Botanical Supplement May Help Support Liver Health

The fatty liver index is used to monitor the progression of fatty liver in people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. A recent study has found that a blend of Sphaeranthus indicus flower heads and Terminalia chebula fruit extracts may help improve the fatty liver index.

Participants in the study included 90 adults with an elevated fatty liver index. They received 300 mg of the extracts, 320 mg of silymarin, or a placebo daily for 84 days. The researchers measured fatty liver index at baseline and at the end of the study period. They also evaluated liver enzymes, lipid profile, and oxidative markers.

Both the extract blend and silymarin groups experienced improvements. Participants in the extract blend group saw a 13.8% decrease in their fatty liver index from baseline, while the silymarin group experienced a a 7.5% decrease.  The placebo group did not improve – and in fact their fatty liver index increased 7.7% from baseline.

Participants in the extract blend group also saw significant improvements in serum liver enzymes, lipid profile, and oxidative markers.

The study was conducted by researchers from Aditya Multi Specialty Hospital. It was published in the July, 2002 edition of Functional Foods in Health and Disease .

A previous study found that a supplement containing bitter melon, gale of wind, green chiretta, field mustard, ginger, and shatavari may help support liver health.