Your liver plays a vital role in keeping you healthy by managing and storing energy, helping to digest fats, cleaning your blood of drugs and toxins, and fighting infection. Hepatitis C develops when your liver becomes inflamed due to infection with the hepatitis C virus. Bupleurum is an herbal remedy that may help you avoid liver damage and support recovery if you have hepatitis C. Discuss bupleurum with your doctor to decide if it might help you.
Transmission and Symptoms
The hepatitis C virus passes from person to person through contact with infected bodily fluids. Transmission can occur if you are born to an infected mother or have sex, share needles, a razor or a toothbrush with an infected person. Being accidentally stuck with a contaminated needle, or being tattooed or pierced with non-sterilized tools previously used on an infected person may also transmit hepatitis C. Infection with the virus generally causes no symptoms in early stages. However, once liver damage has occurred, you might experience yellowing of your skin or eyes, swelling of your abdomen, fatigue, upset stomach, fever, poor appetite or light-colored stools.
Bupleurum
The root of the bupleurum plant, or Bupleurum chinense, has been part of Chinese and Japanese traditional medicine for centuries. Herbal practitioners usually recommend the root as a treatment for colds, fever, malaria, digestive problems and chronic liver disease. Bupleurum is also combined with six other herbs in a preparation called sho-saiko-to that is used in prescription form in Japan to treat liver ailments. Bupleurum contains a group of natural compounds called saikosaponins that have biological activity and contribute to its medicinal properties.
Actions
According to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, bupleurum prevents production of an inflammatory molecule called arachidonic acid, potentially lessening liver inflammation caused by hepatitis C. The herb also strengthens your immune system by stimulating immune cells called T-lymphocytes, boosting antibody production and activating cells that engulf and destroy pathogens. A number of laboratory studies also indicate that bupleurum protects the liver from damage and helps restore its health when it is injured. In a study published in 2010 in "Journal of Food and Drug Analysis," laboratory animals pre-treated with bupleurum prior to exposure to a liver toxin had lower levels of liver enzymes that are markers of liver damage than did other animals pre-treated with a placebo. Though very promising, these results still need confirmation in clinical trials with human subjects..
Recommendations and Precautions
Bupleurum is available as a supplement in capsules or tablets from most health food stores. Although generally considered safe, bupleurum may cause drowsiness or gastric upset in some people. The herb may interact with some prescription medications, including blood thinners and neurological drugs, and its safety during pregnancy and breast-feeding has not been established. Talk to your doctor about bupleurum before adding it to your routine.
References
- National Digestive Diseases Clearinghouse: What I Need to Know About Hepatitis C
- Drugs.com: Bupleurum
- Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center: Bupleurum
- Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center: Sho-Saiko-To
- "Journal of Food and Drug Analysis"; Hepatoprotective and Antioidative Properties of Chinese Herbal Medicine Xiao-Chai-Hu-Tang Formulated With Bupleurum Kaoi Liu on Carbon Tetrachloride-Induced Acute Hepatotoxicity in Rats; C. Wu, et al.; 2010
