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Herbal medicines for liver diseases
Radha K Dhiman1, Yogesh K Chawla
1Department of Hepatology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, 160012, India. rkpsdhiman@hotmail.com
Digestive Diseases and Sciences
|September 28, 2005
Summary
This review examines herbal medicines for liver disease. While some show promise for specific markers, robust clinical trials are lacking to confirm efficacy and safety for major outcomes like cirrhosis or cancer.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology
- Integrative Medicine
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Herbal medicines have a long history in treating liver diseases.
- Several herbal preparations are commercially available for liver support.
- Evidence for their clinical efficacy often lacks rigorous scientific validation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the efficacy and safety of four commonly used herbal preparations for liver diseases.
- To identify gaps in current research regarding herbal medicine for liver conditions.
- To emphasize the need for high-quality clinical trials.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of herbal preparations: Phyllanthus, Silybum marianum (milk thistle), glycyrrhizin (licorice root extract), and Liv 52.
- Analysis of existing clinical trial data, including randomized controlled trials where available.
- Assessment of reported effects on liver markers, disease progression, and patient outcomes.
Main Results:
- Phyllanthus may aid in clearing HBV markers with no major adverse effects, but lacks data on major clinical outcomes.
- Silymarin (milk thistle) shows no mortality benefit or improvement in liver biochemistry/histology but is safe.
- Stronger neominophagen C (SNMC) improves mortality in subacute liver failure and liver function in various chronic liver conditions, but not mortality in active cirrhosis. It may potentially prevent hepatocellular carcinoma in chronic hepatitis C, pending further data.
- Liv 52 is not effective for alcohol-induced liver disease.
Conclusions:
- Current evidence for many herbal medicines in liver disease is limited by poor methodological quality of studies.
- Standardization of herbal products remains a significant challenge.
- Larger, rigorous, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter trials are essential to establish the true efficacy and safety of these herbal preparations.