Fall and spring are good times to take care of your liver. Here are seven plants that could have hepatoprotective effects.

The liver is an organ responsible for eliminating toxic substances from the blood (drugs, preservatives, pesticides, various pollutants, etc.). In the event of significant “pollution”, it can be overloaded with work and this elimination will be less successful.

Eating better, drinking less alcohol, and exercising are believed to promote good health of this vital organ (1). Different plants can also help protect the liver, but studies remain rare and mostly concern animal models. Here are seven plants whose effects on the liver have been studied.

Before taking a food supplement, always seek advice from a healthcare professional (doctor, pharmacist, etc.).

1- Milk thistle
Milk thistle, Silybum marianum, also called wild artichoke, is a plant traditionally used for liver problems (hepatitis, cirrhosis, etc.). It contains bioactive molecules: silymarins, antioxidants and anti-inflammatories, including silybin.

Different studies have shown that milk thistle protects the liver against the toxic effects of drugs, alcohol, or poisonous mushrooms (2). Here are two examples:

A study of 50 leukemic children treated for hepatotoxicity problems due to chemotherapy. Some took a milk thistle supplement and others a placebo for 28 days (3). The supplement significantly reduced AST, a liver enzyme that increases in blood levels in liver disease,
A study of 34 patients diagnosed with hepatitis C. For four weeks, some took milk thistle supplement (160 mg three times a week) and others nothing (4). Milk thistle lowers the level of liver enzymes in the blood. It appears to have a protective effect against the inflammatory reaction associated with the hepatitis virus.

2- Dandelion
Dandelion, Taraxacum officinale, is known to stimulate hepato-biliary function. It contains taraxasterol, an anti-inflammatory molecule.

An in vitro study suggests that dandelion and taraxasterol inhibit hepatitis B virus (5). In rats, dandelion root protects the liver against the deleterious effects of ionizing radiation (6).

3- Turmeric
Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is a plant cultivated in tropical Asia, Africa and the West Indies. Its rhizome is used dried, in powder, or in the form of capsules. Among the bioactive molecules of turmeric are curcuminoids (polyphenols, including curcumin). Curcumin exhibits anti-inflammatory, antifibrotic and anti-tumor activities which would be of interest for the treatment of viral hepatitis or fatty disease (7).

This hepatoprotective effect has been demonstrated in rodents. Turmeric protects the liver against toxic substances: chemicals, alcohol, heavy metals (mercury, lead), pesticides… These molecules can increase the risk of liver damage.

Be careful, however, if you are taking turmeric supplements, ask your doctor for advice, especially if you are taking other treatments. Liver toxicity (hepatitis) has been observed with high bioavailability turmeric supplements rich in curcumin / curcuminoids. In the majority of cases, these were people who were taking at least one other medicine (8).

4- Licorice
Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) is a plant native to southern Europe, which has a long, cylindrical, brown rhizome. Its roots are dried and powdered to prepare food supplements. Licorice contains glycyrrhizin, but also flavonoids, coumarins and aromatic compounds.

Glycyrrhizin, which is the main bioactive molecule, is thought to have an anti-inflammatory effect on the liver. Studies have shown the hepatoprotective, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcer properties of licorice (9).

A study of 66 patients with fatty liver disease, who had high levels of liver enzymes in their blood. Some took 2 g of licorice root extract (20% glycyrrhizin) and others took a placebo for two months (10). Results: The levels of liver enzymes ALT and AST decreased significantly in the group that took the supplement, while these levels also decreased with the placebo, but not significantly.
A Chinese study in which patients with chronic hepatitis B were injected with glycyrrhizin with tenofovir (an antiviral against hepatitis B). Levels of liver enzymes decreased more significantly with both molecules than with the antiviral alone.

Please note that excess liquorice can lead to cardiovascular problems (hypertension, cardiac arrhythmia …).

5- The artichoke
The artichoke, Cynara scolymus, is a cultivated plant, measuring about one meter in height, whose flowers are united in large flower heads, surrounded by bracts (leaves) and which is known for its beneficial effects on the health of the liver.

In animals, extracts of artichoke roots and leaves have a protective effect on the liver (11). Food supplements are usually made from the leaves.

6- Chicory
Chicory is a herbaceous plant in the Asteraceae family that forms beautiful blue-purple flowers. These are the leaves and roots that are used in herbal medicine, dried and powdered. Chicory contains choline, which is known to support liver health. It can be consumed in herbal tea, accompanied by other plants, such as dandelion, nettle.

Again, there are mostly animal studies. For example, in 2020, Iranian researchers showed that chicory protects the liver against the effects of cholestasis, a condition affecting the gallbladder (12). Chicory has an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect on the liver.

7- Nettle
Nettle, Urtica dioica, contains various beneficial compounds, such as minerals, vitamins, antioxidant molecules, flavonoids … It has anti-inflammatory properties.

In a study on a rat model, researchers induced mercury poisoning in animals, with exposure lasting 30 days (13). This mercury poisoning led to an increase in liver hormone levels in the blood (AST and ALT). When supplemented with nettle leaf infusion, these levels remained normal for AST.