Hepatoprotective Role of Herbs and Herbal Formulations

The liver is an important organ in the body's metabolism and excretory system. The prevalence of many forms of hepatic illnesses is on the rise, resulting in a major increase in morbidity and mortality worldwide. Viral hepatitis, alcoholic/non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, hepatocellular cancer, and drug-induced liver injury are all important health concerns that take millions of lives each year throughout the world. Pharmaceutical medications are frequently linked to liver injury, and so have limited efficacy in the treatment of liver diseases. As a result, herbal drugs have grown in popularity and are widely used. For a long time, herbal remedies have been utilized to treat liver problems. There are a variety of herbal preparations on the market. Herbal medicine has been used to treat liver disorders for thousands of years. A large range of medicinal plants have been examined as hepatoprotective agents in preclinical and clinical investigations. However, more thorough research is needed to screen and evaluate the usage of herbal medicines in the treatment of diverse liver illnesses. The goal of this review is to compile information on promising medicinal plants that have been tested in hepatotoxicity models using cutting-edge scientific methods. The damage to liver cells caused by various toxic chemicals (antibiotics, chemotherapeutic agents, carbon tetrachloride (CCl4 ), thioacetamide (TAA), and microbes have been well studied. In this scenario, the current synthetic medications to treat liver problems promote more liver damage. The purpose of this chapter is to examine various hepatoprotective plants and herbal formulations. 

Keywords: Carbon tetrachloride, Hepatoprotective agents, Hepatitis, Liver, Liver Disorders, Phytochemicals, Thioacetamide.