Safety of Herbal Medicines on Liver Function in Functional Dyspepsia Patients: A Single-Center Retrospective Study

Objectives: This study analyzed laboratory serum data results before and after patients took herbal medicine to confirm the clinical safety of herbal medicine. In addition, in the event of liver damage, the case was analyzed to confirm the characteristics of liver damage and the possibility of liver damage caused by herbal medicine.Methods: A retrospective chart review of the effects of herbal medicine on liver function in patients diagnosed with functional dyspepsia was conducted. The electronic medical records of 128 patients in a single hospital were reviewed.Results: The statistical analysis revealed a statistically significant decrease in liver function-related laboratory serum data after taking herbal medicine (p<0.05). In addition, among 128 patients, there were two cases of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) (1.56%).Conclusion: Taking herbal medicine prescribed by experts does not significantly affect liver function in patients with functional dyspepsia. Rather, the liver levels of the subjects showed a significant decrease after taking herbal medicine. To support these results, further large-scale multicenter prospective studies are necessary.