The liver is a very important organ. It digests food (i.e. manufactures bile to help the body to digest food), synthesizing many important proteins, regulating blood clotting, stores energy and detoxifies the body or breaks down potential toxic substances so that the body can use them. It can also do another amazing thing. It can regenerates itself. You cannot live without a functioning liver.

Hepatitis (liver cirrhosis) is a disease that attacks and affects the liver. There are many types of hepatitis that can cause liver cirrhosis. Liver cirrhosis  is a serious disease. The most common type of hepatitis are those caused by virus. There are five types of hepatitis: Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Hepatitis D and Hepatitis E. Hepatitis disease causes the liver to be inflamed. This inflammation can be acute, flaring up and then disappearing within a few weeks to months. For those who suffer from chronic hepatitis, the disease may simmer for more then 20 years without much symptoms except maybe a noticeable loss of energy and tiredness before causing significant symptoms related to progressive liver damage such as liver cirrhosis (scarring of the liver), liver failure, liver cancer, or death. In liver cirrhosis, scar tissue replaces normal, healthy tissue, blocking the flow of blood through the organ and preventing it from working as it should.

Causes of Hepatitis

People seems to think that hepatitis is caused by virus only. In fact there are many types of hepatitis. Viral hepatitis is only one of them. A person can suffer from Chemically-Induced Hepatitis, Iron Induced Hepatitis, Inherited Hepatitis or Bile-induced Hepatitis.

Viral Hepatitis: They are five types of viral hepatitis: They are Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Hepatitis D and Hepatitis E. The initial source of this type of hepatitis comes from eating shellfish like clams and cockles contaminated with the hepatitis virus. This type of hepatitis is common to fishermen and their families, coastal population and generally those who love to eat shellfish.

• Hepatitis A - It is a disease caused by hepatitis A virus. Hepatitis A can affect anyone.

• Hepatitis B - It is a disease caused by hepatitis B virus. Hepatitis B can cause lifelong problems of the liver.

• Hepatitis C - It is a disease caused by hepatitis C virus. Hepatitis C is spread by contact with the blood of an infected person.

• Hepatitis D - It is a disease caused by hepatitis D virus. Hepatitis D virus is a defective virus that needs the hepatitis B virus to exist.

• Hepatitis E - It is a disease caused by hepatitis E virus. Hepatitis E is transmitted the same way as Hepatitis A.

Generally speaking, these types of hepatitis virus are spread through infected blood, contaminated needles, virginal secretions, seminal fluids, human bite, sexual contact, contaminated food and water, using articles contaminated by the virus like tooth brushes and from mother to child. Depending on the type of hepatitis virus, the incubation period ranges from 2 to 25 weeks.

Chemically-Induced Hepatitis: The liver is a very complex organ and is responsible for the metabolism of drugs, alcohol, and toxins from the environment. Some drugs or chemicals can cause liver damage whenever a person is exposed to them at high levels. Acetaminophen, which is found in many over-the-counter and prescription medications, is an example of this. In therapeutic doses, it is a useful pain reliever but unfortunately in very high dosages or if combined with alcohol, the drug can cause life-threatening acute liver failure. One of the most common causes of hepatitis is excessive consumption of alcohol, which by itself is toxic to the liver. Other synthetic chemical that can cause hepatitis include anesthetics, antibiotics, anabolic steroids, and seizure medications.

Iron Induced Hepatitis: Hemochromatosis hepatitis is caused by too much iron in the body. The liver is one of the principal organs damaged and chronic hepatitis may be due to hemochromatosis.

Inherited Hepatitis: Deficiency of alpha-1-antitrypsin is also a relatively common inherited disease.

Bile-induced Hepatitis: When the ducts that carry bile out of the liver are blocked, bile backs up and damages liver tissue. In babies, blocked bile ducts are most commonly caused by biliary atresia (where the bile ducts are absent or injured). In adults, primary biliary cirrhosis, is caused by inflamed, blocked, and scarred bile duct. Secondary biliary cirrhosis can happen after gallbladder surgery if the ducts are inadvertently tied off or injured.

Symptoms of Hepatitis

The normal symptoms are:

• Pain in the stomach,

• Diarrhea,

• Light stool,

• Headache,

• Muscle aches,

• Loss of appetite,

• Nausea,

• Fever,

• Fatigue,

• Dark urine,

• Abdominal pain,

• Vomiting,

• Jaundice (yellow skin and eyes)

Herbal scientists are far more knowledgeable in treating hepatitis because of their vast historical clinical experience. Theirs are proven clinical scientific herbal technology based on actual clinical observation. These formulations are historically proven therapeutic effective products that have been perfected after many centuries of studies and clinical experience and observation and they have been used by generations after generations of herbal scientists, benefiting thousands of fishermen and city dwellers who have been affected by the so called incurable disease as described by allopathic scientists.

