Autoimmune Hepatitis : Supplements

Once considered a sacred herb in Celtic tradition, mistletoe has been used for centuries for conditions as diverse as high blood pressure, epilepsy, exhaustion, anxiety, arthritis, vertigo (dizziness), and degenerative inflammation of the joints. Beginning in the early 20th Century, mistletoe came into practice in Europe as an anti-cancer therapy, and this remains a source of great popular interest. For example, in Norway, mistletoe has been considered a "non-proven therapy" or NPT but has been used as a popular method for healing. In the last 50 years, many laboratory, animal and human studies have been conducted on potential anti-cancer effects thought to be caused by immuno-stimulatory effects of mistletoe. The most promising potential use is as a cancer therapy, but there is still insufficient clinical evidence to consider it a proven cancer therapy. Toxic effects seem to be rare, but have been reported. The National Cancer Institute monograph "Mistletoe Extracts" provides a complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) information summary and overview of the use of mistletoe as a treatment for cancer, indicating that: [a] in animal studies mixed results have been obtained using mistletoe extracts for slowing tumor growth; [b] well designed clinical trials using mistletoe or its components have not been sufficient to prove efficacy in the treatment of human cancer(s); [c] mistletoe plants and berries are toxic to humans and their extracts are not sold in the US. Mistletoe is not commercially available in the United States, but two US investigators currently have Investigational New Drug approval (IND) from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to study mistletoe. The Commission E Monographs list mistletoe as a treatment for degenerative inflammation of the joints, and as palliative therapy for malignant tumors. Two major types of mistletoe, European and American, contain very similar proteins and are reputed to have different uses. European mistletoe is belie...

Mistletoe is a parasitic evergreen plant that lives on trees such as oaks, elms, firs, pines, apples, and elms. The parasitic plant has yellowish flowers; small, yellowish green leaves; and waxy, white berries.

Bupleurum ( Bupleurum falcatum , Bupleurum fruticescens ) has been widely used for over 2,000 years in Asia and is used today in Japan and China for hepatitis, cirrhosis, and other conditions associated with inflammation. Other traditional uses that are not supported by human scientific studies include treatment of deafness, dizziness, diabetes, wounds and vomiting. Bupleurum's root is an important ingredient in x iao-chai-hu-tan/sho-saiko-to , also known as Minor Bupleurum Decoction, a combination of nine herbs, including ginseng, ginger, and licorice, which is used in traditional Chinese and Japanese herbal medicine for hepatitis and cirrhosis. Clinical studies have suggested that this combination may be effective in the treatment of hepatitis B and in the prevention of hepatocellular carcinoma. The mixture has also shown some promise as a liver-protecting agent and as an adjuvant in the treatment of HIV infection. The effect of bupleurum is inseparable from the effects of the other ingredients in x iao-chai-hu-tan/sho-saiko-to , and thus it is difficult to make any firm conclusions based on studies of this combination product. However because there is some promising early clinical evidence of efficacy for these formulae in treatment and prevention of hepatitis-associated liver disease, a number of the studies of the combination preparations are included in this review.