Cirrhosis
Are There Alternative Treatments for Cirrhosis?
There are very few safe alternative methods for treating liver diseases. Cirrhosis of the liver is a serious condition which can lead to many life threatening complications. Some alternative treatments that have proven safe to help manage cirrhosis are milk thistle, SAMe and green tea.
Unsafe alternative treatments that are known to cause liver damage are:
- Pennyroyal
- Comfrey
- Camphor
- Skullcap
- Chaparral
- Kava
- Ma-huang (a Chinese herb)
This information is intended for educational purposes only and should not be used in any other manner. This information is not intended to substitute for informed medical advice. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified health care provider.
References
American Liver Foundation “Cirrhosis” http://www.liverfoundation.org/abouttheliver/info/cirrhosis/ Retrieved March 31, 2011
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “Parasites – Schistosomiasis” http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/schistosomiasis/ Retrieved March 31, 2011
Mayo Clinic “Cirrhosis” http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cirrhosis/DS00373/ Retrieved March 31, 2011
Mayo Clinic “Toxic Hepatitis” http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/toxic-hepatitis/DS00811/DSECTION=causes Retrieved March 31, 2011
MedicineNet.com “Cachexia” http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=11065/ Retrieved March 31, 2011
MedicineNet.com “What is Congestive Heart Failure?” http://www.medicinenet.com/congestive_heart_failure/article.htm/ Retrieved March 31, 2011
National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse “What is Cirrhosis?” http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/index.htm/ Retrieved March 31, 2011
PubMed Health “Cirrhosis” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001301/ Retrieved March 31, 2011
PubMed.gov “Liver Disease in Cystic Fibrosis” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17901760/ Retrieved March 31, 2011
US Department of Health and Human Services – National Institutes of Health “What is Cystic Fibrosis?” http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/cf/cf_what.html Retrieved March 31, 2011
US National Library of Medicine NIH National Institutes of Health “Hepatic Vein Obstruction (Budd-Chiari)” http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000239.htm/ Retrieved March 31, 2011