The best and safest method is to use holistic products that have been used by hundreds of millions of people stretching over the centuries to effectively treat the problem. Herbs like Herba Lysimachia Christinae, Radix Scutellaria Baicalensis Radix Bupleurum Scorzonerifolium, Folium Artemisa Scoparia ad Glychrrhiza Glabra have scientifically been proven to treat liver problems.

Research on the anti-cancer activities of the herbs Artemisia, Scutellaria Baicalensis, Glycyrrhiza Glabra and Bupleurum Scorzonerifolium on liver showed the following:

Scutellaria Baicalensis:

1) Clinical studies by western scientists have shown that Scutellaria baicalensis has anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. Research showed it selectively and effectively inhibits cancer cell growth in vitro and in vivo and can be an effective chemotherapeutic agent for HNSCC.  4037-4043,

2) Clinical studies by western scientists have proven that Scutellaria baicalensis can be used to induce liver regeneration. Research showed that Scutellaria baicalensis stimulated the proliferation of cultured hepatocytes. 444-455

3) Clinical studies by western scientists have shown that Scutellaria baicalensis has strong anti-oxidant (anti-cancer) properties. Research showed that most of the anticancer activities of Scutellaria baicalensis can be recapitulated with four purified constituents that function in part through inhibition of the androgen receptor signaling pathway.  3905-3914

4) Clinical research by western scientists have shown that Scutellaria baicalensis have anti-inflammatory functions, high scavenging activity and protects liver and red blood cells from lipid peroxidation. 60151

5) Clinical studies by western scientists have shown that saikosaponin-a, -d, baicalin from  Scutellaria baicalensis are potent antitumor components. 86(1):91-5

6) Clinical research by western scientists have shown that the flavones,  5,7,2'-trihydroxy- and 5,7,2',3'-tetrahydroxyflavone, of Scutellaria baicalensis showed remarkable inhibitory effects on skin tumor. 40(2):531-3.

7) Clinical research by western scientists have shown that Scutellaria baicalensis' components, baicalein, baicalin, and wogonin, may become an attractive and promising treatment for bladder cancer because of its strong antioxidant effect. 55(6):951-5

Radix Bupleurum Scorzonerifolium:

1) Clinical studies by western scientists have shown that Bupleurum scrozonerifolium has strong anti-oxidant (anti-cancer) properties. The result of in vivo study showed that Bupleurum scrozonerifolium could suppress growth in A549 subcutaneous xenograft tumors. 183-93

2) Clinical studies by western scientists have shown that Bupleurum scrozonerifolium has strong anti-oxidant (anti-cancer) properties. Research showed that the crude acetone extract of Bupleurum scorzonerifolium has anti-proliferation activity and apoptosis effects on human lung cancer cells.  2409-20

3) Clinical studies by western scientists have shown that saikosaponins, the main active constituents of Bupleurum spp., possess immunomodulatory, hepatoprotective, anti-tumor and anti-viral activities. Research showed that saikosaponin d possesses potent cytotoxicity against human hepatocellular carcinoma cells.  705-9

4) Clinical studies by western scientists have shown that Bupleurum scrozonerifolium improves cell function. 111-8

5) Clinical studies by western scientists have shown that two lignans, isochaihulactone and chaihunaphthone, from Bupleurum scrozonerifolium has  immunosuppressive functions. 1375-9

6) Clinical studies by western scientists have shown that Bupleurum scrozonerifolium protects and improves liver function. It has anti-inflammatory, anti-fibrotic, anti-oxidant activity and enhanced the liver cell regeneration. 442-8

7) Clinical studies by western scientists have shown that Bupleurum scrozonerifolium has strong antioxidative and in vitro hepatoprotective activity. It has anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant activity and enhanced the liver cell regeneration. Research showed that the roots of  Bupleurum scrozonerifolium can be used to treat liver diseases. 1003-8

Artemisia Scoparia:

1) Clinical research by western scientists have shown that Artemisiae species were proven to have immunosuppressive principles. 41992

2) Clinical studies by western scientists have shown that Artemisa Scoparia is effective for treating hepatitis (liver cirrhosis). Research showed that scoparone from Artemisa Scoparia decreases the production of the inflammatory mediators such as NO and PGE2 in macrophages by inhibiting iNOS and COX-2 expression. 203-8 

3) Another group of scientists wrote "these data indicate that the plant Artemisia Scoparia is hepatoprotective and validate the folkloric use of this plant in liver damage". Research showed the protective action of the plant extract against CCl4-induced liver damage.  41001

4) Clinical studies by western scientists have shown that Artemisia Scoparia has strong anti-inflammatory function. Research demonstrate that the inhibition of scoparone on LPS-induced TF expression in HUVECs may mediate by the mechanisms suppressing superoxide anion formation and TF transcription. 72379

5) Clinical studies by western scientists have shown that Artemisia Scoparia  has strong