Among its many functions, your liver processes food, stores iron and sugar, produces bile and detoxifies your body from poisonous chemicals, according to the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. A variety of herbal and nutritional supplements are purported to offer help and healing for this hard-working organ. Scientific inquiry has revealed supportive evidence for the use of some nutrients and herbs. Consult with your doctor before using supplements for liver health.
YiGanKang
A Chinese herb combination known as YiGanKang shows liver-protective effects, say authors of a study published in the February 2011 "Journal of Ethnopharmacology." In the study, researchers gave laboratory rats YiGanKang along with a substance that induces liver scar tissue formation and observed a significant decrease in scar tissue in the group that received YiGanKang compared to a control group. Ask your doctor before using YiGanKang.
Wormwood
Plants in the Artemesia genus, some of which are used medicinally and known as wormwood, contain flavone compounds with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiallergic and antitumor activities that are particularly liver-protective, according to a study published in the September 2010 "Molecules" journal. Scientists combined the compounds eupatilin and jaceosidin with human liver cells in the tissue culture study and found that they exhibited potent inhibition of liver damage. The researchers urged further studies to determine potential drug interactions with Artemisia. Consult your healthcare professional about wormwood.
Glutamine
The amino acid glutamine showed liver-protective properties in a study published in the February 2011 journal "Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Diseases International." Scientists gave glutamine to laboratory rats before a procedure designed to stress the liver by reducing and then restoring blood flow and found that the groups that received glutamine showed higher levels of the antioxidant superoxide dismutase and lower levels of enzymes that indicate liver stress. Also, the liver cells of the rats that received glutamine showed less injury than the liver cells of a control group. Higher doses of glutamine produced greater protective effects than lower doses in the study. The researchers concluded that glutamine is a useful supplement for preventing liver damage due to fluctuations in blood supply. Ask your doctor about glutamine.
Folate and Vitamin B-12
The B-complex vitamins folate and vitamin B-12 prevented arsenic-induced liver damage in a study published in the December 2010 "Environmental Toxicology" journal. Researchers gave the vitamins, along with arsenic, to laboratory rats and observed significantly less oxidative stress and cell death and increases in antioxidants, such as superoxide dismutase and glutathione, in the rats that received folate and vitamin B-12. The vitamin-supplemented rats also showed better energy production and suffered less DNA damage from arsenic than the control group that did not receive the vitamins. Ask your doctor before using folate and vitamin B-12.
References
- "Journal of Ethnopharmacology"; Suppressive Effects of YiGanKang, a Combination of Chineses Herbs, on Collagen Synthesis in Hepatic Stellate Cell; Y. Zhang, et al.; Feb. 16, 2011
- "Molecules"; Effects of Eupatilin and Jaceosidin on Cytochrome p450 Enzyme Activities in Human Liver Microsomes; H.Y. Ji, et al.; Sept. 16, 2010
- "Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Diseases International"; Protective Effects of Glutamine Preconditioning on Ischemia-reperfusion Injury in Rats; W.X. Zhang, et al.; Feb. 2011
- "Environmental Toxicology"; Antiapoptotic Efficacy of Folic Acid and Vitamin B(12) Against Arsenic-induced Toxicity; S. Majumdar, et al.; Dec. 8, 2010
- American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases: Liver Facts
