The liver is the largest internal organ and is responsible for some 500 bodily functions. It processes almost everything we ingest, breathe, or absorb through the skin. It plays an important role in digestion and metabolism, regulating the production, storage, and release of sugar, fats, and cholesterol. The liver produces a variety of important proteins, including enzymes, hormones, blood proteins, clotting factors, and immune factors. Finally, the liver plays a role in detoxification. It filters infectious organisms, alcohol, heavy metals, drugs, and other poisons from the blood, also processes and eliminates toxic byproducts of normal metabolism.