Although the liver is highly resistant to various harmful factors and the ability to recover, the list of diseases affecting this organ is very large.
Causes of liver disease
The most common causes of problems with the liver are:
- virus lesions (primarily hepatitis);
- toxic lesions (including the effect of certain medications);
- alcohol abuse;
- metabolic disorders as a result of malnutrition;
- infectious and parasitic lesions;
- hereditary diseases;
- tumor lesions;
- injury.
The main symptoms and treatment of liver disease
Regardless of the cause and the specific disease, there are a number of common symptoms that are characteristic of virtually any liver damage. These include:
- yellowing of the skin and eyes;
- irritations and skin rashes;
- feeling of bitterness in the mouth;
- plaque on the tongue;
- enlargement of the liver in size;
- discomfort and pain in the right hypochondrium;
- nausea, a violation of appetite;
- change in color of urine and feces;
- increased fatigue.
Treatment of liver diseases is usually complex and involves the elimination of specific causes and symptoms, taking medications to maintain and normalize the liver, a sparing diet.
Medicines for the treatment of liver diseases
Vegetable preparations
The most effective in diseases of the liver and their treatment is spotted thistle, thanks to the content of such a substance as silymarin. Drugs of milk thistle are used for toxic liver damage, cirrhosis, hepatosis, cholecystitis. Milk thistle is a part of such medicines as:
- Karsil;
- Carlsle Forte;
- Legalon;
- Silymarin;
- Sylimar.
In the popular drug Gepabene, in addition to milk thistle, there is also an extract of a lambskin. The second common herbal remedy is artichoke and the means based on it (Hofitol), which have a hepatoprotective and choleretic effect.
Preparations of animal origin
There are few such medicines, they are made on the basis of pig liver (Hepatosan) or liver hydrolysates of cattle (Sirepar). They have a protective and detoxifying effect.
Essential Phospholipids
These drugs help restore cell membranes and normalize metabolism in liver cells. These include:
- Essentiale ;
- The Essler;
- Phosphogliv.
Preparations based on amino acids
These are the drugs that provide hepatoprotective, antidepressant, regenerating, antitoxic, antioxidant, antifibrozing and neuroprotective effects:
- Heptral;
- Heptor.
Preparations of this group are the most expensive and most effective.
Treatment of liver diseases folk remedies
In addition to the artichoke and milk thistle mentioned above, other herbs, as well as mixtures thereof, are widely used in folk medicine for the treatment of liver diseases.
In inflammatory diseases of the liver and as a cholagogue means decoction of dandelion roots is used.
As a cholagogue and diuretic, an infusion of plantain roots is used.
In the treatment of fatty hepatosis, you can:
- Prepare a mixture of milk thistle and dandelion roots (2 parts each), nettles, birch buds and goldenrod (1 part each).
- The mixture is brewed from the calculation of a tablespoon of collection per cup of boiling water.
- Insist 1 hour in a thermos bottle.
- In day it is necessary to drink two glasses of broth.
In addition, in the treatment of liver diseases use:
- broths of leaves of strawberries, wild rose berries, St. John's wort, chicory root;
- juices of carrots, beets, celery.
It should be remembered that liver diseases can have serious consequences, and folk remedies are most effective not in themselves but as part of complex treatment.