Herbal remedies can help alleviate a host of problems, but you need to use caution when taking natural herbs because they can cause unwanted effects such as liver damage. Some herbs have well known hepatotoxic, meaning liver-damaging, effects. Consult a doctor before trying any such herbs, especially if you already have liver problems, advises the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Have your liver function tested regularly when taking liver-damaging herbs and utilize them under a doctor's supervision, advises Drugs.com.
Availability
Many herbs that can cause liver damage are sold in the United States and elsewhere. You can find products with bishop's weed, chapparal, borage, comfrey, uva ursi and valerian on drugstore shelves and online. All of these have potentially destructive effects on the liver, according to "The Essential Herb-Drug-Vitamin Interaction Guide" by George T. Grossberg and Barry Fox.
Benefits
Herbs that have hepatotoxic properties are used to treat various ailments and conditions. Bishop's weed is frequently used in Ayurvedic medicine. It is used to treat respiratory and gastrointestinal ailments, though no clinical trials support such uses, according to Drugs.com. It also is traditionally used to boost circulation. Kava is promoted as a relaxation aid that can alleviate anxiety, tension and stress. It's also used to treat menopausal symptoms and insomnia, according to the FDA. In the South Pacific, it's used to make an alcoholic drink that induces hallucinations for religious ceremonies, according to Grossberg and Fox. Borage is traditionally used to treat melancholia, and borage seed oil is taken as a source of gamma-linoleic acid, which has some benefits for folks who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, according to Grossberg and Fox. It's best to consult a doctor to determine if benefits outweigh risks when considering use of hepatotoxic herbs.
Symptoms
Symptoms of serious liver damage include brown urine and jaundice. Other symptoms may include vomiting or nausea, tiredness, light-colored stools, weakness, abdominal or stomach and appetite loss. If you experience such signs, quit taking the herb and consult a doctor, advises the FDA. With some herbs, your risk of liver damage increases with length of exposure. Damage from borage, for example, can depend on the cumulative dose you consume and the time frame of consumption, advise the experts at the Sloan-Kettering Memorial Cancer Center in New York.
Considerations
Some liver-damaging herbs can be toxic. High doses of bishop's weed can result in fatal poisoning, according to Drugs.com. Germany's Commission E, that country's regulatory body for herbs, removed bishop's weed from its approved list of herbs in 1994 based on toxicological data.
Potential
You can increase chances of damaging your liver by combining herbal remedies. Borage, for example, has a pyrrolizidine alkaloid called amabiline that is harmful to the liver, note the experts at the Sloan-Kettering Memorial Cancer Center in New York. Taking borage at the same time as eucalyptus can raise risk of toxicity from this alkaloid, and risk also is increased when taking other herbs that contain the alkaloid including butterbur, colt's foot and comfrey, advise Grossberg and Fox.
Warning
One liver-damaging herb has prompted an FDA warning in the United States. Kava products are associated with liver-related injuries including cirrhosis, hepatitis and liver failure, advises the FDA. Risk for liver damage has prompted regulatory agencies in Germany, Canada, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and France to take actions that range from issuing warnings to removing kava products from the marketplace, according to the FDA.
References
- "The Essential Herb-Drug-Vitamin Interaction Guide"; George T. Grossberg and Barry Fox; 2007
- Drugs.com: Bishop's Weed
- American Botanical Council: Commission E Evaluation Methods and Criteria
- U.S. FDA: Kava-Containing Dietary Supplements May be Associated With Severe Liver Injury
- Drugs.com: Borage
