Phase II conjugation — the step that actually clears things
One of 4 mechanistic pathways to 🧪 Detox & liver support · 15 options
Glucuronidation, sulfation, glutathione conjugation, acetylation and methylation. This is where things become water-soluble and excretable. It is also the rate-limiting step for most people, which makes it the right place to start rather than finish.
Conjugation runs on amino acids, methyl groups and minerals. Homocysteine is the functional read on whether the methylation arm is working — upregulating Phase I with Phase II short produces more reactive intermediates than you started with.
Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP)HomocysteineFolate, RBCVitamin B12MTHFR, DNA AnalysisSelenium, BloodZinc, RBC🥬 Full Micronutrient Screen covers these in one panel →
What engages this pathway
Ordered by how directly each one acts on the mechanism above — never by how much trial evidence exists. Each links to its full breakdown with dosing, half-life and vendor.
🧬 Sulforaphane (Crucera-SGS)
The most potent natural Nrf2 activator known. Upregulates a whole battery of Phase II enzymes at once — glutathione S-transferase, NQO1, heme oxygenase-1. Human trials show accelerated excretion of benzene and acrolein metabolites, which is about as direct a demonstration as this field offers.
🧬 NAC
Rate-limiting precursor for glutathione, the master conjugating molecule. It is the hospital antidote for paracetamol overdose precisely because it restores hepatic glutathione.
🧬 Glutathione
Direct oral glutathione has poor bioavailability; liposomal and sublingual do better. NAC is usually more efficient per pound.
💉 Glutathione
Injectable or IV bypasses absorption entirely.
🧬 L-Cysteine
The other rate-limiting glutathione precursor.
🧬 Glycine
The third glutathione amino acid, and the one most often short — glutathione is glutamate, cysteine and glycine, and supplementing only NAC leaves you building it with two of three.
🧬 Calcium D-Glucarate
Inhibits gut beta-glucuronidase so glucuronidated compounds stay conjugated and leave. Supports the elimination end of glucuronidation specifically.
🧬 Methylation Support
Methylation is a Phase II route and it requires folate, B12, B6 and TMG together.
🧬 Methylfolate (5-MTHF)
The active folate that feeds the methyl cycle. Methylation is a genuine phase-II conjugation route, and it stalls quietly when folate is short.
🧬 Methylcobalamin (B12)
B12 for methionine synthase; without it the cycle stalls.
🧬 Betaine Anhydrous (TMG)
TMG provides an alternative methyl route independent of folate.
🧬 Molybdenum
Cofactor for sulfite oxidase and aldehyde oxidase — required to clear sulfites and acetaldehyde.
🧬 Taurine
Conjugates bile acids, which is how many toxins physically leave via bile.
🧬 Selenium
Cofactor for glutathione peroxidase — the enzyme that uses glutathione to neutralise peroxides.
🧬 Magnesium
Cofactor for COMT and for numerous conjugation enzymes.
The other 3 routes to detox & liver support
Pick the pathway that matches where you are actually stuck. An appetite drug does nothing for someone who already undereats.
Want the protocols behind these?
Dosing schedules, stacking, cycle timing and Coach Cam's notes live inside the Academy — plus the full interactive Vault.
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Frequently asked questions
Glucuronidation, sulfation, glutathione conjugation, acetylation and methylation. This is where things become water-soluble and excretable. It is also the rate-limiting step for most people, which makes it the right place to start rather than finish.
15 options are mapped to this pathway in the Vault, including Sulforaphane (Crucera-SGS), NAC, Glutathione, Glutathione. They are grouped by the mechanism they act through rather than ranked by how much trial evidence exists — 12 carry clinical validation and 2 are mechanistic predictions.
Conjugation runs on amino acids, methyl groups and minerals. Homocysteine is the functional read on whether the methylation arm is working — upregulating Phase I with Phase II short produces more reactive intermediates than you started with. The markers worth checking are Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP), Homocysteine, Folate, RBC, Vitamin B12.
Unproven is not the same as ineffective. Of the 15 options on this pathway, 12 have clinical validation and 2 are graded theoretical — meaning the mechanism is sound but the specific human trial has not been run, which is true of a great deal of what works in this space. Nothing on this page is ordered by evidence tier, because sorting by trial count would bury the compounds you came looking for.