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Hep C, Complementary & Alternative Medicine

Licorice Root
Licorice root is the peeled or unpeeled dried root of the licorice plant (Glycyrrhiza glabra). The primary active component of licorice root is a substance called glycyrrhizin. Licorice root has been in use in China since the second and third century B.C. and in the West since Egyptian, Greek, and Roman times.

Schisandra
Schisandra is a plant that has been used (through extracts from its fruit) in traditional Chinese medicine and in Kampo, traditional Japanese medicine. There are several species, including Schisandra chinensis, native to northeastern China and Korea, and Schisandra sphenanthera, native to China.

What does conventional treatment for chronic hepatitis C consist of?

People who have a mild case of hepatitis C may only need to manage it by visiting their doctor regularly and following their doctor's recommendations--such as eating a nutritious diet, avoiding alcohol (because of its impact on the liver), and getting regular exercise.

For people with more severe hepatitis C, however, drug therapy may be needed. A drug called interferon is the mainstay of conventional treatment. Interferon is often combined with an antiviral (virus-fighting) drug called ribavirin.

Such combination therapies are usually taken for 6 months to 1 year. Approximately 55 percent of patients treated with the combination of interferon and ribavirin for 1 year will achieve a sustained response (that is, a sustained benefit from treatment).1 If a patient does not achieve a sustained response, his doctor may decide whether another course of treatment (re-treatment) is appropriate.

Combination regimens benefit many patients. However, their side effects can be difficult for some patients to tolerate. These side effects can include flu-like symptoms (such as body aches, fever, chills, and fatigue); nausea and other gastrointestinal problems; hair loss; emotional changes; skin reactions; and, in more severe cases, depression, organ damage, blood conditions, and other problems.

How commonly do people with hepatitis C use CAM therapies, what do they use?
While there have been no surveys yet on the use of CAM by persons with hepatitis C specifically, there is some data from a survey published in 2002 on the use of CAM by persons who have chronic liver diseases (such as hepatitis, liver cancer, alcoholic liver disease, or cirrhosis).2 This survey of 989 patients being treated for various liver diseases at six clinics in the United States found that 39 percent used some form of "alternative therapy."

The therapy they used the most was herbals or botanicalsd (21 percent). However, the herbals and botanicals were used for reasons besides liver disease, such as depression. Thirteen percent of all survey participants used herbals or botanicals specifically for their liver disease, and they used only milk thistle (12 percent) or licorice root (1 percent). The other most commonly used CAM therapies were self-prayere (18 percent), and (from 6 to 9 percent each) relaxation, megavitamins, massage, chiropractic, and spiritual healing.

Herbs are plants or plant parts valued for their flavor, scent, and/or therapeutic properties. "Herbals" and "botanicals" are synonyms and mean herbal and botanical products.

Self-prayer is when an individual prays for himself. It can be contrasted with intercessory prayer, in which an individual prays for others.

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