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How To Use Herbs To Cleanse Your Child’s Liver Safely

How To Use Herbs To Cleanse Your Child's Liver Safely | Growing Up Herbal | Children's bodies can use gentle detoxing from time to time just like an adults. Here's how to do it safely using herbs!

As parents, we instinctively want to protect our children from anything dangerous. Many of us choose foods that will strengthen their bodies, avoid synthetic chemicals, and turn to natural remedies and herbs instead of prescription medications. Even with these precautions, though, is it possible that our children’s systems still need to be detoxed? Is a detox necessary, or even safe for children, and at what age? Can you use herbs to cleanse your child’s liver safely?

Maybe your kids have been eating a standard American diet and using conventional skincare products, and you’re looking to make some positive changes through the use of natural remedies and lifestyle changes.

Today, we’re going to delve into the subject of using herbs to cleanse your child’s liver safely. Wherever you’re at in your parenting journey, hopefully, you’ll find this information useful for helping your kids be as healthy as possible.

Unexpected Toxins Are EVERYWHERE!

Thirty years ago we had a choice whether or not we put toxins in or on our bodies. Now, toxins are everywhere, no matter how hard we try to avoid them.

Chemtrails in the air rain dangerous heavy metals down on us and into the soil, getting into our food and into ground water. Breastmilk contains glyphosate, the toxic pesticide found in Round Up, plastics, and other toxins. Even mothers from remote Inuit tribes who follow a traditional diet were found to have toxins excreted through their breastmilk.

What the mess?!

Do Kids Need To Detox?

Before I answer the question, “Do kids need to detox?” let me first make it clear that I am in no way promoting “cleansing” for children. “Cleansing” is a popular way to flush toxins from the body. It’s usually a fast, often harsh, way to stimulate different body systems to “let go” of toxins they may be holding on to.

When it comes to children, it’s unneccesary to purge their bodies of toxins quickly as this can lead to problems (as it can with adults too). Instead, a gentle approach is best with children.

You see, our bodies are designed to gently detox on their own every day, it’s just that our modern lives are too full of toxins for our bodies to keep up with (Barclay, n.d.). Thankfully, there are things we can do to help our bodies detoxify themselves, and most of these changes come with making simple lifestyle changes like those we’ll discuss below. I personally believe this is the best, safest way to keep our children’s liver healthy and to assist them with gentle detoxification if need be.

How To Use Herbs To Cleanse Your Child's Liver Safely | Growing Up Herbal | Children's bodies can use gentle detoxing from time to time just like an adults. Here's how to do it safely using herbs!

With the constant bombardment of chemicals, many children are born with compromised immune systems and bodies that are already exposed to toxins. Add to that common children’s medications, vaccines, mercury fillings, and junk food laden diets, and this next generation is on a fast road to disaster. When their bodies become overwhelmed, chronic health issues begin to develop, and the symptoms may lay under the surface for a while before they’re noticed.

Autism rates alone have gone from 1 in 160 children to 1 in every 68 in the past 8 years and the rate is steeply rising. When the CDC data is analyzed, the autism rate is likely closer to 1 in every 18 kids right now.

Your body produces glutathione which is a key component for protecting and detoxing the liver. Different substances can deplete this glutathione, in particular, children’s Tylenol and vaccines, even more so when the two are combined. While we chose not to vaccinate, my little guy had a few rounds of Tylenol before I knew how to use herbs with children.

Thankfully, there are safe and effective ways to ensure your children’s bodies are functioning optimally, without being overburdened by a toxic overload. 

2 Ways To Decrease Your Child’s Toxic Load

#1 – Lifestyle Changes To Promote A Healthy Liver

So, first things first. One of the best ways to support your child’s health is to empower them to make positive choices. You can do that by not only setting a good example yourself but by teaching your children the hows of natural living as well.

Diet

When it comes to specific lifestyle changes that can benefit your child’s liver, the first thing to be addressed is their diet.

Eating a whole food diet free of processed, preserved food is a great start. But, did you know there are some foods you can increase in your child’s diet that are better for their liver than others.  

