Liver Problems

Liver Problems

I had hepatitis in Panama 25 years ago, and I did what my doctors told me: I stopped drinking alcohol until I recovered, which was a challenge because in Panama, the rum is cheap and tasty. And I rested. That was it. Mainstream medicine just didn't have a whole lot to offer people with hepatitis then--and it still doesn't.

But herbal medicine does. When my son developed hepatitis a few years ago, his doctor gave him the same advice mine gave me in Panama years ago. But this time around, I knew more about medicinal herbs, so I gave my son two bottles of milk thistle capsules.

Milk thistle is my top-choice herb for all kinds of liver ailments, including everything from hepatitis to cirrhosis to Amanita mushroom poisoning.

Liver Troubles

The leading cause of liver disease is alcohol, which causes cirrhosis. Alcoholism affects an estimated ten million Americans, causing some 200,000 deaths a year and making it one of our most serious health problems. Alcoholic liver disease is the fourth leading cause of death in 25- to 64-year-old men.

After alcohol, hepatitis is the number two cause of liver disease. Hepatitis, which simply means inflammation of the liver, is not one disease but many. There is acute hepatitis (which eventually heals) or the chronic variety (which can continue for a long time). Hepatitis can be caused by viruses; the types are indicated with letters--A, B, C, D or E--and other letters are sure to be added as new viruses are identified. It can also be caused by alcohol, medications (even acetaminophen products like Tylenol) or overexposure to industrial chemicals, such as fumes from dry-cleaning chemicals like carbon tetrachloride.

There are more than 300,000 cases of the various forms of hepatitis each year in the United States. Hepatitis B is particularly insidious. It is spread like AIDS, sexually and by blood-to-blood contact.

About 5,000 people a year die from hepatitis B, and if you survive it, you're at risk for liver cancer years later. Fortunately, there's now a hepatitis B vaccine. But there are no vaccines for the other forms of hepatitis.

Green Pharmacy for Liver Problems

Since mainstream medicine does not have much to offer in the way of hep-atitis treatment beyond rest, I think it's too bad that our high priests of medicine don't read the herbal literature more often. They might learn something about milk thistle and the many other herbs that can help treat liver disease.

Carrot (Daucus carota). Scientists in India have discovered that carrots afford significant protection for the liver, at least experimentally in laboratory animals. When liver cell injury was induced experimentally with chemicals, paralleling the liver damage inflicted by chemical pollutants, experiments showed that lab animals could recover with the help of carrot extracts. These extracts increase the activity of several enzymes that speed up detoxification of the liver and other organs.

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale). "Dandelion root heads the list of excellent foods for the liver," writes herbal pharmacologist Daniel Mowrey, Ph.D.,
author of The Scientific Validation of Herbal Medicine and Herbal Tonic Therapies. The leaves are a diuretic, meaning that they help flush excess water from the body. And the roots have been used for centuries to treat jaundice, the yellowing of the skin that occurs as a result of a seriously malfunctioning liver.

I recommend using both the leaves and flowers. Dandelion flowers are well-endowed with lecithin, a nutrient that has been proven useful in various liver ailments.

Since dandelion is a food plant, I suggest steaming the leaves and flowers like spinach and eating a lot of this delicious vegetable. If you don't care for the bitter taste, herb shops and health food stores sell capsules and tinctures. Follow the package directions.

Dandelion This common weed was prescribed by Chinese physicians for a wide range of problems.

Indian almond (Terminalia ca-tappa). Extracts of this herb have been shown in studies to prevent chemically induced liver damage in laboratory animals. Unfortunately, Indian almonds are unlike any of the almonds for sale here in America, but I hope they'll be more available here someday. They can be found growing wild on all tropical coasts, including Florida and Hawaii.

Milk thistle (Silybum marianum). Milk thistle has been used as a liver remedy for at least 2,000 years. Research shows that compounds from the seeds help protect the liver against damage from alcohol and hepatitis and can even regenerate liver cells that have been damaged. That's why Commission E, the German expert panel that judges the safety and effectiveness of medicinal herbs for the German government, approves milk thistle seeds or seed extracts as supportive treatment for cirrhosis and chronic inflammatory liver conditions.

Other studies show that the compound silymarin, which is found in milk thistle, helps protect the liver from many industrial toxins, such as carbon tetrachloride.

Even if you don't have liver damage or liver disease, milk thistle helps improve liver function by helping the liver remove toxins from your body.

You can buy milk thistle capsules at health food stores or herb shops. Follow the package directions.

If you're the gardening type, you can grow your own. Very young leaves of this herb can be used in salads, although they contain only traces of silymarin. In addition to their medicinal value, the seeds can be roasted, ground and used as a substitute for coffee. (Milk thistle is a relative of chicory, which is another coffee substitute.)

Given the amount of alcohol abuse in this country, I sometimes have a fantasy about getting rich by selling my Beer Beans, a mixture of 20 parts (by weight) roasted milk thistle seeds, soybeans (which are reputed to curb the desire for alcohol) and ginkgo nuts (proven to speed alcohol metabolism). I'd roast these and offer them to heavy-drinking friends.

