Symptoms of liver damage are many and some of them may be symptoms that are similar to other problems and conditions, so it can be confusing to you, to medical practitioners and also natural practitioners.
I experienced many symptoms from this problem and I gave up on the medical profession early in my search because they had no clue.
Some of the recommendations by naturopathic doctors and some natural remedies did help, although they were not a complete answer.
I tried the natural remedies that are commonly used for symptoms of liver damage and didn't really notice any improvement.
So, I tried focusing on health other ares and organs and although I discovered things that made me feel better, I still didn't accomplish what I wanted - to get rid of aggravating symptoms and food sensitivities.
In the end, I finally discovered that although common supplements for liver health may help some people, I needed something different and more powerful.
It took many years of searching and experimenting, but I did find what for me, was a miracle and so I can safely say, it may be also be a miracle for many others.
When your liver isn’t happy, the rest of your body usually lets you know—but the signals can be confusing and can also be mental and emotional. That's because when your liver is impaired, you can have things circulating in your blood that should not be there.
That can be a problem regarding mental and emotional aspects.
In this article we’ll go through common symptoms of liver damage, how to interpret them, what causes a fatty liver, and how you can support and gently heal your liver with natural strategies, dietary changes, and targeted supplements for liver health.
I’ll also share some of my own experience with serious liver problems after chemical exposure and what actually helped, although I did not find for a long time that chemicals were involved in my liver problem.
I discovered the chemical problem by going to a natural practitioner who focused on a different type blood analysis which is not only different than a blood analysis done by the medical profession but also different than the blood analysis done by most natural practitioners.
First, think of your liver as your body’s main “chemical factory and filter.” It processes toxins, hormones, fats, medications, alcohol, and even normal metabolic waste. When it’s overwhelmed or damaged, you might notice fatigue, brain fog, skin issues, digestive problems, hormone changes, and stubborn weight gain. These can build up slowly, so people often live for years with liver malfunction without realizing it.
One of the most common early symtoms of liver damage is chronic fatigue that sleep doesn’t fix. It’s that heavy, “wiped out” feeling, especially in the afternoon, even if your blood tests look normal. The liver is key in energy metabolism; when it’s sluggish, your whole system runs like a car with dirty fuel.
I wondered for years why, in midafternoon, I had an energy crash and tests later revealed low blood sugar (hypoglycemia).
The liver is also involved in blood sugar regulation and low or high blood sugar can also be a cause of brain fog for many people, which I did experience.
Other classic liver-related symptoms include: loss of appetite or feeling full very quickly, nausea (especially after fatty foods), bloating, gas, a dull ache or tightness under the right rib cage, and sometimes itchy skin without a clear reason. These don’t prove you have liver damage, but when several show up together, it’s worth paying attention.
Your skin and eyes can also send liver signals. Yellowing of the skin or eyes (jaundice) is a more serious sign that bile and bilirubin aren’t being cleared properly. But even before that, you might notice unusual skin rashes, spider-like blood vessels on the chest or face, easy bruising, or chronic itching. Dark urine and very pale stools can also mean bile flow is off.
The liver plays a huge role in hormone balance. When it struggles to break down estrogen, testosterone, cortisol, and thyroid hormones, you can get symptoms that seem “mysterious.” For men, this can mean gynecomastia (manboobs), a plumper body shape, low libido, and difficulty building muscle. For women, it can mean heavy periods, PMS, irregular cycles, or perimenopause that feels like a roller coaster.
Because of this hormone angle, a sluggish liver often makes weight loss extremely difficult. You can be eating less and exercising more but still feel “puffy,” especially around the belly, chest, and hips. If the liver can’t properly process fats and hormones, the body tends to store more fat as a protective mechanism.
Mood and mental health are quietly connected to liver function too. Many people with liver malfunction report anxiety, irritability, mood swings, and brain fog that comes and goes. When detox pathways are backed up, toxins and inflammatory chemicals circulate longer, which can affect neurotransmitters and how “clear” or calm you feel.
Now, let’s talk about what causes a fatty liver, because this is one of the most common modern liver problems. A “fatty liver” means fat has built up inside liver cells. In the early stages this is often reversible, but it can progress to inflammation and eventually cirrhosis if ignored.
