No, mixture of parsley, lemon and cucumber won’t clean the liver or ‘make it new’

A message posted on a Facebook page in Nigeria claims a mixture of parsley, lemon and cucumber can clean the liver.

“Get a new liver,” it says, adding that “this drink will clean your liver and make it new”. 

It lists how the mixture should be made and taken: “Blend all together and drink on an empty stomach in the morning and evening for one month. Do it twice a day for one month. Break for two weeks. Do it for another month.”

The liver is the largest gland in the body. It produces bile and removes waste products from the body, as well as regulates blood volume and eliminates old red blood cells.

We checked if there was any science behind this folk remedy.

‘No scientific evidence’

Abraham Orkurga Malu, professor of internal medicine at the University of Jos and a consultant physician to the Jos University Teaching Hospital in central Nigeria, told Africa Check there was no scientific evidence for the claim. 

“Such a claim should be ignored,” he said. “People should be mindful of mixtures they consume. These mixtures do more harm than good to the body.”

Malu said a better way to care for the liver was to eat a healthy diet and maintain an average weight.

Africa Check has debunked similar posts claiming certain mixtures can purge the liver of toxins and fat. 

But liver “detoxification” is considered a myth. There is no evidence to support it.