Liver Fibrosis Treatment
Liver fibrosis is a condition that is both an indicator of liver damage and a contributing factor to developing liver damage. Fibrosis is the development of fibroid growths in the liver and tissues of the liver, most particularly in the development in scars if the liver is wounded due to illness or injury. In many instances, it is connected to hepatitis B and C and severe cirrhosis of the liver. Other causes of liver fibrosis are infections due to parasites, excessive alcohol use, and exposure to toxic chemicals, including pharmaceutical drugs and blocked bile ducts.
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Liver Transplant
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According to Ramon Bataller and David Brenner of the Columbia University School of Medicine, the most effective and most direct treatment for liver fibrosis is transplant. It is not necessary to transplant an entire liver from a donor, but rather only a portion of the liver is needed for successful transplantation. However, one of the issues that individuals with liver fibrosis need is a donor that matches tissue type and blood type in order for the transplant to be effective.
Ginko Leaf
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Another traditional Chinese medicine treatment for liver fibrosis is the use of ginko leaf supplements. According to Subhuti Dharmananda, PhD of the Institute for Traditional Medicine in Portland, Oregon, ginko leaf is extremely effective in treatment because of the high levels of flavinoids found in ginko. Ginko is most effective when used to treat early stage liver fibrosis but is less effective in treating advanced stage liver fibrosis.
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Lamivudine
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According to Bataller and Brenner, experimental treatments with a new drug called Lamivudine have resulted in spontaneous improvement in the scar tissues associated with liver fibrosis. This drug stops the progression of the illness and allows healthy liver cells to replace those that are damaged, resulting in the development of healthy tissue. These new healthy tissues replace the previously damaged tissues and eventual complete healing.
Salvia
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Salvia is a plant that is found around the world. It has been used in Chinese traditional medicine to treat liver fibrosis successfully according to Dr. Dharmandanda. Salvia may have a component in it that contributes to the development of the caspase-3 protein, which helps in the growth of healthy liver cells. Similar to how Lamivudine works, these healthy cells replace the damaged cells, resulting in spontaneous healing of the liver.
Qinggan Capsules
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Dr. Dharmandanda discusses the use of qinggan capsules as an effective treatment for liver fibrosis. Qinggan capsules are small pellets that have a combination of 16 herbal ingredients, including astragalus, white peony, salvia, capillaris, licorice, polygonatum, codonopsis, shen-chu, rehmannia, tang-kuei, crataegus, curcuma, alisma, isatis root, chin-chiu and dioscorea. Many of these elements, such as salvia, have been found to be effective in helping healthy liver cells develop. However, it is not clear that quinggan capsules help stop the progression of hepatitis, leaving it unclear precisely how taking qinggan operates.
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