Liver Laugher Lover

Last time we sold this, the praise was deafening! “Finally,” the forum comments cheered, “someone brave enough to sell liver supplements!”

Okay, well, maybe the reaction was… uhh… slightly different than that.

But let’s just break this down. You go over to Amazon, and you find thousands of 5-star reviews. Like this one:

I’m delighted to share my review of the Liver Cleanse Detox & Repair Formula, which I confidently rate 5 out of 5 stars. My wife has been using it for about a month, and the results are impressive. She feels more energized, experiences improved digestion, and overall well-being. The blend of natural ingredients effectively supports liver function, detoxifies, and promotes optimal liver health.

And this one:

Recommend by a friend to improve liver health after testing indicated my liver levels were elevated.

The first one, we’d say, sounds suspiciously like marketing copy. The second one doesn’t really make any sense. Levels of what exactly? But also, in either case, assuming they’re real, there’s the lack of context. Like, what other changes are these people making to their lifestyle as they take this stuff?

Let’s say you cut sugar, cut alcohol, start running six miles a day, and then, each night before going to bed, you chew a single mint leaf for five minutes. You wouldn’t then write an article about how mint can help with losing weight and establishing a healthier resting heart rate.

So, Are these people feeling better because they took this supplement? Or are they feeling better because they started taking these supplements at the same time as making other healthy decisions, and they’re just attributing the success to the supplement?

Seems like a lot of medical professionals would argue the latter. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine:

As for overindulgence of alcohol or food, less is always best when it comes to liver health, and cleanses have not been proven to rid your body of damage from excess consumption.

And that:

there have not been adequate clinical trial data in humans to recommend the routine use of these natural compounds for prevention.

Though, they do say some common ingredients have shown positive effects on the liver. Like milk thistle, for example, which “has been shown to decrease liver inflammation.”

Healthline comes to a similar conclusion. Milk thistle has been shown to be somewhat effective. As for dandelion root, “Much more research is needed to determine whether it’s safe and effective for” treating liver problems. If you really want to see improvements in liver health, you’re better off, you know, making smarter decisions in terms of how you use your liver. (Like maybe cut back on the margs, for example.)

And really, most of this comes down to the fact that no one regulates supplements. That means the only people who would conduct wide-ranging testing on this stuff are the people who stand to benefit from not knowing. Because “It might work” or “It should work” or “It does work, we promise” sounds a lot better than “We tested it and ruh-roh, not much going on there.”

Which is why we’re coming in with this very tepid sales pitch: if you’re curious about this stuff, buy it here where it’s cheap and you won’t feel too bad if you end up throwing it out. And if you do buy it, and you do take it, don’t expect it to be a cure-all. Make some healthier decisions while you take it, as well.

Welp, that about covers it. We’re sure no one will have anything negative to say in the comments this time!