Your liver has many important jobs. One job is to act as a "filter" for your body. The liver filters or detoxifies the blood.

Almost all the blood in your body passes through the liver. As blood passes through the liver, it breaks down substances, such as prescription or over-the-counter drugs, street drugs, alcohol, and caffeine.

Our bodies naturally produce some harmful (toxic) chemicals or poisons, and those are also broken down by the liver. In this way the liver acts as a filter to clean your blood.

Scroll over image to see an animation of the liver breaking down toxins.