Foods that contain sulfur or are considered “methyl donors” such as cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale and other greens, brussel sprouts, etc.) and garlic and onion all help to activate liver enzymes that aid in the detoxification process. Foods high in B vitamins are also great for the liver as they help to create glutathione (mentioned above) in the body. Shiitake mushrooms are another great addition to the diet as they’ve been shown to have hepatoprotective properties (Keeping Your Liver Healthy, n.d.).

Decreasing Toxins

Another lifestyle change you can make is to work towards decreasing external toxins you’re exposed to. You can do this by using DIY or buying toxin-free body care products to help reduce the body’s toxic load. You can also work to decrease your family’s exposure to EMFs, swap unhealthy kitchen products for healthier versions, and keeping the air in your home clean. All of these efforts will help to minimize the amount of toxins your child’s body is exposed to.

Herbal Bitters

Another lifestyle change that can help improve liver health is to add herbal bitters to your child’s diet. The body has many healthy responses to herbal bitters, and one can only benifit from their use.

Bitters strengthen the entire digestive tract from the stomach to the liver, gallbladder, and pancreus and on down into the colon. Herbalist Sharyn Hocurscak says they challenge the liver (and other digestive organs) (Hocurscak, 2014a). In an article she wrote on making herbal bitters, she goes on to quote herbalist Guido Mase who says, “The ongoing exposure to a rich and potent xenobiome [bitters] keeps the liver on its toes…” (Masé, 2013), with Hocursacak adding that bitters help “the body to sort out the good and bad of ingested food and toxins, purifying the blood. These actions put bitters into an herbal classification called alteratives.” So not only do bitters strengthen the digestive tract and help it function correctly, but they support the liver in detoxification too (Hocurscak, 2014b).

You will be doing your children a favor by helping them get used to bitters at an early age. If you’re ready to incorporate bitters into your child’s diet, here’s a recipe for “summer bitters” that you can try. If you find yourself having trouble getting your kids to take bitters (and you may), you can get creative and trick your child into taking their herbal bitters. Remember, it’s best to take bitters 20-30 minutes before meals to get the most out of them.

#2 – Use Herbs To Cleanse Your Child’s Liver Safely

How To Use Herbs To Cleanse Your Child's Liver Safely | Growing Up Herbal | Children's bodies can use gentle detoxing from time to time just like an adults. Here's how to do it safely using herbs!

We all need a little more help with detoxing, and the same is true for children. There are even well-respected herbal companies that make liver cleansing products for children.

Since they’re younger and their systems haven’t fully developed yet, extra precautions have to be taken. Certain herbs aren’t safe for them, and the dosages should be adjusted based on their age or weight. 

This following information is sourced from the book Herbal Medicine by Sharol Tilgner N.D.

Herbs To Cleanse Your Child’s Liver Safely

  • Dandelion root – Stimulates production and flow of bile from the gallbladder. Dandelion is slow acting and is better fitted for long term use.
  • Licorice – Helps restore the liver without over stimulating it. It’s also an adaptogen that modulates the immune system.
  • Milk thistle seeds – Helps, protect, regenerate and restore the liver. May also help flush out foreign chemicals and excessive chemical build up that’s in the liver.
  • Schisandra – A liver restorative that stimulates bile flow. It’s also an adaptogen and helps modulate the immune system.
  • Turmeric – A powerful anti-inflammatory that also stimulates bile flow and production. Stimulates digestive enzymes. It’s particularly useful for clearing out liver congestion.
  • Yellow dock – Helps with poor fat absorption and liver congestion. Increases production and secretion of bile and promotes digestion and elimination of the alimentary tract.
  • Oregon grape root – Stimulates the liver and gall bladder, and increases production and secretion of bile. It also promotes digestion and elimination of toxin congestion in the body.
  • Burdock – An anti-inflammatory that also stimulates digestion. It stimulates and cleanses the blood and lymph system, and acts as a liver tonic to help flush out built up toxins. Not recommended for long term use

(Tilgner, 1999).

Some Cautions

As always, there are some things you need to know anytime you take herbs. All herbs can have a postitive affect on the body, but those effects can also be problematic, depending on the situation. This is why it’s best for you to do some reasearch on individual herbs to see what these affects are and if it’s an appropriate time for you or your child to take them.

When it comes to the herbs mentioned above and in the recipes below, there are some things to be aware of when taking them. 

