Hepatotoxicity, or liver damage, is caused by hepatotoxins, which may source from chemicals, dietary supplements, pharmaceutical drugs, and medicinal plants. Notably, numerous medicinal plants are used to alleviate illness, particularly in traditional systems of medicine, such as Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine. These systems of medicine have been implemented for centuries for treating various ailments. Some medicinal plants serve as hepatoprotectors against liver damage, while others induce hepatotoxicity. Recent advances in instrumentation and knowledge of active components have allowed research scientists to study the drug metabolic pathways of these phytopharmaceuticals to establish a causal relationship between medicinal plants and their pharmacological effects on the human liver, as a hepatoprotector or a causative agent for hepatotoxicity. The human liver metabolizes substances via oxidation, reduction, hydration, hydrolysis, condensation, conjugation, or isomerization. Interruption of these processes can lead to hepatotoxicity, causing liver cancer, cirrhosis and Hepatitis C, respectively. Such diseases are responsible for higher mortality rates worldwide. The present review focuses on highlighting various plants that are hepatoprotective, hepatotoxic and the challenges faced by phytopharmaceuticals. The article also emphasizes on various agents (bioactives from medicinal plants, industrial toxins and pharmaceutical compounds) that have been reported to cause hepatotoxicity. The article proposes views and beneficial medicinal plants that can help in identification of natural hepatoprotective agents for future natural product based drug discovery.

Kava roots have been extensively studied in clinical trials as potential candidate anti-anxiety drugs. However, anti-convulsive properties of various tissues of stems of Kava have not been reported to date. The objective of the study was to evaluate the anti-convulsive potential of aqueous extracts prepared from specific tissues of Kava (Piper methysticum) stems in zebrafish, using the PTZ-induced seizure model. The potency of each extract was compared in terms of the intensity of seizure scores and onset time after pre-treating the zebrafish before the PTZ challenge. The results indicate that aqueous extract of Kava stems without peel after 45 min of pre-treatment exhibited anti-convulsive potential at the dose of 50 mg/L. This study provides evidence to the anti-convulsive properties of peeled Kava stems and its potential for investigation and design of candidate anti-convulsive drugs.