Traditional Medicinal Plants for Hepatoprotection

As liver is such a complex organ, its disorders are equally complex; this result in acute as well as chronic dysfunction which may be lethal. Toxins, xenobiotics, viruses, excess alcohol consumption and autoimmune disorders mainly cause liver diseases. The classical system of medicine such as Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani & Homeopathy used more than 1500 plants which are effective in the treatment of various ailments. Numerous medicinal plants and their proprietary formulation have been used in the treatment of liver diseases. Nearly 150 phytoconstituents from 101 plants have claimed to possess liver protecting activity. In India more than 90 medicinal plants extracts are used in different combination in the preparation of 45 herbal formulation of liver protection. This book comprising the detailed investigation on traditional plants like Luffa acutangula and Citrullus colocynthis for their hepatoprotective activity. These plants were evaluated for their antihepatotoxic activity and found to be effective against selected toxin i.e. carbon tetrachloride and paracetamol. These toxins are extensively used in the experimental studies to assess prospective hepatoprotective substances.