First, these herbs are not to be used during pregnancy. Next, if you have gallstones or kidney stones, these herbs can exacerbate those conditions. This is rare with children, but I wanted to mention it anyway. Lastly, some of these herbs are not meant to be used long-term (licorice, turmeric, yellow dock, oregon grape root) as they can have unwanted effects when used in large doses for lengthy periods of time. For example, high, frequent doses of licorice can lead to water retention in the body and long-term use of turmeric has been known to thin the blood.  

Again, these cautions should be taken into consideration depending on the circumstances you find yourself in.

How Should Children Take Liver Cleansing Herbs? 

Since most children are unable to swallow capsules, and some of the liver cleansing herbs aren’t appealing to their little taste buds in a tea, what’s the best way to give them these healthy herbs? One of the best ways is with a tincture. Tinctures are concentrated, so they can be diluted and disguised in juice, and they’re shelf stable for easier storage.

I like using an alcohol based tincture for liver cleanses, because alcohol goes straight to the liver, taking the healing herbs along with it. You can use apple cider vinegar instead, but it won’t be as effective. And if you’re worried about giving your child an alcohol-based tincture, then you’ll want to read this post where I discuss the safety and benefit of giving children alcohol-based tinctures.

Two Liver Cleansing Recipes For Children 

How To Use Herbs To Cleanse Your Child's Liver Safely | Growing Up Herbal | Children's bodies can use gentle detoxing from time to time just like an adults. Here's how to do it safely using herbs!

#1 – Children’s Liver Protecting Tea

Dandelion root has an earthy taste that resembles coffee, and my husband and I love drinking it with a bit of raw honey and cream, or in my nourishing gingerbread latte recipe. It can be made into a tincture too, but it tastes really yummy as a tea. Licorice is another herb that’s really good as a tea, and its sweet flavor makes it especially appealing to children.

Because dandelion is most effective at protecting the liver when used long term, this is a tea your little ones can enjoy frequently (Tilgner, 1999).

Ingredients:

  • 1 teaspoon dandelion root
  • 1 teaspoon licorice root
  • 8-ounces boiled water

Directions:

  1. Place herbs in a tea strainer. 
  2. Pour water over herbs, and let herbs simmer gently for 10-15 minutes. 
  3. Remove strainer. Compost herbs. Sweeten tea as desired.

Tea Dosing For Children

Be sure to adjust the dosage based on your child’s age or weight. I’ve used Freid’s rule here which is the child’s age in months, divided by 150, then multiplied by the adult dose which is 8-ounces. I’ve also given some examples of what that dosage looks like for different ages below.

  • 1-year-old – .6 ounces tea
  • 3-year-old – 2 ounces tea
  • 5-year-old – 3 ounces tea
  • 7-year-old – 4.5 ounces tea
  • 10-year-old – 6.5 ounces tea

How To Use Herbs To Cleanse Your Child's Liver Safely | Growing Up Herbal | Children's bodies can use gentle detoxing from time to time just like an adults. Here's how to do it safely using herbs!

#2 – Children’s Liver Detox Tincture

Like the tea above, the recipe here contains several herbs to cleanse your child’s liver safely. Keep in mind that you will need to adjust the dosage based on your child’s age or weight using a dosing formula. Use anywhere from 2-4 weeks.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons milk thistle seed
  • 2 tablespoons oregon grape root
  • 2 tablespoons burdock root
  • 1.5 tablespoons schisandra
  • 1 heaping tablespoon turmeric powder
  • 1 heaping tablespoon yellow dock leaves

Directions:

  1. Combine all of the herbs in a clean, pint-sized glass mason jar.
  2. Fill the jar with 80 proof or higher vodka (organic if available). Feel free to substitute apple cider vinegar.
  3. Store the jar in a cool, dark place and shake 1-3 times a day for 3 weeks.
  4. Strain the herbs out with a clean cheesecloth or t-shirt fabric, really squeezing the liquid out of the herbs. Repeat this step a few times if needed. You can run the liquid through a coffee filter as a final filtering step to get all of the powder out of the bottom, which can make the tincture taste really bitter.

Tincture Dosing For Children

The adult dose is 35 drops, 3 times a day. You will find examples of children’s dosing below, again using Freid’s rule which is an age-based dosing formula.

