Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). It spreads through infected blood, sexual contact and from mother to child during childbirth. According to the National Institutes of Health, most people with hepatitis C are asymptomatic for years. If symptoms do present, they are usually mild and nonspecific and may not be immediately recognized as hepatitis. Some people may experience fatigue and musculoskeletal pain. Nausea and poor appetite are also symptoms, as is mild pain in the area of the liver. There is no cure for hepatitis C but medications can keep the disease in check. If left untreated, hepatitis C can cause liver damage and liver cancer. The most common treatment for hepatitis C is alpha interferon with ribavirin. Unfortunately, this treatment also has a lot of side effects, including depression, irritability, fatigue, anemia and skin problems. There are also alternative treatments, some that support the liver, and others that help relieve the side effects of drug therapy.
Milk Thistle
According to the National Center for Complimentary and Alternative medicine, there are no proven herbal treatments for hepatitis C. Still, many people with liver disease use herbs, like milk thistle, to treat their conditions.
Milk thistle, also known as silymarin, has been used as a liver treatment in Europe since the 16th century. While there are no definitive studies to support its use, the belief is that milk thistle protects the liver by promoting the growth of liver cells and stopping inflammation. Many hepatitis C patients report fewer and milder symptoms of their disease and a generally better quality of life. Milk thistle has shown relatively few side effects but may have a laxative effect with associated symptoms of nausea, diarrhea and abdominal bloating. There is also the risk of allergic reaction, especially in those with ragweed allergies.
Other Herbal Treatments
Other possible herbal hepatitis C treatments include ginseng and licorice root. Licorice root is believed to reduce long-term complications from hepatitis C while ginseng has shown some benefits in animal liver studies. As with milk thistle, there are currently no scientific studies to support their efficacy.
Thymus Extract and Colloidal Silver
Manufacturers such as Logos Nutritionals market thymus extract as a hepatitis C treatment. In a 1998 study, published in the "Annals of Internal Medicine," Drs. Robert S. Raymond, Michael B. Fallon and Gary A. Abrams determined that patients who use thymus supplements showed no improvement in their condition.
Colloidal silver has several serious side effects and is not proved to work for hepatitis C.
