Review of clinical and preclinical studies on Ayurveda drugs used in management of liver diseases: A search for proof of concept

Introduction: Liver disease has become a matter of public health concern. The worldwide prevalence of liver disease is rapidly increasing due to changes in our cultural and lifestyle norms. Western medicine is known to have serious adverse effects in patients with liver disease. Ayurveda is enriched with various herbo-mineral formulations and their efficacy and safety in treating liver disease has been evidenced in various forms of research. This potential of Ayurveda formulation can be utilized to treat liver disease. The present review is aiming at summarizing a well-organized and comprehensive analysis of various clinical and cell line studies using Ayurveda hepato-protective drugs. Materials and Methods: A thorough search was conducted in online databases of Google Scholar and PubMed on Ayurveda and modern drugs acting in liver disorders. Studies meeting our selection criteria were included and evaluated. Observations and Results: Eighty-six relevant articles were found, of which 55 were used in this review. Conclusions: Ayurveda drugs have been used for centuries in liver diseases of varied etiology. In this systematic analysis, a detailed description of reviewed studies on hepato-protective plants clearly indicates the efficacy and safety of widely used medicinal drugs used in alleviating chronic liver disease and that have an enormous potential to protect the liver from oxidative injury. It is inferred from the study that Ayurveda formulations can be used to combat various liver diseases both safely and efficiently.