What Are the Benefits of Water on Liver Detoxification?

Water makes up a large part of the body, and is essential for your survival. It makes sense, then, that drinking a lot of water is important during liver detoxification. Water flushes the liver tissues, aiding in removing toxins, and also assists the kidneys during a liver detox, so the liver can focus on its own cleansing. Adding lemon to water also helps in the detoxification process, stimulating bile to remove toxins.

Close-up of a woman pouring a glass of water. (Image: Helmut Seisenberger/iStock/Getty Images)

Consult your doctor before beginning any detoxification program.

Flushes Liver Tissues

One of the main benefits of water for the liver is that it flushes out the tissues of the liver. Although research has shown that herbs, such as milk thistle, can improve liver function, it is water that flushes toxins out of the liver to be removed via the skin and bowels, the Mayo Clinic reports. Linda Page, author of "Healthy Healings Detoxification: Programs to Cleanse, Purify and Renew," recommends drinking eight glasses of water a day to fully clear toxins from the body. Consult your doctor before using any herbal remedy to self-treat any condition.

Assists Kidneys During Liver Detox

Another benefit of drinking water for the liver is that it allows kidneys to filter properly. The kidneys and liver are intimately connected, and, Ann Louise Gittleman writes in her book "Living Beauty Detox Program," adequate water assists the kidneys in filtering waste products so that the liver can focus on metabolizing its own waste. Gittleman recommends drinking more than eight glasses of water to help the kidneys take care of their functions.

Lemon in Water Increases Detoxification

Adding lemon to water first thing in the morning may help with liver detoxification. Besides containing vitamin C and other antioxidants, Dr. Liliana Stadler Mitrea writes in "Natural Medicine Mosaic," lemon juice in water stimulates gall bladder contractions. These contractions allow bile from the liver, which accumulated toxins overnight, to flow to the duodenum, in the small intestine, and from there out of the body.