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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, store energy and detoxifies the body or break
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 and liver cirrhosis
is a disease that attacks and affects the liver.
There are many types of
hepatitis.
Hepatitis 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 cirrhosis
(scarring of the liver), liver failure, liver cancer, or
death.
In
cirrhosis of the liver, 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.
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 cause by hepatitis A
virus. Hepatitis A can affect anyone.
-
Hepatitis B - It is a disease cause by hepatitis B
virus. Hepatitis B can cause lifelong problems of the
liver.
-
Hepatitis C - It is a disease cause by hepatitis C
virus. Hepatitis C is spread by contact with the blood
of an infected person.
-
Hepatitis D - It is a disease cause 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 cause 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:
Treatment
for Hepatitis
For prevention purposes
vaccine maybe given to prevent some types of hepatitis
virus but once a person contracted the diseases,
synthetic chemicals cannot really help to treat the
problems.
Allopathic knowledge has no solution to hepatitis
problems. The treatment method is symptomatic at best.
In fact they may cause
even more problems then resolving them. Our body does
not really tolerate or handle synthetic chemical that
well.
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.
Scientific researches have showed and proven beyond a
shadow of doubt the validity of these beliefs that
herbs like
Radix Rehmannia Glutinosa, Fructus Zanthii, Radix
Glycyrrhiza Glabra, Flos Lonicera
Japonica, Radix Scutellaria Baicalensis
and Herba Artemisiae Scoparia
have successfully been used to treat chronic hepatitis
problems:
-
Chronic hepatitis
-
Cleanse and protect the liver
-
Hepatomegaly (enlarged liver and spleen)
-
Increase red blood cell production
-
Nourishes the blood
-
Protects the liver
-
Treats toxic effects caused by virus and bacteria
-
Improves function of the spleen
Radix Rehmannia Glutinosa:
Clinical research by western scientists have shown
that Chinese
Rehmanniae Radix can prevent an inducement of impediment
in the peripheral microcirculation of various chronic
diseases through the improvement of hemorheology (blood
flow).
12826
Glycyrrhiza Glabra:
This was part of the report sent by Dr. Minh-Tri Nguyen
to Dr. Guełnael Rodier, Director, Department of
Communicable Disease Surveillance and Response (CSR),
WHO Headquarter "Viruses are chemical particles having
the ability to replicate only inside a living cell. Each
virus particle or viron consist of a core of a single
nucleic acid DNA or RNA surrounding by a protein coat
and some cases by carbohydrates or lipids. Since viruses
have no cellular organization, they have not cellular
organism, have no nucleus, no cytoplasm and no
surrounding membrane, they are not alive but
rather obligate parasites at genetic level (require a
host cell in order to replicate). That is why
antibiotics (anti=against, bio life) cannot kill
coronaryviruses and consequently there is no possible
vaccine for colds, influenza or SARS. Coronaryvirus
(virus from Latin = poison) can be only counter-acted or
neutralized by specific antidote herbs, which are highly
suitable for human body." In the report to WHO he
sighted that Radix Glycyrrhizae can be used for detoxification:
neutralizes the poison produce by viruses and bacteria
by action of Glycyrrhizic acid C42
H62
O16
Licorice root extract has been
used in
Japan for
more than twenty years as a treatment for chronic
hepatitis. Results from randomized clinical trials using
licorice root have shown a significant reduction of
serum amino-transferase and a significant improvement in
liver histology.11,12
11
Van Rossum TG, Vulto AG, de Man RA, Brouwer JT, Schalm
SW. Review Article: glycyrrhizin as a potential
treatment for chronic hepatitis C. Aliment Pharmacol
Ther 1998 Mar; 12(3): 199-205.
12 Yamamura Y, Kotaki H, Tanaka N, Aikawa T,
Sawada Y, Iga T. The pharmacokinetics of glycyrrhizin
and its restorative effect on hepatic function in
patients with chronic hepatitis and chronically
carbon-tetrachloride intoxicated rats. Biopharm Drug
Dispos 1997 Nov;18(8):717-25.
1)
Clinical research by western scientists
have
shown that
glycyrrhizin has inhibitory
effects on immune-mediated cytotoxicity against
hepatocytes and on nuclear factor (NF)-kappa B, which
activates genes encoding inflammatory cytokines in the
liver and can be used to treat hepatitis.
87634
2)
Clinical research
by western scientists have shown that this herb has
strong
anticarcinogenic capability.
Aflatoxin B(1) (AFB(1)) causes oxidative stress and ROS
formation via metabolic activation of AFB(1).
Glycyrrhizic acid (GA) has been reported to have
antioxidative properties.
67692
3)
Clinical research
by western scientists have shown that
the decrease of elevated
transaminase levels by glycyrrhizin in patients with
chronic viral hepatitis is mediated in part by
inhibition of immune-mediated cytotoxicity against
hepatocytes.
