Licorice root, (not licorice sticks) is good for your liver
healthy liv(er)ing news Robert Fieldhouse SAMe has been shown to improve early response to interferon therapy among previous treatment non-responders. Taken for two weeks on its own, it decreased liver function (ALT) significantly (mean change 37 IU/L). But HCV viral load levels increased slightly at the same time.
Herbs to avoid
Some herbs have been associated with liver damage. We recommend you avoid: Blue-green algae, borage (Borago officianalis), bupleurum, chaparral (Larrea tridentata), comfrey (Symphytum officinale and S. uplandicum), Dong Quai (Angelica polymorpha), germander (Eucrium chamaedrys), Jin Bu Huan (lycopodium serratum), kava, mistletoe (Phoradendron leucarpum and viscum album), pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium), sassafras (Sassafras albidum), shark cartilage, skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora), and valerian.
Licorice Glycyrrhizin, derived from licorice root (Glychyrrhiza glabra), has long been used in traditional Asian medicine to treat liver disease. It has been used as a treatment for HCV in Japan for more than 20 years. It has been studied in interferon non-responders or relapsers. People took 200mg glycyrrhizic acid 5 or 3 times a week for 52 weeks. One in three had ≼50% reduction in liver enzymes after 12 weeks and it reduced liver inflammation in around half of trial participants. Milk Thistle’ s active compound silymarin has been shown to reduce elevated liver enzymes among people coinfected HIV-HCV. People taking 180mg 3 times a day saw their key liver enzyme AST fall 8.4 IU/L over 52 weeks, compared with a rise of 27.9 I/UL among people taking placebo. There were no side effects and no clinically significant interactions with HIV drugs.
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