Milk Thistle You can grow milk thistle in your home garden or purchase it in capsule form at health food stores.

Schisandra (Schisandra chinensis). Widely used in Chinese medicine as a male tonic, this herb also has strong liver-protecting properties, according to pharmacognosist (natural product pharmacist) Albert Leung, Ph.D. Chinese doctors use its extracts effectively to treat viral hepatitis and other liver ailments. The seeds contain more than a dozen liver-protective compounds.

I really wouldn't be surprised if one day schisandra is right up there with milk thistle as a top herb for liver complaints. You should be able to find the dried berries in some herb shops and health food stores. In China, people take approximately one to seven teaspoons a day for up to a month after the hepatitis has subsided.

Tamarind (Tamarindus indica). In Latin America, tamarind juice is the chaser of choice when you're drinking alcoholic beverages. That's because it has a reputation for preventing hangover. Having tested it on occasion, I think it helps. This strengthens my suspicions that tamarind just might help protect the liver. These suspicions were at least partially confirmed by a study showing that extracts of tamarind prevented liver damage in experimental animals that were given liver-damaging chemicals.

The sugary pulp around the seeds is used to make a sweetened beverage that is consumed more as a food than a medicine. I drink two glasses a day if it is available. So far, however, I have found the dried pulp only in a few Latin American markets. Happy hunting.

Chicory (Cichorium intybus). Acetaminophen in high doses is toxic to the liver, and if the doses are high enough, it can be fatal. In one study, 70 percent of mice given chicory extracts survived a dose of acetaminophen that killed 100 percent of untreated animals. I'm not surprised, since chicory is related to milk thistle.

For home medication, I dig my own roots, scorch and pulverize them to make a chicory "coffee" and drink two to four cups a day. Chicory makes a wonderful, caffeine-free substitute for coffee. You don't need to go to this much trouble, however. Standardized extracts of the roots are available in herb shops, health food stores and some markets.

Chinese angelica (Angelica sinensis). Also known as dang-quai, this Chinese herb is revered in the Orient as an aid for women's health. It also helps protect the liver, apparently by helping it use more oxygen. Chinese herbal physicians favor it for treating cirrhosis.

The usual recommendation is to take two to six teaspoons a day in teas, tinctures or pills for as much as a month. Here in the United States, you'll find Chinese angelica in Chinese herb shops and some health food stores. (Do not take this herb if you are pregnant, however.)

Javanese turmeric (Curcuma xanthorrhiza). In Asian folklore, this herb has been highly regarded for conditions related to the liver, particularly gallstones and jaundice. Taiwanese scientists have discovered why: Extracts of this yellow root are significantly protective for the liver. You probably won't find this herb except in Indonesian or other South Asian markets, but you may well have such a market in your area.

If you can find it, I suggest taking up to five teaspoons a day for a month. Have it with food or tea.

Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra). The active compound in licorice root, glycyrrhizin, inhibits liver cell injury caused by many chemicals and is used in the treatment of cirrhosis and chronic
hepatitis, especially in Japan. Unfortunately, the Japanese inject it, which I would not recommend.

Russian studies suggest that an herbal combination that includes licorice, peppermint, rose, tansy and stinging nettle can help stabilize liver cell membranes in experimental animals, thus protecting the animals from liver damage.

Closer to home, noted naturopaths Joseph Pizzorno, N.D., president of Bastyr College of Naturopathy in Seattle, and Michael Murray, N.D., co-authors of A Textbook of Natural Medicine, mention well-designed clinical trials showing glycyrrhizin to be quite effective in treating viral hepatitis.

You can buy standardized extracts at health food stores. Follow the package directions.

Bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria). Scientists at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill have found that in experimental animals, a deficiency of the B vitamin choline causes liver damage and is associated with the development of liver cancer. Whether choline can help heal the human liver is uncertain, but it can't hurt to get a little more of this nutrient.

According to my database, the best source of choline is bottle gourd (1.6 percent on a dry-weight basis). Eat bottle gourd as you would squash. If you can't find it at markets near you, you might consider growing your own. Other herbs high in choline include fenugreek leaves, shepherd's purse, horehound, ginseng, cowpeas, English peas, mung beans, sponge gourds, lentils and Chinese angelica.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale). According to research by yours truly, along with molecular biologist Stephen Beckstrom-Sternberg, Ph.D., ginger contains eight liver-protecting compounds. I won't go so far as to say that it could treat hepatitis, but if you love ginger, as I do, you get a little liver protection every time you use it in cooking or tea.

Tea (Camellia sinensis). Tea is clinically effective in treating acute infectious hepatitis, note Dr. Leung and Arkansas herbalist Steven Foster in The Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients. If I had hepatitis, I'd drink two to four cups a day.

Turmeric (Curcuma longa). This spice, often included in curries, contains several related compounds that protect the liver. If I had hepatitis, I would add more turmeric to my cooking.