Drug-Induced Liver Injury from Herbal Liver Detoxification Tea

Abstract

The increasing consumption of unregulated herbal and dietary supplements has presented clinicians with new challenges in assessing and managing acute liver injury. Patients may present in various ways ranging from asymptomatic transaminitis to acute liver failure. Several natural products have been found to mitigate drug-induced liver injury, which has led to the creation of numerous registries to outline all its aspects further. We describe the case of a 36-year-old female who developed a clinically significant acute liver injury with a cholestatic pattern due to an over-the-counter herbal liver detox tea. This is the first case reported of a hepatotoxic effect from any of these compounds or ingredients in the detox tea: burdock root, stinging nettle leaf, cleavers herb, dandelion root, lemon peel, and lemon myrtle leaf (Backhousia citriodora). Idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury (DILI) remains poorly understood; however, recognizing potential toxins is imperative to understanding toxicogenomics and identifying those at risk.

Keywords

• drug-induced liver injury
• cholestatic pattern
• herbal and dietary supplements
• hepatotoxic