Plant extracts with putative hepatoprotective activity

Abstract The liver is one of the most important organs in the human body with crucial functions such as metabolism, secretion, storage, and detoxification. Due to the liver’s vital duties, hepatic diseases are among the most important health problems because they can cause various complications and also may result in death. Plants have traditionally been used to treat and prevent liver diseases as well as many other diseases for centuries. Today, phytotherapeutic approaches have become popular because of the side effects of existing drugs used in therapy, and the number of research studies in this field has increased considerably. The results obtained from in vivo and in vitro studies are remarkable. Studies conducted with different extracts of many traditional plants have shown that these plants have promising hepatoprotective effects. Although different pathways and mechanisms were mentioned, the plants’ curative effects have been mostly associated with their antioxidant activities. The available data clearly demonstrate the healing power of herbal products in hepatic disorders. However, in order to make these herbals/herbal products usable in treatment, they need to be standardized and their efficacy/safety should be supported by detailed biochemical and clinical studies.