42643
4)
Clinical research by western scientists
have
shown that
glycyrrhizin suppressed the
intracellular transport of HBsAg at the trans-Golgi area
after O-linked glycosylation and before its sialylation.
Glycyrrhizin, a major component of a herb (licorice),
has been widely used to treat chronic hepatitis B in
Japan.
14808
5)
Clinical research by western scientists
have
shown that
Glycyrrhizin, an aqueous extract of licorice root, has
anti-inflammatory activity and can be used for the
treatment of chronic viral hepatitis.
Research showed that
glycyrrhizin
may prevent tissue injury caused by MAC not only in
chronic hepatitis but in many autoimmune and
inflammatory diseases.
92245
6)
Clinical research
by western scientists in a double blind placebo test
have shown that
active compounds in licorice root can be used to help
prevent and treat chronic hepatitis (liver
inflammation). 941500
7)
Clinical research
by western scientists have shown that
(R)-4-(3,4-Dihydro-8,8-dimethyl)-2H,8H-benzo[1,2-b:3,4-b']dipyran-3yl)-1,3-benzenediol
(glabridin), a flavonoid present in licorice
extract, is known to have antimicrobial,
anti-inflammatory, and cardiovascular
protective activities.
312:1187
8)
Clinical research
by western scientists have shown that
isoflavans from G. glabra were
shown to be effective in protecting liver mitochondrial
function against oxidative stresses.
14953
Scutellaria baicalensis:
1)
Clinical research by western scientists have shown that
saikosaponin-a, -d, baicalin from
Scutellaria
baicalensis are
potent antitumor components.
28;86(1):91-5
2)
Clinical research by western scientists have shown that
the
flavones of Scutellaria baicalensis showed remarkable
inhibitory effects on
skin tumor.
40(2):531-3.
3)
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
4)
Clinical research by western scientists have shown that
Scutellaria baicalensis
has anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.
Research showed that
Scutellaria baicalensis selectively
and
effectively inhibits
cancer
cell
growth in vitro
and
in vivo
and
can be an effective chemotherapeutic agent
for HNSCC.
Inhibition
of
PGE2 synthesis via suppression
of
COX-2 expression may be responsible for its
anticancer
activity.
4037-40
5)
Western scientists has proven that
Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi
can be used to induce liver regeneration.
Research showed that
SbG stimulates hepatocyte growth via
activation of the NF-B pathway and induces
TGF-ß1 gene expression through the Kupffer cellhepatocyte
interaction, which subsequently results in the
inhibition of SbG-stimulated hepatocyte
growth.
231:444
6)
Clinical research
by western scientists have shown that this herb has
strong anti-oxidant (anti-cancer) properties.
Research showed that most
of the anticancer activities of S. baicalensis
can be recapitulated with four purified
constituents that function in part through
inhibition of the androgen receptor signaling
pathway.
390539
7)
Clinical research by western scientists has shown that
Scutellaria baicalensis
have anti-inflammatory functions, high
scavenging activity and protects liver and red blood
cells from
lipid
peroxidation.
Research showed that
extract of
Scutellaria baicalensis
showed inhibitory actions on aminopyrine N-demethylase
and xanthine oxidase activities as well as an
pro-oxidant effect observed in the Fe3+-EDTA-H2O2
system.
60151
Herba Artemisiae
Scorparia:
1)
Clinical research by western scientists have shown that
this herb is effective for treating
liver diseases.
Research showed that
scoparone decreases the production of the inflammatory
mediators such as NO and PGE2 in macrophages by
inhibiting iNOS and COX-2 expression.
203-8
2)
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". The
scientists wrote "the pretreatment of rats with plant
extract (150 mg/kg) significantly lowered (P < 0.01),
the respective serum GOT and GPT levels to 93 +/- 05 and
27 +/- 03 IU/l, indicating hepatoprotective action."
41001
3)
Clinical research by western scientists has shown that
the plant artemisia scoparia is hepatoprotective and
validate the folkloric use of this plant for treating
liver problems".
Research demonstrated 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
4)
Clinical research by western scientists have shown that
artemisia scoparia
has strong
hepatoprotective
function.
Research demonstrated that
AC may prevent the EtOH-induced cytotoxicity through
inhibition of the apoptosis of Hep G2 cells.
75739
5)
Clinical research by western scientists have shown that
this herb is strong
hepatoprotective
function
against drug-induced
hepatotoxicity.
Research showed that
rutin (20 mg/kg) was able to prevent the CCl(4)-induced
rise in serum enzymes and that it also prevented the
CCl(4)-induced prolongation in pentobarbital sleeping
time confirming its hepatoprotectivity.
90212
6)
Clinical research by western scientists have shown that
this herb has strong
hepatoprotective
function
against drug-induced
hepatotoxicity.
Research showed that the
plant extract (150 mg/kg) lowered significantly the
respective serum GOT and GPT levels to 85 +/- 11 and 23
+/- 06.5.
12519
7)
Clinical research by western scientists have shown that
this herb has strong
hepatoprotective |