Health Discoveries

Liver ~ Mysterious Anti-Fatigue & Protective Factors

Several of the scientific studies by Dr Benjamin Ershoff, PhD, I am going to list here because of their significance in the arena of human health, above and beyond what would be considered normal.  He took three groups of rats and fed them different diets as listed below.

1. Basic Diet fortified with 11 vitamins
2. Diet Number One with additional supply of Vitamin B Complex
3. Diet Number One with additional 10% of rations as Powdered Liver

 Rats on these diets were tested in several areas.

• Stress and Strength and Endurance
• Toxic Poisons
• X-Irradiation

 Stress

After a period of 12 weeks on their respective diets, the three groups of rats were put into separate tubs of water from which they could not get out.  The time was recorded to see how long they could swim and endure until they drowned.  The first group of rats on the standard fortified diet lasted 13.3 minutes.  The second group of rats with the additional supply of Vitamin B Complex didn’t do much better, lasting only 13.4 minutes.  The third group of rats that had their diet supplemented with the powdered liver showed a striking difference.  One of these rats swam for 63 minutes, one for 83 minutes, one for 87 minutes, and the other nine were swimming so vigorously at two hours they were just taken out of the water and the experiment terminated.

Toxic Poisons

The scientific data here goes far beyond just the research of Dr. Ershoff.  Liver supplementation has been shown to counteract the harmful effects of massive or toxic doses of the following...  

     strychnine  (Battelli)
     sulfanilamide  (Chamelin and Funk)
     promin  (Higgins; Ershoff and McWilliams)
     atabrine  (Ershoff)
     dinitrophenol (Ershoff)
     diethylstilbestrol (Chamelin and Funk)
     alphaestradiol (Ershoff and McWilliams)
     desiccated thyroid (Ershoff; Betheil)
     thyroxin, thyroglobulin, iodinated casein (Ershoff and McWilliams)
     cortisone acetate (Ershoff)

These powerful results are quite extensive and details can be found from
http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/reprint/47/2/289.pdf   

X-Irradiation

All three diet groups were subjected to both a lethal dose of x-irradiation and to sub-lethal doses of x-irradiation.  With the lethal dose of x-irradiation all three diet groups showed the same results.  There was no difference in the number or percentage which died and there was no difference in the length of survival.  However, with the multiple sub-lethal doses if x-irradiation, there were differences in both the survival rates of adult rats and immature rats, and differences in all the diet groups.

     Adult Rats
        Basic Diet         40% survived
        Added B Complex     20% survived
        Added Liver         80% survived
     Immature Rats
        Basic Diet            00% survived
        Added B Complex     10% survived
        Added Liver         30% survived

Clive Comments...

The liver is a super important organ in the body, which contributes to it’s being a superfood as seen in the research above.  In the human body it is the largest internal organ and the largest gland.  I will not go into the myriad of functions here, but suffice it to say that it is a vital organ and one cannot live without it.  In fact, it is so vital that, according to Wikipedia...  “The liver is the only internal human organ capable of natural regeneration of lost tissue; as little as 25% of a liver can regenerate into a whole liver. A human liver is known to grow back in no less than 8 years, due to hyptochronatin cells in the remaining liver.”  Because of the importance of the liver in the human body, people for thousands of years have been sought to protect and support it’s health and function through natural means such as the herb Milk Thistle (silymarin) and techniques such as the Liver - Gall Bladder Flush.

As a superfood, liver also appears to excel.  This can clearly be seen from the above research of Dr. Benjamin Ershoff and others.  Liver supplementation has been used in the ancient and recent past by weight lifters and body builders.  I would not be surprised if triathlon and endurance athletes re-discover this powerful superfood from the past. The ability of liver supplementation to assist in a healthy lifestyle is highly needed today, especially with the increased toxins in the foods we eat and the air we breathe, and the radiation we get from all sources, whether gamma radiation from the cosmos or man made radiation from cell phones, radios, television, high voltage power lines, etc.  And who can’t use more energy?  We are so worn down from the increased stresses in today’s environment plus not giving our body what it needs for optimum performance, that energy is now a $9 billion industry and growing rapidly.  

Liver has been shown without question to be a superfood of great value.  Take to heart the words of Hippocrates in 400 BC...  “Let your food be your medicine, and let your medicine be your food.”   Good health is a choice.  Bad health is a choice.  Fate is a misconception.  And you are the only one who determines your destiny.  When the going gets tough, the tough get going.  Losers make excuses.  Winners find solutions.  

Wishing You the Best of Health & Wealth,

Clive Linsenbardt