“Detox” is slapped on the labels of a slew of wellness products, but usually the term is nothing more than marketing speak. Most juice “cleanses” or “flat tummy teas” will not help you “detox” your body. The daily wellness shot Dose for Your Liver, however, purports to support your body’s natural detox system.
Quick refresher: The liver’s function is to filter harmful substances from your bloodstream. Dose is made with ingredients that are meant to support your liver function, thereby helping your energy levels and digestion.
Can Dose really do what it claims? I spoke to a registered dietitian about the formula and tried it myself for two weeks to see if it impacted how I felt—and, of course, to see if the taste is appetizing enough to sip every day.
An expert’s take on the ingredients in Dose
Dose’s hero ingredient is curcumin (the main active compound in turmeric), which research shows may support liver function by reducing ALT, one of the enzymes that’s used as a marker for liver health, says registered dietitian Jessica Brantley-Lopez.
Milk thistle, ginger, and dandelion round out the recipe. Milk thistle has been used by herbalists to treat liver disease since ancient times, but today there’s not enough clinical research to prove its efficacy in this realm. However, the studies that do exist are encouraging: “There’s evidence that milk thistle protects liver health through several possible mechanisms,” such as acting as an antioxidant and lowering inflammation in the body, Brantley-Lopez says.
Ginger, meanwhile, has shown promise in reducing certain liver enzymes and inflammatory markers in the body. “Liver enzymes are proteins responsible for the proper digestion of food, a healthy metabolism, and removal of toxins from the bloodstream,” Brantley-Lopez says, adding that higher liver enzyme numbers point to inflammation and liver damage. Preclinical studies suggest dandelion also has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties to the table, though more research is needed, Brantley-Lopez says.
Dose commissioned its own small study of 30 people with liver disease to explore the supplement’s impact on people who take it regularly. Participants saw a significant decrease in the levels of the two main liver enzymes that are used to gauge liver health (ALT and AST) after eight weeks. While Dose’s study seems to indicate that the tonic is able to benefit your health, more research needs to be done by independent scientists before drawing conclusions about the product’s efficacy, Brantley-Lopez says.
My experience with Dose
You can buy Dose for Your Liver as a 24-pack of two-ounce, single-serve shots or in 16-ounce bottles. Opt for the bottles, and the brand sends you a stainless steel shot glass to portion your, well, dose.