Be sure to dilute the drops in a tasty tea or juice. It’s important to start with just a few drops, and increase by a few drops a day until you reach the recommended dose.

  • 1-year-old – 3 drops, 3 times daily
  • 3-year-old – 8 drops, 3 times daily
  • 5-year-old – 14 drops, 3 times daily
  • 7-year-old – 19 drops, 3 times daily
  • 10-year-old – 28 drops, 3 times daily

REFERENCES:

  • Barclay, L. (n.d.). Liver Detoxification — Fact or Fad? Retrieved July 05, 2016, from http://www.webmd.com/men/features/liver-detoxification—-fact-fad
  • Hocurscak, S. (2014a). History and Benefits of Bitters. Retrieved October 21, 2016, from https://theherbalacademy.com/history-and-benefits-of-bitters/Hocurscak, S. (2014, March 10). History and Benefits of Bitters. Retrieved October 21, 2016, from https://theherbalacademy.com/history-and-benefits-of-bitters/
  • Hocurscak, S. (2014b). Making Bitters. Retrieved October 21, 2016, from https://theherbalacademy.com/bitter-integrations-making-bitters/
  • Keeping Your Liver Healthy. (n.d.). In Intermediate Herbal Course. Herbal Academy.
  • Masé, G. (2013) The Wild Medicine Solution Healing with Aromatic, Bitter, and Tonic Plants. Rochester, Vermont: Healing Arts Press
  • Tilgner, S. (1999). Herbal medicine: From the heart of the earth. Creswell, OR: Wise Acres.
  1. Katie says:

    This is perfect timing as my guy is about to take a drug holiday from an immunosuppressant that he’s been on for the last 5 1/2 yrs. Lots of prayers that he will not need to go back on it or move to a biological drug!!!!

    Thanks Jamie!

    • Meagan says:

      I’m glad it’s helpful Katie! Just be sure to clear things through his doctor or an herbalist with a lot of experience working with chronic ailments before you start detoxing him as people with chronic conditions, especially those that need immunosuppressant meds, need to take extra precautions with anything, even herbs.

  2. Jill York says:

    Thanks for the reminder to give my kids some dandelion root! I have some of the other herbs on hand as well.

  3. Kristy says:

    I found this article highly informative and very helpful! I agree that it’s important (and sometimes a little scary) to choose an effective but safe detox for children.

    I’ve used the Liver Detox II tincture, from Mountain Meadow Herbs, for my own kiddos for several years; it’s effective but very gentle.

    Thank you for the great article! I’ll be sharing with my fellow natural mamas!

    • Meagan says:

      Thanks, Kristy! And thanks for sharing what you’ve used in the past. I’ve always been so impressed with Mountain Meadow Herbs products!

  4. Ginny says:

    Thank you for this! It fits some pieces together that I was “grasping for.” and I appreciate you putting it out here! In making the liver detox tincture does it matter if the ingredients (specifically yellow dock leaves and burdock root) are dried or fresh?? Thanks again!

    • Meagan says:

      I personally feel that fresh is always better, but dried is convenient and works very well too. It’s totally up to you and what you have access to. Hope that helps!

    • Jamie says:

      I’ve heard that you run a greater risk of your tincture growing microbes if you use fresh herbs since their water content is higher. However, I usually use dried herbs, and the few times I’ve used fresh I didn’t have a spoilage issue. You can also wilt your fresh herbs for a brief period in a dehydrator or oven before tincturing to reduce moisture, but still get the benefits of fresh 🙂

      • Meagan says:

        This is definitely true, Jamie and Ginny. Most herbalists recommend using a higher percentage of alcohol when you’re tincturing fresh herbs than you would when you tincture dried herbs. Most times, for fresh plant material, you’d make a 1:2 ratio tincture with 95% alcohol (190 proof) rather than the more common 1:5 tincture with 40% alcohol (80 proof). Does that make sense? This takes care of the fresh herbs and their water content and it helps to ensure your tincture won’t go bad. You can learn more about tincturing here.

  5. Carlos says:

    I stopped reading at “chemtrails”. It’s impressive how quickly you lose credibility by referencing long debunked conspiracies like that.

    • Meagan says:

      You’re right. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Carlos. We recognize that the term “chemtrail” is more of a conspiracy term coined for what we see following airplanes in the sky on a regular basis.

      However, it is undeniable that planes are used to spread formulated chemicals for a variety of purposes. Recent examples include spraying pesticides to kill mosquitos to control the West Nile and Zika viruses and crop sprays used by farmers to control insects and weeds, and of course, the world remembers being assured that the Agent Orange being sprayed over Vietnam during the war would have no negative effects on humans. Naturally, these chemicals end up in our food and water sources and can affect our health and the health of our children. This post was meant to bring awareness to parents that their children are exposed to toxins on a daily basis and that it can be beneficial for them to use liver supporting herbs as a means to “detox” their bodies. Thanks for your concern.

  6. Rebecca says:

    Great post! Just when I need the info too. My daughter, who is 5, unfortunately contracted Lyme disease. We caught it early and she had to take antibiotics for months. Ugh. Her poor little liver. We don’t use antibiotics unless absolutely necessary. It was a tough decision but Lyme is nothing to mess with. We are with a naturopath now also. Anyway, my little one can swallow capsules. I found a forma with dandelion, yellow dock, and milk thistle. Any idea on what the dosage would be for a child in capsule form?

    • Meagan says:

      I’m so sorry, Rebecca! I’m sure that was scary, and you’re right… Lyme is nothing to mess with. Thankfully, one can recover from antibiotic use! As far as dosing goes, I’d find out what the adult does for that capsule is and then use one of these dosing formulas to figure out how much of the adult dose your little one needs. You can break the capsules open and give her the herbs in applesauce, yogurt, or even a bit of honey. Hope that helps!!

  7. Rebecca says:

    Thanks Meagan!! She can swallow a whole capsule so maybe depending on what that dosage link says I could give her half of the adult dose. I will figure it out. Thanks for the help. Great site!!

  8. Hannah says:

    Hey there Meagan! I’m looking forward to doing this cleanse. I do have a question…Is this cleanse just for a few days or do you guy’s take this on a regular basis? Thanks!

    • Meagan says:

      Personally, I’d use the tea for a 3-7 days anytime I thought my kid had been exposed to toxins (such as after painting the walls in our home or getting new mattresses… things like that). I’d use the tincture if my kid were showing signs of too many toxins in the body, and I’d do it for 2-4 weeks based on how they respond. When it comes to cleansing the body though, we really focus first and foremost on eating healthy and minimizing toxins in our life so that we don’t need these sorts of things all that much. Hope that answers your question, Hannah!

  9. Cynthia says:

    I was recently informed by a mom that her 12 year old son was diagnosed with NASH (Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis ). He is currently at stage three. Do you think the liver detox tincture might help to set him on a path of possibly restoring some health to his liver?

    • Meagan Visser says:

      Liver detoxifying herbs have had great success when it comes to aiding the liver, and there are many that are safe for children. With that said, it would be best to consult the child’s doctor or a clinical herbalist who would work alongside the doctor before giving anyone with a chronic health condition any herbs. There’s a lot to consider when it comes to using herbs for chronic health conditions, and it’s best not to practice with them without a good understanding of the health condition and the herbs being considered. Hope that helps you some.

  10. A Holistic Approach To Common Causes Of Eczema - Growing Up Herbal says:

    […] overloaded, it will show up in the form of skin irritations and blemishes. You can see how to do a liver cleanse that’s even safe for kids here. Daily doses of dandelion tea, long-term, is also beneficial for the liver, as are dark leafy […]

  11. Kay says:

    Hi! Do you have a tincture recipe for kids for supporting the liver? I was considering chamomile, dandelion root and nettle. I need supportive and bitter herbs. Probably for long term use at this point in time so im trying to steer clear of licorice. Thank you! You have such great posts and help me in my learning journey!!

    • Meagan Visser says:

      The Children’s Liver Detox Tincture recipe that’s in this post will work but should only be used for 2-4 weeks at a time. After that period of time, you could switch to a dandelion root tincture if you’re looking for something long term. Dandelion root is a great “herbal bitter” and can be used before meals on a regular basis. I’m not sure what the chamomile and nettle are for in the blend you mentioned. Chamomile does have some mild bitter properties when infused for longer periods of time and could work well with the dandelion, but nettle is most often used as an alterative or blood cleansing herb due to its action on the kidneys, not liver.

