introduced without you having any notion of your own actions. There is a lot of "bad" bacteria inside you doing a lot of "good". The big things I could advice to you for overall digestive health is avoid heavily processed foods, maintain optimum hydration and consume plentiful amounts of fiber. I recommend trying to find fiber in natural sources, but supplementing fiber doesn't hurt either. I personally supplement fiber due to my genetic predisposition for gastro issues and it does wonders.
Probiotics are also notoriously beneficial for your digestive system. They can be found in natural yogurt (screw that fat-free stuff. yogurt is SUPPOSED to have fat) and in pill/powder form. In summary of probiotics...they introduce healthy bacteria to your digestive system to alleviate any unbalances in relation to ratios of various bacterias and enzymes.

This is just a short little guide I could conjure off the top of my head. The digestive system is pretty complex and a lot of organs are conglomerated into that specific subject. ie: your chewing (mastication), salivary glands, pharynx, stomach, spleen, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, GI tract (large and small intestine)....

I know I'm forgetting a few, but you get the point.

My sources? Biology classes, Anatomy & Human Physiology classes and my own personal endevours on reading random topics

More knowledgeable members will chime in here. I'm on lunch for work, but I hope I gave you a little food for thought and I plan on coming back to this thread and improving this post some more for you.

 

[Foreigner]

Honestly, anything that your liver has to process will be burdening it, including so-called hepatoprotective herbs. You usually take those herbs in combination with a diet and lifestyle that nourishes the organs and regenerates them, and the herbs will help augment that process. If you're taking a lot of recreational drugs that your liver has to process, then herbs are not going to lessen that impact very much. Maybe in the short term (1-2 weeks) you could take something like milk thistle, but there's no shortcut to stopping damage from abusing your body.

Best thing you can do is abstain from all the chemical messengers that burden the GI and liver, i.e. drugs. Give your body a break. The liver especially is highly resilient and regenerates when given proper rest and resources.

 

[GrymReefer]

Honestly, anything that your liver has to process will be burdening it, including so-called hepatoprotective herbs. You usually take those herbs in combination with a diet and lifestyle that nourishes the organs and regenerates them, and the herbs will help augment that process. If you're taking a lot of recreational drugs that your liver has to process, then herbs are not going to lessen that impact very much. Maybe in the short term (1-2 weeks) you could take something like milk thistle, but there's no shortcut to stopping damage from abusing your body.

Best thing you can do is abstain from all the chemical messengers that burden the GI and liver, i.e. drugs. Give your body a break. The liver especially is highly resilient and regenerates when given proper rest and resources.

I'd have to say Foreigner put it better than I could. A lot more simple, too.