Liver & Detox

Nutrients connected to Liver & Detox

A link means the body needs the nutrient for this, or that low intake is linked to it. It does not mean extra supplements help if your intake is already adequate; each link shows how strong the evidence is.

• Curcumin (turmeric supplements)Documented risk

  Liver injury has been reported with turmeric or curcumin supplements, especially highly absorbable products; stopping the product is advised if symptoms appear.

• Green tea extract and EGCGDocumented risk

  Liver injury is uncommon but has been reported with green tea extract capsules and tablets; the US Pharmacopeia asks labels to say stop and see a practitioner if liver symptoms appear.

• TurmericDocumented risk

  Liver injury has been reported with turmeric products, especially those made to be absorbed better. A US case series described mostly liver-cell injury starting about 1 to 4 months after use began, with one death. Stop and see a provider for dark urine, yellow skin or eyes, nausea or fatigue.

• Aloe veraDocumented risk

  NCCIH reports cases of acute hepatitis linked to oral aloe leaf extracts, and two published case reports describe it. Case reports show a possible link, not how common it is.

• Gotu kolaDocumented risk

  Case reports link oral gotu kola to hepatitis and jaundice; how often is unknown. It is not a liver-cleansing herb.

• NoniDocumented risk

  Liver injury has been reported after drinking noni juice or tea for several weeks; it is unclear whether noni was the cause.

• ButterburDocumented risk

  The raw plant contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids that can damage the liver, and rare liver injury has been reported even with products labeled PA-free.

• ComfreyDocumented risk

  Comfrey taken by mouth is linked to liver injury through its pyrrolizidine alkaloids; this is a risk, not a benefit. It is not a liver-support herb.

• Guduchi (giloy)Documented risk

  Reports link guduchi products to liver injury rather than to liver benefit. The cause is debated, so it should not be used as a liver tonic.

• He shou wuDocumented risk

  Reports and case series link this root to liver injury, so it is a liver risk rather than a liver aid. No evidence was found that it supports detox.

• KavaDocumented risk

  Kava products have been linked to rare but serious or fatal liver injury, including liver failure needing transplant. Memorial Sloan Kettering says the liver risk outweighs any benefits.

• BupleurumDocumented risk

  Case reports link bupleurum to liver injury, so it is mainly a liver safety question. No proven detox benefit.

• Reishi (lingzhi)Documented risk

  Liver injury has been reported with reishi, mostly with powders, including one fatal case. People with liver disease should ask a clinician before using it.

• Almond mushroom (Agaricus subrufescens)Documented risk

  Case reports link Agaricus blazei extracts to severe liver injury in people with cancer, including two deaths. Frequency is unknown.

• ColtsfootDocumented risk

  Coltsfoot can contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which damage the liver; the EU herbal committee describes blocked liver veins and cirrhosis from toxic PAs.

• PennyroyalDocumented risk

  Swallowed pennyroyal oil or tea has caused severe liver injury, liver failure and death.

• Garcinia cambogiaDocumented risk

  NCCIH and a 2025 review describe liver injury reports with Garcinia products, including severe cases, a death and liver transplants. Most cases involved other products or medicines, so the true risk is uncertain.

• Usnea (old man's beard lichen)Documented risk

  Usnic acid supplements have been linked to acute hepatitis and liver failure, including transplants and a death. Serious safety problem.

• TurmericDocumented risk

  Liver injury has been reported with turmeric and curcumin supplements, especially highly absorbable forms; this is a safety link, not a benefit.

• Bakuchi (babchi)Documented risk

  Case reports describe liver injury after bakuchi products. No source we read supports liver benefit.

• Xanthium (cang er zi, cocklebur)Documented risk

  The fruit's toxins have injured the liver in mice and a human case report.

• Gravel root (Joe-Pye weed)Documented risk

  A consumer drug reference warns that gravel root may contain liver-toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids; close relatives do, but gravel root itself was not analysed in the sources read.

• Death capDocumented risk

  Liver injury and failure are the main outcome; cooking does not detoxify the mushroom.

• Destroying angelDocumented risk

  The poisoning is a cause of acute liver failure; it is not a detox mushroom.

• False MorelDocumented risk

  Liver injury is a documented effect of false-morel poisoning.

• Funeral bellDocumented risk

  Amatoxins from the funeral bell group destroy liver cells and can cause liver failure; this is a poisoning, not a benefit.

• Greater celandineDocumented risk

  The herb is sometimes promoted for the liver, but the sources we read describe liver injury, not liver protection.

• Chaparral (creosote bush)Documented risk

  Chaparral products have been linked to serious liver injury, including cirrhosis and transplant. It is not shown to cleanse or support the liver.

