• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer
The Healthy Home Economist

The Healthy Home Economist

embrace your right to a lifetime of health

Get Plus
  • Home
  • About
  • My Books
  • Shopping List
  • Archives
  • Log in
  • Get Plus
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Get Plus
  • Log in
  • Home
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Archives
  • My Books
  • Shopping List
  • Recipes
  • Healthy Living
  • Natural Remedies
  • Green Living
  • Videos
  • Natural Remedies
  • Health
  • Green Living
  • Recipes
  • Videos
  • Subscribe
Healthy Home Economist / Archives / Sacred Foods / Choosing the Best Desiccated Liver Supplement

Choosing the Best Desiccated Liver Supplement

by Sarah Pope / Affiliate Links ✔

Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
  • What is Desiccated Liver?
  • Desiccated Liver Nutrition
  • Ways to Use Liver Pills and Powder
  • Not All Freeze-Dried Organ Meats are Safe
  • What to Look for in a Beef Liver Supplement
  • Optimal Processing of Desiccated Liver+−
    • Bottling
  • What Type to Choose?
  • How to Use

These 9 characteristics of the best quality desiccated liver are important whether buying powder, liver pills, capsules, or tablets. An organic freeze-dried beef liver superfood supplement is especially important when traveling or for picky eaters.desiccated liver capsules and powder on a white plate

If you’ve spent even a minimal amount of time studying how healthy traditional cultures ate, you’ve no doubt realized that nose to tail eating is a prominent and very important – if not crucial – characteristic. This means that historical people groups consumed not only the muscle meats from animals, but also the organs, skin, and bones (as long-simmered bone broth).

Unfortunately, those who follow an ancestral diet sometimes gloss over this important aspect. Over time, it can lead to nutritional imbalances such as glycine deficiency especially for the 40% of the population with the MTHFR genetic mutation. (1, 2).

Perhaps organs are avoided because our modern society considers them to be unpalatable. And skin contains, gasp, FAT!

Or, perhaps it’s just that finding good quality organs that are safe to consume is no easy task in many parts of the world. Even in the United States, finding organic grass-fed liver can be quite a challenge in some places.

For example, in the weeks leading up to the 2012 London Olympics, the UK Anti-Doping Association warned athletes not to consume liver due to the potential risk of failing drug tests from the clenbuterol used in the conventional meat industry. Industrialized farms sometimes illegally add this drug to animal feed to increase the leanness and protein content of meat.

Yet another reason to buy from small grass-fed farms, right?

If these challenges describe your obstacles in consuming organs on a regular basis, I would suggest that you consider pure desiccated liver. This whole food supplement is very important for maintaining health especially if you travel a lot. If you question that, consider how many restaurants you’ve ever visited that have organ meats on the menu. I can think of three in my community, but they are certainly few and far between!

Desiccated liver is also the ace in your back pocket with picky eaters who might squirm at the sight of organic beef liver or chicken paté on their dinner plates!

What is Desiccated Liver?

If you are wondering what desiccated liver actually is, let me fill you in.

Liver from pastured cattle naturally contains more nutrients, gram for gram, than any other food. Believe it or not, this meat is the world’s #1 superfood. No plant food comes close to matching its nutritional profile including popular algae supplements like spirulina powder.

When liver is desiccated, this means that it is dried thoroughly with all of the water removed. Then, supplement companies powderize the liver. Consumers may buy the powder as is or as liver capsules. Some companies may mix the dried liver with other nutrients and additives and press into tablets.

How much of the nutrition is retained in these liver pills depends greatly on the quality of the raw materials as well as the processing. Much more on this below!

Desiccated Liver Nutrition

When the organs for making desiccated liver is sourced from healthy, grass-fed cows, it contains a wide spectrum of vitamins, minerals, proteins, and fat.

It is particularly rich in the key nutrients that promote brain health. These include the essential fatty acids EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), and AA (arachidonic acid), as well as vitamin B12. (3)  Other nutrients include:

  • An excellent source of high-quality protein
  • One of nature’s most concentrated sources of vitamin A (plant foods contain carotenes, which are not true Vitamin A)
  • All the natural B vitamins in abundance
  • A highly usable form of iron
  • Trace elements such as copper, zinc, and chromium; liver is our best source of copper
  • CoQ10, a nutrient that is especially important for cardiovascular function
  • A good source of purines, nitrogen-containing compounds that serve as precursors for DNA and RNA. Note: those susceptible to gout might need to proceed cautiously here.

Ways to Use Liver Pills and Powder

For individuals who do not appreciate the taste and texture of liver, dried or desiccated liver can provide an effective way to obtain all of the legendary health and nutritional benefits that this superfood has to offer.

Desiccated liver is available in capsule form so that it can be taken with a glass of water as part of your regular morning routine. It is best taken with a meal because it is food!

Alternatively, desiccated liver powder can be added into your favorite chili recipe or kneaded into grassfed burgers before tossing them on the grill. Incorporating into soups, gravies, broths, stews, and smoothies is another easy way to enjoy its benefits.