  12. lucille says:

    Would the tincture or tea help with sugar cravings? I have read that a symptom of a weak liver is sugar cravings and my 11 year old son craves it to the point of sneaking it wherever he can find it. I’ve been thinking of doing something to support or detox his liver, so finding his post was timely. Thanks!

    • Meagan Visser says:

      I’m not certain about the liver and sugar craving link as many things can cause a craving for sweets. You could definitely focus on some gentle liver cleansing, but you may want to look into gut health as candida overgrowth can also trigger sugar cravings as well (as can many other things). You may even want to try switching to some sugar-free sweeteners like stevia or something similar for a while so he has some sweets every now and then, but not anything that will actually fuel the cravings. Best of luck!

      • LUcille says:

        That does sound more likely. I can’t remember where I read that about the liver and haven’t been able to find anything else on it since. I will work the candida direction first. Thank you!!

  13. Shauna Douglass says:

    I plan on doing the tea with my 5yo. Is there a certain time of day it’s best yo give the tea? Or can she sip on it throughout the day? What’s the best way yo sweeten it so I can get her to drink it? One of her vitamins has licorice root in it, should I discontinue that while doing the tea?

    • Meagan Visser says:

      Great question, Shauna. It may be more effective to drink a set amount of the tea at different times throughout the day so she gets small “bursts” of it regularly as opposed to taking a drink here and a drink there. Does that make sense? You can sweeten it with whatever healthy sweetener you choose. I like to use raw honey or a stevia glycerite with my kids. And as far as discontinuing the vitamin with licorice root goes… it really depends on how much licorice root is in her vitamin. If you are planning to use this tea regularly, you might want to switch her multi-vitamin to a licorice-free one while she’s drinking the tea just to make sure she doesn’t get too much. Licorice root is fairly safe for kids. The biggest affect people see from it is fluid retention. Most times, for children, this isn’t as big of a deal as it is for adults who have health problems that an increase in fluid would negatively effect. Hope this helps!

      • Shauna Douglass says:

        Thank you for the information. I was given the ok to give in juice or smoothie. They were not liking the taste! Lol. We are almost 2 weeks into it! Thanks!

        • Meagan Visser says:

          Great! I’m glad you found a way to make it palatable. That’s very important with little ones!

  14. Jennifer says:

    Hi there, my daughter is 21 months old, had 2 fevers 10 days apart. Doc says virus and to alternate with Motrin and Tylenol to keep fever down. It’s been 100/101/102 for 24 hours now, should I give her something like apple cider vinegar in apple sauce? I hate giving her an overload of medication and it still hasn’t brought down the fever extensively. Any point in the right direction is greatly appreciated!

    • Meagan Visser says:

      Personally, I never try lowering my children’s fevers at the onset. Fevers are the body’s way of ridding itself of pathogens so when you try to lower it, it can inhibit the body from doing what it needs to do to heal itself. The only time I try to lower a fever is if it’s really high (104, 105) or if a consistently high fever has been present for days and the body is fatigued. Other than that, I leave them alone. If it were me, I’d do what I could to keep my little one comfortable and hydrated during this time. I’m not exactly sure what you’re asking about the apple cider vinegar. I’ve never heard of it being used internally to help lower a fever, but I have heard of (and used) ACV being used externally for that purpose. If you’re interested in learning more about how to approach fevers naturally, check out my ebook, Treating Fevers Naturally. There’s all kinds of information there on the purpose of fevers, the stages they go through, and how to support the body naturally during a fever.

  15. Kim says:

    Hello,

    My Granddaughter was diagnosed with Heb B at birth contracting it from her Mother. We do her blood tests every 6 months with a hepatologist and she is not on any medications. I am wondering if this would be safe for her to use the liver cleansing recipe?

    • Meagan Visser says:

      Hi, Kim. I’m very sorry to hear about your granddaughter. However, because Hepatitis B is considered a serious and chronic illness, I’d recommend you speak with a clinical herbalist (someone who has experience working with children with hepatitis) alongside her hepatologist about the herbs in this remedy. I would think it would be fine to use this with her, especially because she’s being closely monitored, but it’s always a good idea to run things past your doctor first, especially when dealing with serious, long-term conditions in children. Best of luck!

