Cautiously using natural medicine to treat liver problems

Abstract

Natural medicine is a system of therapy that administrates natural agents and their derivatives to treat human diseases. This medicine has been used to treat many kinds of human diseases for thousands of years. The treatment protocols of natural medicine are integrative in nature, and are required to utilize the most appropriate therapies to address the needs of the individual patient. Because of the relative convenience, safety and efficacy, natural medicine is now increasing worldwide. Naturopathic doctors are licensed in many areas of the world and regulated partly by law in these areas, which is quite different from various other forms of complementary and alternative medicine. Liver diseases, such as hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and liver carcinoma, are serious health problems worldwide. Nearly half of the natural agents used in treatment of liver diseases today are natural products and their derivatives. Although natural medicine is beneficial and safe, physicians should pay close attention to the potential side-effects of the naturopathic agents, which lead to liver injury, interstitial pneumonia and acute respiratory failure. Therefore, when administrating naturopathic protocols to patients for the treatment of liver diseases, we should try our best to prevent and avoid as much as possible the negative impact of these medicines. This article highlights the current practice and recommended improvement of natural medicines in the treatment of liver diseases and gives some specific examples to emphasize the prevention and management of adverse reactions of the natural agents and suggests that natural medicine should be cautiously used to treat liver problems.

Artemisiae Iwayomogii Herba Inhibits Growth, Motility, and the PI3K/AKT/mTOR Signaling Pathway in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells

“…In order to develop effective chemotherapeutic approaches in human diseases, numerous studies have focused on herbal plant with low toxicity [18][19][20][21]. Today, 50 % of natural agents used in treatment of liver diseases are natural products and their derivatives [22]. The chemical formulas of natural extracts frequently contain several active components with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and anticancer effects, which protect against liver diseases [23].…”

Defatted Tenebrio molitor Larva Fermentation Extract Modifies Steatosis, Inflammation and Intestinal Microflora in Chronic Alcohol-Fed Rats

“…After two weeks of acclimatization, the rats were divided randomly into the following six groups ( n = 10 per group): (1) Con, control liquid diet, (2) EtOH, alcohol liquid diet, (3) MWF50, alcohol liquid diet + low-dosage MWF (50 mg/kg/day), (4) MWF100, alcohol liquid diet + medium-dosage MWF (100 mg/kg/day), (5) MWF200, alcohol liquid diet + high-dosage MWF (200 mg/kg/day), (6) Sily200, alcohol liquid diet + silymarin (200 mg/kg/day; Sigma-Aldrich, Co., St. Louis, MO, USA). The silymarin is known as the milk thistle and used as a dietary supplement for liver diseases in Asia, Southern Europe, and America [ 24 ]. The alcohol-fed rats were given a Lieber-DeCarli alcohol liquid diet for eight weeks by gradually increasing the alcohol content as described previously [ 25 ].…”

Investigations of Phytoconstituents, Antioxidant and Anti-Liver Cancer Activities of Saueda monoica Forssk Extracted by Microwave-Assisted Extraction

“…One study investigated the phytoconstituents of a methanol extract of the wild plant in Saudi Arabia (Elsharabasy et al, 2019). People are suffering from liver diseases due to viruses, drugs, poisons, alcohol, cancer, and inherited diseases (Xiong and Guan, 2017). The long tradition of medicinal plants that have been used liver disease treatment could help to discover new plants with new bio-functions to prevent liver diseases and understand the mechanisms of action (Li et al, 2018).…”