Combined herbal medicine for chronic alcoholic liver disease

Abstract

Alcohol abuse with resultant alcoholic liver disease (ALD) are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Due to absence of clinical symptoms of the disease in the early stages, it is diagnosed in the later stages with higher complications and mortality rates. Diagnosis of ALD requires a better determination of life history and prognostic factors, as well as the search for reliable non-invasive techniques. Early detection of alcoholic steatohepatitis in primary care settings and subsequent interventions will facilitate the satisfaction of this requirement. Despite some important advances in understanding the pathogenesis and clinical features of ALD, the past 40 years have not seen significant advances in the therapy. The long-term alcohol abstinence is the main therapy for ALB patients, regardless of the disease stage. It is associated with improved clinical outcomes across the ALD spectrum: from asymptomatic early cases to complicated severe cases. Clinical ultimate outcomes depend on the ALD stage. The ultimate outcomes are associated with normalisation of abnormal laboratory test results and reduction in liver fibrosis in compensated patients. These ultimate outcomes can be monitored using non-invasive tools, but current medical interventions are largely limited and ineffective. Supportive therapy forms the basis of the treatment, it is worth paying special attention to combined herbal medicines as less toxic ones with single contraindications and consistent with the desire of many patients to use natural preparations.

Keywords

• alcoholic liver disease
• ethanol
• metabolism
• herbal medicine
• steatosis
• steatonecrosis
• fibrosis
• cirrhosis