  16. Sandra says:

    Hi Meagan! I found this article so helpful. I wanted to ask though. My 5y/o son currently has gallstones (he has Down syndrome and apparently they are more common in kids with DS). I was wondering if I could use either one of those recipes for him? Or perhaps another tincture made from some of these herbs? Thank you in advance!

    • Meagan Visser says:

      You’d definitely want to do some research on these herbs individually before giving him anything for the liver. Many liver herbs can trigger actions in the gallbladder, and if he has stones, it could bring on an attack. There are herbs that have traditionally been used to dissolve gallstones. These are called choleretics. You could research those as well. Lastly, eating a high-fiber diet is supposed to help capture old bile and flush it from the body so the liver can produce new, clean bile. This, in turn, keeps gallstones from forming. Perhaps that is something else that could help. I’m not sure if your kiddo is a picky eater, many kids are, but it may be worth finding some high-fiber meals that he could eat more of. Anyway, hope this is helpful in some way, and best of luck, mama!

  17. SinDy says:

    Hi I would like to know if it is safe to give ground milk thistle seeds for a 10 year old, who has been on antibiotics and deworming. If so what would be the dosage. Thanks.

  18. Amy says:

    Is there a difference in yellowdock root and yellowdock leaves? I see the recipe calls for leaves but all I am finding to purchase is yellowdock root… ?

    • Meagan Visser says:

      Yes, the root is the most common part of the plant used, but the leaves are often used as well. The leaves do have many of the same actions on the body as the root does, although, they are not as strong, which makes them great for children or when you want to use yellow dock for a longer period of time. Sometimes, yellow dock root can stimulate some gastrointestinal upset, but this is rare with the leaves. Hope this is helpful!

      • Amy says:

        Yes, makes sense!! Just having a hard time finding the leaves. And it is for my little one, so I definitely don’t want to do anything to hurt his tummy, we are trying to get him detoxed from mild and toxin exposure. He has been through enough without adding to it. Do you have a recommendation as to where to find the leaves?

        • Meagan Visser says:

          I’ve only collected them myself. Yellow dock is very common here. You can see it in a video I shot in this post. You can also get more information on identifying it in this post over on the Herbal Academy blog. Hope that helps!

          • Amy says:

            We have already gotten several frosts so everything is pretty much dead here. I thought I had found a source online but hers had already frosted too. Is it okay to just do the tincture without the yellowdock?

          • Meagan Visser says:

            Yes, you could leave it out and still have plenty of liver support.

  19. Edyta says:

    Hi
    Is this site still active ?
    I love your site and I have few questions pls

  20. Ivonne says:

    Hi!
    Thank you for all this information,
    My question is how often should dandelion tea be consumed? And how many times a day?
    Thank you

    • Meagan Visser says:

      For an adult, 3-4 cups of dandelion root tea is drunk 3-4 times a day. However, you would adjust to dosage for a child using the formulas in this post. Hope that helps, and let me know if you have any other questions.

  21. Pa Moua-Yang says:

    Hi Meagan! This is all very helpful information. I’m very new to liver detox but have heard that detoxes can help with allergies. Would you at this is true? We just found out that my son may be allergic to peanuts and other nuts. He’s also been complaining about avocados making his lips flair up. If I wanted to do a liver detox on my 7 1/2 year old son, how do I go about doing so? Does he change his diet completely while detoxing? Thanks so much!

    • Meagan Visser says:

      If you’re looking to reduce allergies, the best place to start is by focusing on gut health. Many allergies are due to leaky gut, so doing things that help tighten the lining of the GI tract can be helpful. Part of this is eliminating things that the body is sensitive to, so an elimination diet and avoiding food the person reacts to will be a must until the gut is healed. Supporting the liver with herbs, like those mentioned in the article, can be helpful during this time, but more important is getting enough fiber in the diet (and perhaps adding in a magnesium supplement) and making sure the person is going to the bathroom every day to eliminate any toxins that need to be expelled, which is helpful during the elimination diet. Hopefully, this gives you a starting place to look for more information!

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