People know that chilies taste spicy. It is this pungent substance, called capsaicin, that is very healthy. Studies show that capsaicin can protect the liver from damage. Capsaicin could also stop the progression of existing liver problems. So, if you want to do something good for your liver, eat chilies or cayenne pepper. Or, take capsaicin as a supplement.

Capsaicin – A gift for the liver

Capsaicin is the pungent substance in chili peppers. For our health, capsaicin has at least eight top effects in store.

We have summarized the seven known so far for you below. The European Association for the Study of the Liver presented number eight at the International Liver Congress™ in Vienna at the end of April 2015.

A new study has shown that daily consumption of capsaicin can have highly beneficial effects on liver health.

Capsaicin improves liver function tests

A study from 2010 reported that all symptoms of metabolic syndrome improved. This happened after taking capsaicin. High blood sugar levels fell. Insulin levels improved. Cells’ glucose tolerance improved. Obesity also decreased (2).

At the same time, the livers values of the overweight subjects had been high. They all had suffered from fatty liver.

They reported this at the 2015 International Liver Congress in Vienna. They said that capsaicin can reduce the activities of the so-called hepatic stellate cells.

Capsaicin for liver fibrosis

Specialized cells in the blood vessel walls of the liver are hepatic stellate cells. For example, they store vitamin A and regulate blood flow.

For example, alcohol, a fatty liver, medication, or infection can damage the liver. In response, hepatic stellate cells make substances that scar the liver.

Liver fibrosis is the term used to describe the progressive scarring of the liver. People fear liver fibrosis because it can progress to cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer. Unfortunately, liver fibrosis is not particularly rare. Experts estimate that 10 percent of the population is affected.

At the Congress of Vienna, they explained how capsaicin could bring relief here.

Capsaicin protects the liver from substances toxic to the liver

When administering capsaicin, liver damage from toxic substances decreased compared to when capsaicin was not administered. Capsaicin also stopped the progression of poison-induced liver damage.

Capsaicin could not reduce existing liver fibrosis, but it could at least stop its spread.

For liver damage, capsaicin can be included in the therapy. This is, of course, after consulting with the doctor or alternative practitioner.

Seven other health benefits of capsaicin include the following:

Capsaicin and its effects

• Capsaicin helps you lose weight. It does this by boosting energy use, fueling fat burning, and reducing appetite.
• Capsaicin is useful for diabetes. It lowers fasting blood sugar and insulin levels. It also reduces insulin resistance in the cells.
• Capsaicin fights chronic inflammation. It can lower the levels of the usual inflammatory messengers. So, it has anti-inflammatory properties.
• Capsaicin boosts blood flow. It can help with erectile dysfunction.
• Capsaicin improves blood by cutting cholesterol. It targets the especially harmful oxidized kind. It also makes blood flow better by “thinning” it (if it was too “thick”) and so preventing thrombosis.
• Despite its spiciness, capsaicin protects the stomach from irritating substances. In one study, for example, capsaicin reduced the stomach-damaging effect of aspirin. Capsaicin can even speed up the healing of stomach ulcers. According to studies, it works better alone than with the usual ulcer medications.
• Capsaicin activates the suicide program of many types of cancer cells. It can be part of therapy for many cancers, like prostate and breast cancer. It also helps with hard-to-treat cancers, like bronchial and pancreatic cancer.

How to take capsaicin?

You can consume capsaicin by eating more chili peppers or cayenne pepper.

If you don’t like to eat spicy food, you can also take one capsule of capsaicin twice a day with your meal.

Of course, there are other natural measures you can take to protect and regenerate your liver. What is part of a holistic all-round program for the liver, we summarize below:

What Your Liver Needs – Nine Natural Measures

You can help your liver get back to health or stay healthy with nine simple remedies:

• In any case, avoid alcohol, white sugar, and industrial fructose. The last is especially in confectionery, sweet drinks, or dips. If you can, also avoid statins, which lower cholesterol. Instead, try to get your cholesterol levels back on track with natural methods.
• Use olive oil as it can protect liver tissue from oxidative damage.
• Season with turmeric (or take curcumin in capsule form). Turmeric also protects the liver from free radicals. It also promotes liver regrowth. Also, turmeric supports mercury detoxification, which of course relieves the liver.
• In spring and summer, make dandelion salads often. They have bitter substances that activate the liver and speed its healing.
• You can also use other bitter herbs for the liver as a cure.
• Take 6 dried papaya seeds twice a day. The papain it contains activates liver regeneration. It ensures the liver can recover faster after major exertion. Even in the case of cirrhosis of the liver, the seeds of papaya increase the chances of improvement.
• Perform a liver cleanse program once a year
• If you do not want to carry out a detailed liver cleanse, a course of probiotics alone can help your liver. In one study, it showed that 30 days of taking probiotics cut the fat in fatty liver. It also improved blood inflammation.
• You can find general info on promoting liver regrowth here: Liver regeneration.