• SassafrasDocumented risk

  Safrole caused liver tumors in rats and mice, and the US National Toxicology Program lists it as reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen. This is a documented risk, not a benefit.

• Sophora flavescens (ku shen)Documented risk

  The liver is both the target of traditional use (hepatitis B) and a documented concern: matrine caused liver toxicity in animal and cell studies.

• BorageDocumented risk

  Borage leaf and flower contain liver-toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids; borage oil should be used only if certified free of them, and not by people with liver disease (Memorial Sloan Kettering, EU committee).

• Thunder god vineDocumented risk

  NCCIH lists liver problems as a serious risk. This is not a liver-support herb.

• Deadly parasolDocumented risk

  Liver injury and failure after eating the mushroom; it is a poison, not a detox aid.

• Sheathed woodtuftDocumented risk

  Caused by amatoxins in the funeral bell, a deadly look-alike reported to be confused with sheathed woodtuft; not by sheathed woodtuft itself.

• Pennyroyal Oil (Dangers)Documented risk

  Swallowed pennyroyal oil is highly toxic to the liver and linked to liver injury and death.

• Fat Burners and Weight-Loss BlendsDocumented risk

  Green tea extract and garcinia products have been linked to liver injury, and a US investigation linked a weight-loss product to acute hepatitis.

• Vitamin B3 (niacin)Documented risk

  Niacin does not detoxify the liver; the documented link is that long-term high doses can harm it.

• CopperDocumented risk

  Long-term high copper intake can damage the liver, and people with Wilson disease should not take multivitamins containing copper.

• RosemaryDocumented risk

  The EU monograph says liver disease and bile duct disorders need medical supervision before oral use.

• CinnamonDocumented risk

  Coumarin in cassia cinnamon has been linked to liver effects; people with liver disease may be sensitive.

• Milk ThistlePreliminary or mixed

  Milk thistle is traditionally used for the liver, but NIH says trial results in liver disease are conflicting or too limited for firm conclusions, and two NIH-funded trials (hepatitis C and fatty liver with inflammation) showed no benefit.

• Pelargonium (Umckaloabo)Documented risk

  Liver problems have been reported with pelargonium root medicines, frequency not known. A 2012 review of 13 reports could not establish that the plant caused them.

• SkullcapDocumented risk

  Skullcap has been linked to several cases of liver injury, usually with other herbs, and products may be contaminated with liver-toxic germander. This is a risk, not a benefit.

• TribulusDocumented risk

  Case reports describe severe liver injury with tribulus products. These are individual cases.

• RooibosDocumented risk

  Case reports link rooibos to liver problems (raised enzymes, liver injury); rare, and usually improved after stopping.

• Horny goat weedDocumented risk

  Two Epimedium-leaf products have been linked to liver injury in people.

• CorydalisDocumented risk

  Reported as a cause of liver injury, not a liver-support herb.

• Baikal skullcapDocumented risk

  Case reports and a hospital study link the root to rare drug-induced liver injury. This is a safety caution, not a liver benefit.

• BonesetDocumented risk

  All 49 boneset samples tested contained pyrrolizidine alkaloids, a compound family linked to liver disease; human liver injury from boneset itself was not found in the sources read.

• RueDocumented risk

  Swallowed rue has been linked to liver impairment and, in severe cases, multi-organ failure. A safety caution, not a benefit. Rue is not a detox herb.

• Sweet wormwood (Artemisia annua)Documented risk

  This is a liver-safety link, not a detox benefit; liver injury has been reported.

• Antrodia camphorataPreliminary or mixed

  Used traditionally for the liver; two small mycelium trials gave mixed results.

• Bayberry (wax myrtle)Documented risk

  Consumer references list liver damage as a possible effect of swallowed bayberry. A safety caution, not a benefit. Bayberry is not a detox herb.

• CinnamonDocumented risk

  Cassia coumarin has been linked to liver effects in sensitive people.

• Chitrak (Ceylon leadwort)Documented risk

  Liver was a main target organ in rat toxicity studies; a review lists liver damage. Human data were not read.

• Gardenia fruit (zhi zi)Documented risk

  Used traditionally for the liver, but the evidence we read is animal-only and includes liver injury at high doses.

• SpirulinaDocumented risk

  Contaminated spirulina-type supplements can carry liver-toxic cyanotoxins; LiverTox calls liver injury from spirulina itself very rare.

• BoldoDocumented risk

  Boldo is sold for the liver, but the human reports we read describe liver injury; no benefit trials were found.