The biggest drivers of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are: high sugar and refined carb intake (soda, sweets, white bread, pastries), excess calories, insulin resistance, being overweight (especially around the waist), lack of exercise, and frequent intake of processed foods and refined seed oils. Even if you don’t drink much alcohol, this pattern can quietly load your liver with fat and easting healthy oils (cold pressed) is much better.
Refined cooking oils in the supermarket are dead foods. That means very low in nutrition and hard for the body to process. Many years ago, I stopped using these types of oils and I did notice a difference in digestion.
These heavily processed oils are also used in many packaged foods for taste and shelf life.
I worked in an edible oil refinery for a while many years ago and it should be called inedible oil. Refined at very high temperatures using caustic acid, hydrochloric acid and sulphuric acid, traces of these acids remain in the oil, so it goes into your body.
Also, using high heat to process the oil destroys all of the nutrients.
It's no wonder these oils are suspected to be a cause of colon cancer, one of the most common cancers of the industrialized countries. They really are dead food and these oils are likely one of the major culprits in causing symptoms of liver damage.
Alcoholic fatty liver is driven by regular alcohol use, especially binge drinking or daily drinking over long periods. Alcohol is a direct liver toxin; your liver has to prioritize clearing it before it can handle other tasks. Over time, even “moderate” drinking can contribute, especially when combined with sugar, medications, or chemical exposure.
Other causes of liver stress and damage include: long-term use of certain medications, exposure to industrial chemicals or solvents, pesticides, mold toxins, chronic viral infections like hepatitis, and even constant high stress (which alters blood flow and hormone patterns). In my own case, significant chemical exposure led to crushing fatigue, flashes of pain under my right ribs, brain fog, and wild mood swings.
In the beginning I didn’t connect my symptoms to my liver. I just knew I didn’t feel like myself: no energy, poor sleep, weird reactions to certain foods, and a vague sense that my body was “toxic.” Medical lab tests weren’t dramatic, so I was told everything was fine. But I knew it wasn’t. That’s what pushed me toward learning about natural liver support.
Over time, by shifting my diet, minimizing further chemical exposure, and using specific supplements for liver health, I noticed clear changes: clearer thinking, better mood, more steady energy, muscles that weren't so sore and a big reduction in that right-side pain. It wasn’t overnight; it was a gradual “coming back to life” as my liver became less burdened and I discovered more things affecting my liver.
Before jumping into remedies, it’s important to remember: some symtoms of liver damage the liver overlap with many other conditions. Severe pain, sudden jaundice, vomiting blood, black tarry stools, confusion, or rapidly worsening swelling in the legs or belly are serious warning signs. Those absolutely require immediate medical evaluation, not just home remedies or a liver cleanse.
And cirrhosis of the liver is what you want to avoid at all costs. This is when healthy liver tissue is replaced with scar tissue, making it hard for the organ to do its job. Symptoms can include fluid buildup in the abdomen (ascites), easy bleeding, confusion (hepatic encephalopathy), muscle wasting, and severe fatigue. Once cirrhosis is advanced, damage is harder to reverse, which is why catching earlier stages is so important.
Researchers say you can function with a liver working at 10% of capacity but of course you won't feel great at that point either. But that also explains why some with cirrhosis of the liver can still function after they quit alcohol or whatever caused their problem.
Now let’s talk about gentle, natural ways to help the liver heal. Your liver has a remarkable ability to regenerate if you remove the causes of liver problems and give it the support it needs. The foundation is always lifestyle: what you eat, what you drink, what you breathe, and what you put on your skin.
Start with food. Emphasize whole, unprocessed foods: plenty of non-starchy vegetables (especially bitter greens like arugula, dandelion, kale), moderate fruit (berries, citrus), clean proteins (wild fish, pastured eggs, grass-fed meats, legumes if tolerated), and healthy fats (olive oil, avocado, coconut, small amounts of nuts and seeds). These foods give your liver the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants it needs to do its detox work.
At the same time, reduce what’s hardest on the liver: alcohol, sugary drinks, sweets, white flour, deep-fried foods, processed meats, artificial sweeteners, and heavily processed snacks. Many people don’t realize that common food ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup, industrial seed oils (soy, corn, canola, cottonseed), and artificial colors/flavors can slowly stress the liver over time.
