A Critical Review on Herbal Extracts as Hepatoprotective Agents

Abstract

Liver is a vital organ that plays a major role in metabolism and excretion of xenobiotics from the body. Liver dysfunction/ liver Injury is a major health problem that challenges not only health care professionals but also pharmaceutical industry and drug regulatory agencies. Maintenance of a healthy liver is essential for overall well being of an individual. Liver injury is caused by various hepatotoxins. Some of the most common toxicants are Paracetamol, Carbon tetrachloride, Thioacetamide, excessive consumption of Alcohol, anti-tuberculosis drugs such as Rifampicin and Isoniazid, certain antibiotics like Gentamicin, Chemotherapeutic agents and Microbes. Few synthetic drugs that are available in market to treat liver disorders in this condition are expensive and also cause other discomforts to our body. Thus herbal drugs comes into role and its use is also widespread now-a-days. Herbal medicines are used for treatment of liver diseases since long time but they are increasingly popular at recent times. Herbal remedies are focused in pharmaceutical industry to evolve a safe route for liver disorders. A number of herbal preparations are available in market. The present review is aimed at compiling on promising herbs that have been tested in various Hepatotoxic models using modern scientific system.