• Japanese knotweed (hu zhang)Documented risk

  Emodin in the root could harm the liver at high doses and with long-term use, based on lab and animal work. Human safety data for the root were not found.

• Bitter leafDocumented risk

  A Ugandan case series links bitter leaf used to end a pregnancy with fatal liver and kidney failure. One case cannot prove cause.

• KhatDocumented risk

  One Ethiopian hospital study found a dose-related link with chronic liver disease.

• Capillary wormwood (yin chen hao)Preliminary or mixed

  Used in Chinese medicine for jaundice and liver complaints. Human trials are of the three-herb formula and small and short; single-herb evidence is lab and animal only. Case reports also link Yin Chen Hao to liver injury.

• Deadly ConocybeDocumented risk

  Amatoxins, the toxins reported in this species, cause liver damage; no human case of this species was found, so the course is taken from amatoxin poisoning in general.

• Sweet woodruffDocumented risk

  Coumarin in woodruff can raise liver values in sensitive people when taken in large amounts over a long period (AGES).

• Tonka beanDocumented risk

  Same liver caution as above, tied to coumarin dose.

• Rooibos TeaDocumented risk

  Case reports of liver injury with large amounts.

• Rosemary TeaDocumented risk

  Same EU precaution for liver and bile duct conditions.

• Skullcap TeaDocumented risk

  Same liver-injury and adulteration reports.

• Turmeric TeaDocumented risk

  Liver injury has been reported with turmeric and curcumin products, mostly supplements; none found for tea alone.

• Cinnamon TeaDocumented risk

  Cassia coumarin is linked to liver effects; tolerable daily intake 0.1 mg per kg (BfR/EFSA).

• Comfrey and Coltsfoot TeasDocumented risk

  Same liver-toxicity finding; no source supports comfrey or coltsfoot tea for liver support.

• Kava, Kratom and Blue Lotus TeasDocumented risk

  Same liver-injury warnings; none of the three is a liver-support tea.

• Children's MultivitaminsDocumented risk

  Iron overdose can cause severe liver damage 2 to 5 days later. This is a poisoning risk, not a detox effect.

• Mushroom Blends and Mushroom CoffeeDocumented risk

  Same liver case report; ask a clinician if you have liver disease.

• Vitamin DEstablished role

  Liver disease can impair conversion of vitamin D to its usable form. Vitamin D is not a liver treatment.

• ChromiumDocumented risk

  Isolated cases of liver impairment have been reported with chromium supplements; this is a safety note, not a detox benefit.

• SennaDocumented risk

  LiverTox reports rare liver injury at high doses over long periods (as reported on the site page).

• SchisandraPreliminary or mixed

  Traditional use for liver conditions with small, limited human studies. It can also alter how liver enzyme blood tests read.

• Asian ginsengDocumented risk

  Liver damage is an uncommon reported effect.

• BhringrajLab or animal research only

  Traditionally a liver herb; evidence is from rats only.

• KutkiPreliminary or mixed

  One small 1996 trial in acute viral hepatitis reported benefit; other human studies are small, mostly open-label formula studies. Most evidence is from animals, so it is not an established liver treatment.

• Houttuynia (yu xing cao)Lab or animal research only

  A high-extract rat study showed liver degeneration; human liver data not found.

• Grains of paradiseDocumented risk

  Rat extract raised liver weight and alkaline phosphatase; no food-amount data.

• Kutaja (kurchi)Documented risk

  Animal liver toxicity at high doses; human data not read.

• NutmegDocumented risk

  Liver changes in rats at very high amounts; not shown in people.

• The princeDocumented risk

  In mice, cadmium from dried A. augustus accumulated in liver and kidney. This is an animal finding, not shown in people.

• Mistletoe (European)Documented risk

  One review found high doses of injected extract damaged the liver in some cases, reversibly.

• WatercressDocumented risk

  The sources describe liver-fluke infection risk from wild plants; they do not show a liver 'detox' benefit.

• Camphor Oil (Dangers)Documented risk

  A terpene review lists camphor among compounds that showed liver toxicity; the link to the oil in people is not described.

• Lemongrass TeaDocumented risk

  Rare liver toxicity reports (LactMed), one with a tea mixture.

• Milk Thistle TeaPreliminary or mixed

  Same: traditional use and extract trials with mixed or negative results; no trial of the tea.

• Sleep Blends (Melatonin, Magnesium, L-Theanine, Herbs)Documented risk

  Rare liver injury has been reported with valerian (mostly with other herbs) and kava is linked to serious liver injury.

• Joint Formulas (Glucosamine, Chondroitin, MSM, Turmeric)Documented risk

  Liver injury reports with turmeric supplements; this is a safety item, not liver support.

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