Also be cautious with ultra-processed “diet” products. They may be low in calories but can be full of chemicals your liver has to process. Simplifying your ingredient list—eating food your great-grandparents would recognize—is one of the easiest, most powerful “liver cleanses” you can do daily.
Hydration is another simple but underrated tool. Your liver dumps water-soluble toxins into the bile and bloodstream for removal by the kidneys and gut. If you’re dehydrated, that elimination process slows. Aim for regular sips of clean water throughout the day, and consider adding a pinch of mineral-rich salt or a squeeze of lemon for extra support.
When people ask about “liver cleanses,” I usually suggest thinking less about extreme fasts or harsh purge protocols and more about a consistent, gentle cleanse lifestyle, with the right supplements.
Short periods of lighter eating (like a day of mostly vegetables, broths, and simple proteins) can help, but the real magic is in daily habits: clean food, clean water, clean air, movement, and regular bowel movements so toxins don’t get reabsorbed.
In most cases, improper diet is the single biggest cause of liver problems, although in my case, chemicals played a huge role.
There are several time-tested herbs and nutrients that support liver function. Some of the most commonly used include: milk thistle (silymarin), dandelion root, artichoke leaf, turmeric (curcumin), schisandra, and N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), which helps the body make glutathione, a master antioxidant inside liver cells. These are core ingredients in many supplements for liver health.
In my own healing, I had to add a couple other things for more improvement. A couple things not very well known and used yet, although that change will likely come someday.
Even though liver remedies are natural, it’s important to be aware that as your liver starts to process and dump stored toxins, you might feel a bit worse before you feel better. Mild negative side effects can include temporary headaches, fogginess, skin breakouts, slightly looser stools, or feeling “flu-ish” for a few days. This often means your body is moving toxins from storage into the bloodstream for elimination.
To handle this detox wave more comfortably, go slowly with new supplements, increase fiber (vegetables, ground flax, chia, or a gentle fiber blend), drink more water, and keep bowels moving daily. Gentle sweating through walking, light exercise, or sauna (if tolerated) can also help your body clear what the liver is releasing.
Movement itself is liver medicine. Regular walking, stretching, and light strength training improve circulation and insulin sensitivity, encourage better bile flow, and help move lymph, which carries waste products. You don’t have to do intense workouts; consistency and gentle circulation are what count here.
Sleep is another huge piece that people underestimate. The liver does a lot of its maintenance and detox tasks while you sleep, especially in the early night hours. Getting to bed at a reasonable time, minimizing late-night eating, and creating a dark, quiet sleep environment gives your liver more opportunity to repair.
Managing chemical exposure can make a big difference, especially if you suspect chemical-related liver issues like I had. That can mean using natural cleaning products, avoiding synthetic fragrances, reducing pesticide exposure by washing produce and choosing organic when possible, and checking personal-care products for unnecessary chemicals. Every little reduction lowers your liver’s workload.
Because the liver is so involved in hormone regulation and brain chemistry, supporting it can have powerful emotional effects. Many people notice that as their liver function improves, they feel more even-keeled, less anxious, less irritable, and more mentally clear. It’s not magic; it’s just your body finally able to process hormones and toxins the way it’s meant to.
If you’re dealing with long-standing symptoms—fatigue, stubborn weight, gynecomastia, mood swings, digestive issues—it’s very possible your liver is part of the story. By focusing on food quality, reducing dietary and chemical stressors, using gentle herbal and nutritional support, and respecting your body’s need for rest and movement, you really can end aggravating symptoms and improve your life physically, mentally and emotionally.
It’s also completely okay to blend approaches: working with a medical doctor to monitor labs and rule out serious disease, while also working with a naturopath or functional practitioner on diet and natural support. Your lived experience matters; if you feel something is off, even when standard tests look “fine,” keep advocating for yourself and listening to your body’s signals.
The liver is incredibly forgiving when given the chance. Paying attention to early symtoms of liver damage the liver, understanding what causes a fatty liver, and using thoughtful, natural strategies and supplements for liver health can help you not only prevent serious disease, but also reclaim your energy, mood, and clarity. You don’t have to fix everything overnight—start with one or two changes, give your body time, and let your liver show you what it can do.