Hiya Geno!

How much we taste our foods depends on saliva and the health of our tongue, which is dependent on the digestive system as a whole. So yes, the liver would be part of that equation. Tongue diagnoses is part of Ayurvedic medicine, you can tell a lot about what's going on with a person by the clues the tongue, lips, face, reveal, if you know what to look for.

I think all our nerves/senses get dull when we're congested. It's like, when you first go into a flower shop, you smell the flowers. But after about 15 minutes, your sinuses are over-stimulated and congested and so you can't smell a thing. I think the same thing would happen to the taste buds too.

There's also a link beween taste and Vitamin A deficiency, and Vit A is metabolized in the liver. People lacking Vit A are often anorexic because they lose appetite due to food having no flavor. Are you getting enough good oils in your diet? You need about 3 tablespoons of olive oil a day if you're a 200 pound man! :)

The lack of saliva is aided by drinking plenty of water in between meals, taking in good Sea Salt not just table salt .

Hope that helps! :)