The foods we consume in our daily life can cause damage to our body. Detecting these damages late increases the danger. Doctors published the case report of an unnamed 45-year-old woman with liver damage earlier this year in the Cureus Journal of Medical Science. The patient, who was being treated for hypothyroidism at the time of admission, presented with severe epigastric pain and nausea.
HE STARTED TO DRINK HERBAL TEA THREE DAYS AGO
Prior to her symptoms, she denied any alcohol or drug use, recent travel, and a history of blood transfusions. One notable confession is that he started drinking herbal tea three days before he experienced symptoms, in an attempt to boost his immunity.
INGREDIENTS INSIDE CAUSED LIVER DAMAGE
“Further examination revealed that the patient had recently started using an herbal tea and that symptoms resolved completely after discontinuation,” the authors wrote. According to the report, the tea contained 23 ingredients, including reishi mushroom, aloe, vera and Siberian ginseng. All three components have been associated with cases of liver damage in past research.
ATTENTION TO THE USE OF ALOE VERA
Twelve case reports have been published since 2005 showing the risk of liver damage associated with aloe vera. Studies dating back to 2004 have identified several cases of liver damage in patients taking reishi mushroom formulations. Finally, research published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology in 2020 suggested that ginseng can inhibit various cytochromes involved in the metabolism of drugs.
CAN CAUSE LIVER FAILURE
The problem with these drugs is that when ingested, they form toxic metabolites that damage living cells. As a result, the liver can be so badly damaged that it stops functioning, which in some cases causes liver failure. The authors concluded their report with the statement: “Diagnosing herbal supplement-induced liver injury requires an effective investigation of any herbs or supplements a patient may be taking, patients may hesitate to provide this information. It is imperative that they become familiar with herbal supplements in order to educate them about The patient was using an herbal tea with known hepatotoxic content and definite improvement was seen after discontinuation of use.
COMPONENTS TO BE CONSIDERED WHEN USING
As a general rule, WebMD recommends caution when using supplements containing the following ingredients:
- Aloe vera
- black cohosh
- Cascara
- cross
- Comfrey
- ephedra
- Kava