Medicinal plants with hepatoprotective potential: A brief review

Abstract

The liver is a vital organ in the body. It plays a major role in metabolism, including ridding the body of substances that would otherwise be injurious if allowed to accumulate, and excretion of xenobiotics from the body. The endogenous antioxidants defenses from reactive oxygen species are strengthened by natural antioxidants and restore the optimal balance by neutralizing reactive species. Liver diseases have become a major global health challenge and may be triggered by several toxic chemicals, which include chemotherapeutic agents, thioacetamide, carbon tetrachloride, certain antibiotics, excessive alcohol consumption, and pathogenic microbes. Hence, safeguarding a healthy liver is vital for good health and well-being. Despite advances in pharmacology, the demerits associated with synthetic drugs have outshone the merits. Treatment of liver diseases based on modern medical principles is becoming ineffective and also associated with adverse effects of long-term use, in addition to prohibitive costs in developing countries. Thus, exploring medicinal plants which are easily available and cheap and do not involve strenuous pharmaceutical production processes appears to have gained worldwide attention as alternative therapeutic agents for the diseases. Consequently, emphasis has been placed on folkloric herbs with high efficacy, low toxicity, and cost-effectiveness. Medicinal herbs are nature's gift to humanity, contributing crucially to the preservation, maintenance and improvement of our health. Insight into the hepatoprotective effects of medicinally important plants is important, both for physicians and researchers. Main reasons for the use of herbal medicine include their lesser cost compared with conventional drugs, lesser undesirable drug reactions and thus high safety, and reduced side effects. The available information was critically analyzed to gain new insights and directions for future investigations towards establishing such natural products as potent hepatoprotective agents or dietary supplements.