Ethnopharmacological Approaches for Therapy of Jaundice: Part II. Highly Used Plant Species from Acanthaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Asteraceae, Combretaceae, and Fabaceae Families

Abstract

In many developing countries, jaundice is the common symptom of hepatic diseases which are a major cause of mortality. The use of natural product-based therapies is very popular for such hepatic disorders. A great number of medicinal plants have been utilized for this purpose and some facilitated the discovery of active compounds which helped the development of new synthetic drugs against jaundice. However, more epidemiological studies and clinical trials are required for the practical implementation of the plant pharmacotherapy of jaundice. The focus of this second part of our review is on several of the most prominent plants used against jaundice identified in the analysis performed in the first part of the review viz. Andrographis paniculata (Burm.f.) Nees, Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn., Terminalia chebula Retz., Glycyrrhiza glabra L. and some species of genus Phyllanthus. Furthermore, we discuss their physiological effects, biologically active ingredients, and the potential mechanisms of action. Some of the most important active ingredients were silybin (also recommended by German commission), phyllanthin and andrographolide, whose action leads to bilirubin reduction and normalization of the levels of relevant serum enzymes indicative for the pathophysiological status of the liver.

In-depth hepatoprotective mechanistic study of Phyllanthus niruri: In vitro and in vivo studies and its chemical characterization

“…Also, the ability of the plant extract to mitigate CCl4-induced decline in serum TP highlights the ability of Phyllanthus niruri to improve the synthetic function of the liver. This is in line with previous reports [51].…”

A Review of the Phytochemistry and Pharmacology of Phyllanthus urinaria L.

“…& Thonn. , P. emblica L. or P. niruri L. (Calixto et al, 1998 ; Mao et al, 2016 ; Kaur et al, 2017 ; Tewari et al, 2017 ; Yadav et al, 2017 ). However, there is no specific and detailed review of P. urinaria .…”

A double‐blind, randomized, placebo‐controlled study to assess the efficacy of Andrographis paniculata standardized extract (ParActin®) on pain reduction in subjects with knee osteoarthritis

“…However, our results did not discard potential side effects, because similar gastrointestinal side effects such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, heartburn, and pruritus with equivalent doses of andrographolide have been described (Coon & Ernst, ). One OA patient showed increased transaminase levels, however, this effect is not clearly attributable to ParActin®, because this adverse effect has not been described before (Coon & Ernst, ); moreover, A paniculata has shown some hepatoprotective effects (Abdulaziz Bardi et al, ; Chua, ; Tewari et al, ).…”