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Daihuang ©Erich Stöger

Liver damage caused due to Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) occurs rarely, but it is probably the most important side effect to be considered with this therapy. It accounts for nearly half of all reports of adverse drug reactions to the CTCA (Center for Safety of Chinese Herbal Medicine, Berlin). Slight elevation of liver enzymes up to twice the normal upper limit are more likely to be an adaptation response of the liver to increased metabolic activity than damage [1]. Higher enzyme elevations occur in just under one percent of CHM treatments and these are usually normalized with continuation of therapy or after dose reduction [2, 3]. Approximately 75% of the liver values, which had already been increased before therapy, decreased during CHM therapy or remained the same [3].

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