Medicinal plants and their Anti-inflammatory effects in Hepatic disorders

Herbal medicines are used as an alternative treatment to cure liver diseases and now a days become most commonly used therapy. Herbal medicines are derived from different parts of plants such as bark, roots, leaves, seeds and flowers. Silymarin, Glycyrrhizic acid, Camellia sinensis, Holy Basil and Long pepper are the medicinal plants that are effective and safe for the treatment of liver ailments. Almost 2 million deaths per year occur due to liver diseases while correct Statistics for liver diseases is not available but liver diseases are highly prevalent in Africa and Asia. By using medicinal plants, the prevalence of hepatitis, alcoholic fatty liver disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma can be controlled. The increase in use of herbal medicines support the phenomenon of their effectiveness for the prevention of liver disorders. Scientists are now finding the benefits and evaluate the effect of different herbs on human health by using the scientific methods. Further research work should be done on herbal medicines to collect relevant data about effectiveness and safety of herbs that are used in pharmaceuticals as additional components now a days. This article discusses the common liver diseases, categories of herbs, WHO estimated prevalence of liver diseases worldwide and carcinogenic effects of herbal medicines associated with liver injury.