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Therapeutic Recommendations: Herbal
Milk Thistle (Silybum mariannum) - This is a major player in the treatment of liver disease. It helps lower enzyme levels and facilitates the liver in it process of detoxifying the body. European research has shown that it is effective in treating cirrhosis, chronic hepatitis and alcohol induced fatty liver. It also helps protect the liver for those individuals that are taking prescription medications known to elevate liver enzymes.
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Dosage: A normal dose would be 6-9 dropperfulls in a cup of warm water per day. You might want to start with 2-3 dropperfulls to begin with, as it has a natural cleansing effect. For chronic cases: You may increase you dosage over time to 12-14 dropperfuls per day in warm water. Divide it up into 6-7 dropperfulls in the AM and the other half in the PM.
Caution: If you have large gallstones, please consult your physician. Milk thistle will increase the flow of bile into the intestines and may promote the movement of stones. Elimination through a severely clogged gall bladder may present a health risk.
Recommendation: Skye Herbals Physician's Grade Herbal Extracts
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Artichoke- The artichoke is a member of the milk thistle family and first came to the attention of researchers in 1966 (in a study that supported its effect on liver regeneration in rats). Artichoke leaf extracts have demonstrated great benefits and potential as an antioxidant and hepatoprotective. The extracts have also exhibited immense advantages in regard to the gallbladder with the ability to stimulate the secretion of bile in the liver.
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Akin to milk thistle, artichoke extract is also able to stimulate regeneration of damaged liver tissue. The value of artichoke for preventing or reducing buildup of fat in the liver from chronic alcohol consumption is significant. Cynarin, which is a caffeoylquinic acid and a chief constituent of the extract, was discovered to be responsible for the main cell-protective action. The investigations of hepatoprotective action in the U.S. have been done only in animals, as the normal procedure involves exposure to toxins. The central research method for this type of investigation is to administer the test substance (in this case the artichoke leaf extract) to the animal just before or simultaneously with administration of a toxic substance and observe the results. A study done in 1987 by Adzet used carbon tetrachloride as the toxin. The use of artichoke leaf extract clearly indicated an apparent reduction of liver injury. |
Recognizing the significance of adequate bile flow for health, German researchers set out to verify the earlier findings of bile promoting effects of the artichoke plant in a controlled double-blind study on healthy volunteers. The participants were provided a one-time dose of artichoke extract or a placebo, and their bile discharge was measured over the course of several hours. The bile secretion was found to be sizably higher in the group that received the artichoke extract. An additional open label study was done on 417 volunteers with liver or bile duct disease. The majority of these participants had longstanding symptoms, some for countless years. They were all given artichoke leaf extract for approximately four weeks. Following a one week period, 70% of the patients experienced improvement of their symptoms, and the percentage went up to 85% three weeks later. Artichoke leaf extract has demonstrated to be a safe and natural way to preserve and improve general health due to its numerous applications to essential physiological functions. In addition, as a nutritional supplement and antioxidant, it can safely be used.
As a rule, the majority of the research on artichoke has been done with a German extract that contains 3% caffeylquinic acids. A recent and even more potent extract of 15% caffeoylquinic acids-calculated as chlorogenic acid is now available on the American market. Researchers all over the world are investigating it for applications in areas such as diabetes, cancer and HIV. Artichoke leaf extract has demonstrated to be a safe and natural method to help your liver and can be used harmlessly as an addition to conventional therapies.
Turmeric- Nowadays, curcumin is on a border between ancient food customs and cutting- edge medicine. In Asia the root and powder are used in cooking, home cures and medicine, as a preservative for festive dishes and in drinks, ointments and poultices to treat sore throat, inflammation, wounds, and sprains. In the laboratories, scientists and researchers are treating rats with curcumin to determine its effects on cancer. Turmeric or curcumin also holds a high place in Ayurvedic medicine as a “body cleanser” and today research is finding a mounting list of diseased conditions which turmeric’s active ingredient heals. Your liver spends a lifetime keeping your blood clean.
The question is—what keeps your liver clean? One answer would be turmeric and its team of antioxidants. Turmeric shares similar liver protectant compounds that milk thistle and artichoke leaves contain. Studies have shown that it can shrink engorged hepatic ducts, so it would be beneficial in treating liver conditions such as hepatitis, cirrhosis and jaundice. To be successfully assimilated into the bloodstream, curcumin should be combined with small amounts of piperine (a component of black pepper). It seems piperine enhances the body’s natural absorption function. Some of the studies done with turmeric can be accessed below by using the links:
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Dosage: 1-3 capsules a day with meals.
Caution: Do not take more than 15 mg per day of Bioperine®. If you are taking any medication, use only under physician supervision. Bioperine® may increase the absorption rate of certain drugs, so take Bioperine®-containing products at a different time of the day than when you take prescription drugs. Do not take if you have a biliary tract obstruction, or during pregnancy or lactation. High doses of curcumin on an empty stomach may cause stomach ulcers. Do not take with anticancer drugs.
Recommendation: Life Extension Foundation - Super Curcumin w/ Bioperine® (piperine)
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Green Tea- This study was released in the March 2005 issue of Liver Transplantation, the official journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) and the International Liver Transplantation Society (ILTS). Roughly one-fifth of U.S. residents are afflicted with hepatic steatosis due to a mounting incidence of obesity. Since fatty livers are more sensitive than lean livers to ischemia/reperfusion injury and are associated with an intensified risk of disease and death, this has resulted in fewer usable donors for liver transplants. As a matter of fact, virtually one-third of all donated livers are afflicted with fatty changes, but longer waiting lists are forcing doctors to contemplate using these organs. A prior study found that rinsing livers with a solution containing green tea extract prevented failures in transplants using fatty livers. The existing study observed whether the major flavonoids component in green tea shielded fatty livers from damage after ischemia/reperfusion injury.
Green tea has been in frequent use among Chinese people for thousands of years. In the course of the last decades, it has become widely used in Europe for the treatment of hepatic disease. Its hepato-protective effect has been related to its properties as a powerful free radical scavenger and antioxidant as well as it anti-endotoxin effect and its ability to stabilize membranes.
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An international workshop in 1981 on the use of catechin in diseases of the liver deduced that the flavonoids have much potential for the treatment of many types of hepatic disease, particularly acute and chronic viral hepatitis. For the majority of people, drinking green tea daily appears to be one of the most practical and readily available means for preventing chronic toxicity. It is assessed that two to four cups of green tea corresponds to the preventative dose used in the study. The dosages used for hepatic diseases in clinical studies have typically been one gram three times a day.
Suggested dosage: 1-3 capsules a day with a meal.
Note: Even though these are “lightly caffeinated” capsules, the high volume of green tea extract contained in each capsule might cause over-agitation in people who are sensitive to caffeine.
Recommendation: Life Extension Foundation - Mega Green Tea Extract |
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