Updated on 2025-04-17

Summary: Detox cures for liver care

With the arrival of spring, the ideal time to revitalize the body, Lynn Goneau, naturopath at La Boîte à Grains, explains that the liver (an organ with over 500 functions) deserves special attention after the winter. Overloaded, it can cause fatigue, mental fog, sluggish digestion and other discomforts.

She recommends a gentle 1-3 month detox, starting simply with warm lemon juice in the morning, vegetables such as cucumber, beet or artichoke, and herbs such as milk thistle or black radish. Good hydration is essential, and supplements such as Marisyl Hepa 4 cure can support the process. However, she reminds us to always check for possible interactions with medications.

Why detoxify the liver in spring?

• Spring is a good time to eliminate toxins accumulated over the winter.

• The liver plays a central role: over 500 functions, including processing everything we eat, drink, put on our skin or breathe.

• An overloaded liver can lead to :

  • Chronic fatigue

  • Inflammation

  • Constipation

  • Mental fog, sleep disorders

  • Bad breath, slow digestion

  • Blurred vision

Simple, natural detox: the essentials

1. Lemon juice in the morning

   • In warm or hot water

   • Helps stimulate bile production

   • Option: add ginger and turmeric

   • Tip: freeze lemon juice in ice cubes

2. Cleansing vegetables

   • Cucumber (gentle cleansing)

   • Beet (highly recommended for the liver)

   • Artichoke (herbal tea or capsule)

   • Black radish (phials)

   • Dandelion (capsule)

3. Hydration

   • Drink 2 liters of water a day

   • Important to support the work of the kidneys during detoxification

Recommended supplements

• Marisyl Hepa 4 cure (Actimar)

  • Contains: black radish, milk thistle, artichoke, burdock

  • Liquid form (drinkable ampoules)

  • Also contains marine electrolytes → aids energy and hydration

Duration of treatment

• 1 to 3 months, as needed

• Preferably in spring and fall

• Always start gently to avoid unpleasant side effects (nausea, fatigue, etc.)

About the author

Lynn Goneau, Certified Naturopath

Specialized in :

• Digestive health
• Hormonal health
• Stress and fatigue
• Memory and concentration
• Weight management

Frédéric Bisson, radio host at 104.7 FM

Radio host at 104.7 FM on the Cogeco network. Frédéric Bisson has hosted L'Outaouais Maintenant from 3 to 5 p.m. every weekday since February 27, 2023.

Transcription

Frédéric Bisson - Host 104.7FM:

With last weekend's extraordinary weather, our gardens are slowly coming back to life. We can see the buds coming out. And in my case, the little damned bud is on my lip, because yes, little cold sore. I feel like my body and our bodies are smelling spring and the toxins are coming out. But right now, I'd like to help them. And thanks to her, at least today we'll be able to get tips on detoxifying the liver, Lynn Goneau naturopath at La Boite à Grains. Spring is detox season.

Lynn Goneau - Naturopath of La Boite à Grains:

Yes, it's really where you can start to dislodge all the toxins and fats. And I like to start with the liver because it's the organ that has over 500 functions. Yes, because practically everything we eat, everything we drink, everything we apply to our skin, even all the toxic substances we find in the products we use to clean.

Frédéric Bisson - Radio host 104.7FM:

It's the liver that manages it. Everything.

Lynn Goneau - Naturopath of La Boite à Grains:

Yes. And yes, it must, it really must treat everything. Everything goes through the liver. So it's really the biggest player in maintaining our health. It's really important. But when it's overloaded and in poor condition, we're going to have trouble. It's going to have a lot of trouble doing its job.

Frédéric Bisson - Host 104.7FM:

And so if you live in a polluted environment where there's cigarette smoke or air pollution, lots of toxic products, it works even harder.

Lynn Goneau - Naturopath of La Boite à Grains:

Yes, we can help it because otherwise it gets all clogged up. That's when you end up with inflammation, chronic fatigue, even bad breath.