Not All Freeze-Dried Organ Meats are Safe

In the past few years, there has been a growing number of individuals and companies taking an interest in traditional superfoods like liver. As the health benefits of a nutrient-dense diet become more widely acknowledged, more and more people are reconsidering the importance of organ meats in the diet.

Overall this movement is highly beneficial for individuals, farmers and the environment.

Unfortunately, certain producers of desiccated liver supplements refine, fortify, or concentrate their products in a way that artificially inflates nutrient values, bulks up protein content, or reduces fat.

Desiccated liver can, therefore, be denatured, defatted, and processed, even when from grass-fed cows! In my opinion, this isn’t “real” desiccated beef liver. Watch out and know your source!

What to Look for in a Beef Liver Supplement

If you are looking for a desiccated beef liver supplement to enhance your family’s traditional diet, look for these 9 characteristics.

  1. Grass-Fed and tested free of glyphosate residues (aka Roundup)
  2. BSE-free
  3. No Hormones
  4. Tested free of chemical and heavy metal residues (cows graze on unsprayed pasture)
  5. Antibiotic-free
  6. Un-defatted (nothing removed)
  7. Minimally processed and free of excessive heat, solvents, deodorizers, bleach, and refining
  8. No supplemental iron
  9. The use of only clean, whole-food ingredients

Optimal Processing of Desiccated Liver

When needed, I supplement my dietary intake of liver with one of these desiccated beef liver varieties. My children take it every single day.

Another excellent brand that is clean and tested by a third party to be free of toxins including glyphosate residue is this excellent brand of desiccated liver. The company also offers bulk discounts, which keeps the price very reasonable.

My oldest takes this all-important supplement at college. It is one of the key reasons why he has avoided the flu and other major bugs going around. Except for a minor cold here and there, he has remained well despite eating cafeteria food for most meals.

Radiant Life takes great care that the beef livers used to make their products are shipped directly from farms to the cleanest facilities possible where they undergo stringent and proactive food safety testing.

Each batch of liver is also tested for heavy metals and Roundup residue. The livers are then delicately processed without heat to preserve the integrity of the organs with no synthetic nutrients or other excipients ever added.

Bottling

Radiant life is careful to test the liver powder again before bottling takes place in recyclable containers. While some companies opt to add ‘flow agents’ like magnesium stearate and/or other chemicals that keep bottling equipment running smoothly, Radiant Life uses specialty bottlers who use no chemicals during packaging. Because only clean, whole food ingredients are used, the supplements achieve maximum absorption and are truly hypoallergenic.

What Type to Choose?

Radiant Life offers three different dried liver products to provide customers with as much choice as possible.

The Original is sourced from Argentina, the Silver is from New Zealand and the Gold is from the USA.

Radiant Life offers multiple types of dried liver for several reasons:

  • Different price points expand the number of people able to afford this important supplement. The costs of raising cattle vary considerably in different areas of the globe.
  • Supporting small farmers in a particular country or region. Some people prefer to choose the source most local to where they live.
  • Maintaining a consistent supply to customers, as working with small farms can be unpredictable at times.

I’ve used all three varieties over the years, and they are excellent! The picture above shows a teaspoon of the original desiccated liver powder next to the corresponding amount of capsules from New Zealand (Silver). 6 capsules or one teaspoon of the powder roughly equates to an ounce of fresh liver.

I mix the powder into soups and other cooked dishes, and we use the capsules for travel.

How to Use

Since the nutritional content of the desiccated liver is going to vary slightly based on the location, I suggest you rotate and try all three. If budget is an important consideration, stick with the original either from Radiant Life or Perfect Supplements which are the best value per serving.

The video below offers suggestions on how to best incorporate freeze-dried liver into your family’s menu.

I hope this summary of how and why to use desiccated liver in the diet is important and what to look for to source the best quality as larger and potentially less careful supplement companies jump on the liver bandwagon.

dosage of desiccated liver on a plate

FacebookPinEmailPrint
Category: Sacred Foods
Sarah Pope

Sarah Pope MGA has been a Health and Nutrition Educator since 2002. She is a summa cum laude graduate in Economics from Furman University and holds a Master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

She is the author of three books: Amazon #1 bestseller Get Your Fats Straight, Traditional Remedies for Modern Families, and Living Green in an Artificial World.

Her four eBooks Good Diet…Bad Diet, Real Food Fermentation, Ketonomics, and Ancestrally Inspired Dairy-Free Recipes are available for complimentary download via Healthy Home Plus.

Her mission is dedicated to helping families effectively incorporate the principles of ancestral diets within the modern household. She is a sought after lecturer around the world for conferences, summits, and podcasts.

Sarah was awarded Activist of the Year in 2010 at the International Wise Traditions Conference, subsequently serving on the Board of Directors of the nutrition nonprofit the Weston A. Price Foundation for seven years.

Her work has been covered by numerous independent and major media including USA Today, ABC, and NBC among many others.

You May Also Like

home rendered beef tallow in glass jars

How to Render Beef Tallow (easy and traditional method)

Butter Oil vs Ghee. Is One Better than the Other?

