Liver Damage May Be Prevented by Herbal Medicine

The liver is the second largest organ in the body and is often seen as the most important organ. In traditional Chinese medicine, for example, a healthy liver is seen as the most critical element in the body's ability to fight disease and function optimally. A new study has found that a well-known Asian medicine supplement may help avoid the most common cause of liver transplantation.

A well-known Eastern medicine supplement may help avoid the most common cause of liver transplantation, according to a study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The finding came as a surprise to the scientists, who used a number of advanced genetic and genomic techniques in mice to identify a molecular pathway that counters acetaminophen toxicity, which leads to liver failure.

"I didn't know anything about the substance that was necessary for the pathway's function, so I had to look it up," said Gary Peltz, MD, PhD, professor of anesthesiology. "My postdoctoral fellow, whose parents and other family members in Asia were taking this compound in their supplements, started laughing. He recognized it immediately." Read more