This can be a sign of slower digestion. You can end up with nausea and especially constipation. I don't realize it all the time. Then, for me, it's going to happen to my vision. It's going to get a little blurrier. It's going to become a little more blurred. That's when I say to myself, oh, okay, the liver needs a little cleansing.

Frédéric Bisson - Host 104.7FM:

It can be like mental fog for me too, I feel like it's my liver. When it's clogged up, I feel like I'm somewhere else.

Lynn Goneau - Naturopath of La Boite à Grains:

Definitely, it can be sleep problems, anxiety.

Frédéric Bisson - Host 104.7FM:

Okay, so uh, you don't need much to start a liver detox, like the one you really like lemon juice.

Lynn Goneau - Naturopath of La Boite à Grains:

Lemon juice yes, that's an easy one, a little bit of lemon juice because it will stimulate the production of bile, which will help to purify all the functions of the liver to get the most out of it. You can do a 10- to 15-day course of treatment, drinking it every morning in the morning with a little warm or hot water. You can even add a little ginger and turmeric.

And the fun part, Fred, is that you can juice the lemons, put them in ice cubes and then put them in the freezer.

Frédéric Bisson - Host 104.7FM:

That's a good idea. Well, except for the lemon. Uh, with the food. Can we do a liver detox?

Lynn Goneau - Naturopath of La Boite à Grains:

Yes, there are vegetables, cucumbers, because they help a lot with cleansing.

Frédéric Bisson - Host 104.7FM:

But we buy organic. We should buy organic.

Lynn Goneau - Naturopath of La Boite à Grains:

Always yes. When it comes to staple foods like this that come from the earth, yes, it's important. Beet. I really like it. We talked about it last week, and it's very good for cleansing the liver.

Frédéric Bisson - Host 104.7FM:

And of course Lynn Goneau a herbal tea.

Lynn Goneau - Naturopath of La Boite à Grains:

Well, yes, because I like my artichoke tea after a meal. It tastes bitter. If you don't like it, add a little lemon.

Frédéric Bisson - Host 104.7FM:

Ah, that's a good idea. We also have artichoke capsules. So there's no problem with milk thistle capsules, especially after drinking alcohol.

Frédéric Bisson - Radio host 104.7FM:

But be careful, I took it for a long time. And my doctor told me that if you take it as an antidepressant or anti-anxiety medication, there can be very serious interactions.

Lynn Goneau - Naturopath of La Boite à Grains:

Even if it's herbs, you should always check with your pharmacist. Yes,

Frédéric Bisson - Host 104.7FM:

Exactly. Yes. Anything else?

Lynn Goneau - Naturopath of La Boite à Grains:

Yes, black radish. You can get it in phials. Dandelion capsules also work very well. And when you're doing a cleanse, it's super important to keep well hydrated to really allow the kidneys to filter properly. It's time to drink your two liters of water.

Frédéric Bisson - Radio host 104.7FM:

How long Lynn? When you do a cure, how long does it last and how long do the benefits last?

Lynn Goneau - Naturopath of La Boite à Grains:

Actually, Frédéric, the ideal is about a month. You can go up to three months, but I like to do it between one and three months, because you always see the effects gently when the waste starts to come out, and you don't want it to make you feel sick, nauseous, tired, etc. When you go gently, you can do it at the change of season. If you always take it easy, you can do it at the change of season. Yes, spring and autumn are really ideal. Those are really the two times that are most recommended.

Frédéric Bisson - Radio host 104.7FM:

So I like to use a little extra from time to time. What's your suggestion this week?

Lynn Goneau - Naturopath of La Boite à Grains:

There's the Marisyl Hepa 4 cure from Actimar. I like it because it contains all the ingredients we talked about earlier, black radish, milk thistle, artichoke and burdock, and it's in drinkable ampoules, which are really practical. You can add them to your water, and they'll help your digestion. I like this product because it contains electrolytes, marine electrolytes. In fact, it'll help keep your hydration level up, because you can easily become dehydrated when you're cleansing. It'll keep you energized while you're cleansing.