Butter Oil vs Ghee. Is One Better than the Other?

mussels recipe

Mussels and Sausage in White Wine, Garlic and Parsley

neutral taste coconut ghee in glass jar flower background

Homemade Coconut Ghee (neutral taste)

Why Gouda is the Most Nutritious Cheese

natto fried rice, natto recipes

Natto Fried Rice: Nutrient Dense Meal on the Cheap

Going to the Doctor a Little Too Often?

Get a free chapter of my book Traditional Remedies for Modern Families + my newsletter and learn how to put Nature’s best remedies to work for you today!

We send no more than one email per week. You will never be spammed or your email sold, ever.
Loading

Reader Interactions

Comments (46)

  1. Sally

    Nov 24, 2023 at 6:14 pm

    Does your college-age son take the full recommended daily dose of 6 capsules? Asking because I want to know how much to give my two older teen sons. Also, is this how many I should be taking as a 50-something-year-old post-menopausal female (who rarely eats liver)? Thanks!

    Reply
  2. Tulio

    Jun 20, 2022 at 9:53 pm

    Hi,
    What do you think about NOW Foods, Argentine Beef Liver. It’s non-deffated, low heat, hormone free.
    I know it’s not the best option, but I’m on a budget and it’s way more affordable than the bests options

    Reply
    • Sarah Pope

      Jun 25, 2022 at 10:02 am

      I don’t recommend it as it has not been tested for glyphosate residue.

  3. Bridgette

    Jun 5, 2022 at 8:03 pm

    Can you give this to a four month old? and if so how much to sprinkle on food or put in bottle?

    Reply
    • Sarah Pope

      Jun 5, 2022 at 8:29 pm

      This is not age appropriate food. You can give a baby cod liver oil from 3 months. Here’s more on this. https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/should-babies-get-cod-liver-oil/

  4. CME

    Apr 27, 2022 at 12:01 pm

    Would you recommend this supplement during pregnancy? I’m in my second trimester and have been struggling with iron deficiency induced fatigue. I now take a whole food iron supplement as well as a prenatal. I just finished a round of IV iron infusions but hope to maintain my levels through food and natural supplements, so this article caught my attention.

    Reply
    • Sarah Pope

      Apr 27, 2022 at 12:27 pm

      I took it during my 3 pregnancies. Here’s is a recommended pregnancy diet by the WAPF https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/best-pregnancy-diet/

  5. Tammi

    Mar 17, 2022 at 9:48 am

    Could this be substituted as a multivitamin?

    Reply
    • Sarah Pope

      Mar 17, 2022 at 10:36 am

      Not in my view. Desiccated liver is great for the B vitamins and Vitamin A, but not others like K2 or Vitamin D.

  6. CDT

    Dec 11, 2021 at 12:44 pm

    I wish Weston a price would not encourage bone broth without a disclaimer… sick people with bad guts need meat stock not bone broth .. Dr Natasha c McBride ( gaps) makes this clear because bone broth is one molecule off from msg and it can be neuro toxic, cause migraines etc… I have never seen them clarify this .. maybe they have ??

    Reply
    • Sarah Pope MGA

      Dec 12, 2021 at 10:42 am

      I don’t know if the WAPF distinguishes … I haven’t seen a specific article on this on that site.

      My husband cannot tolerate bone broth and only consumes meat stock, so I definitely know what you are referring to.

  7. April Reeves

    Feb 8, 2020 at 1:04 pm

    Thank you for this article!
    I’m beginning to realize that Radiant Life is a go-to resource for excellent products! Are you familiar with Ancestral Supplements Beef Liver? I have heard good things about this brand.

    Reply
    • Sarah Pope MGA

      Feb 8, 2020 at 4:37 pm

      They don’t have an independent third party test and certify their products glyphosate free, so I don’t even consider them.

  8. William Martin Cooper

    Jan 11, 2020 at 12:46 am

    For those looking for a Calcium Minerizer supplement with the MK-7 type of vitamin K2 in it (which must be pesent for correct calcium distribution into bones and teeth, BioSil makes the absolute best. Their product comes in every daily dose, 23% of your required calcium,. Also a nice stack to make it all work correctly; such as, magnesium, D3, K2, etc.. 60% of Americans have a magnesium deficiency, so very nice they add this in. Plus, most people get enough calcium but not near enough K2/MK-7 so they don’t give a full daily dose of calcium, rather, they include both D3 and the correct kind of K2 so that calcium is reorganized in the body to the areas it belongs and removes them from places it doesn’t. Reorganizing your calcium can correct iver 300 health issues. Be blessed.

    Reply
« Older Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Sidebar

Mother Nature’s Medicine Cabinet

5 Secrets to a Strong Immune System

Loading

The Healthy Home Economist

Since 2002, Sarah has been a Health and Nutrition Educator dedicated to helping families effectively incorporate the principles of ancestral diets within the modern household. Read More

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Check Out My Books

Mother Nature’s Medicine Cabinet

5 Secrets to a Strong Immune System

Loading

Contact the Healthy Home Economist. The information on this website has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease. By accessing or using this website, you agree to abide by the Terms of Service, Full Disclaimer, Privacy Policy, Affiliate Disclosure, and Comment Policy.

Copyright © 2009–2025 · The Healthy Home Economist · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc.