Рет қаралды 26,509
Hi! I'm Stelios Pantazis.
I'm a doctor and I specialize in
medical nutrition and metabolic disorders.
Today, I'm talking about
the herbal preparations
that seem to help most in the treatment
of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
In a previous video, I talked
about the ideal diet
for the treatment
of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
You should start by watching that video,
if you haven't done so already.
Or you can watch it after you watch this.
Today, I'm presenting the herbs that help,
but before I start, I'd like to point out
that all the herbs I'll mention
have been extensively tested,
and although the results
that have been published in the studies
are impressive, in no case
do they constitute a treatment
for the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Officially, no institution promotes
their use
for the treatment of this disease.
However, many doctors and healers
consider them useful
and recommend them in certain cases.
Please, do not use them on your own,
but only with the help
and under the supervision of a doctor
that is willing to help you.
Even if the doctor has no knowledge
or experience on the use
of these herbal preparations,
they will be able to guide and protect you
if your health is at risk.
Moreover, for each herb, I'll tell you
the best and simplest way to use it.
In some cases, it may be as tea,
while in other cases, this is not possible.
For example, the active ingredients
of milk thistle don't pass into water,
therefore it's not active if used as tea.
In each case, I'll tell you
how you can include it in your diet
easily and correctly.
Let's see these herbs.
Milk thistle.
Milk thistle is the most famous
and the most effective herb
for the treatment
of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
It has been tested in tens of studies
and although the results are
not the same in all cases,
if you want to try something, milk thistle
is the first thing you should try.
Many studies have shown
that its use protects the liver,
which is reflected in the reduction
of liver and cholestatic enzymes,
as well as in the significant increase
of indices that show rejuvenation
and regeneration of the liver.
Milk thistle is a herb with very powerful
anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects
and it seems to help the liver a lot.
It is also really safe.
It has been used for thousands of years
in traditional medicine,
and its protective action in the liver
has been confirmed
by rather wide and noteworthy studies.
Milk thistle, like some of the herbs
I'll mention today,
is not active as tea.
If you add milk thistle to water
and boil it, it won't help you.
Its active ingredients
do not pass into water.
The only way to take it
is in dietary supplements.
Ginseng.
Ginseng is the most famous herb in Asia,
where it has been used
for thousands of years
for the treatment of many conditions,
with impressive success rates.
Like milk thistle, it has very powerful
anti-inflammatory effects
and it seems to protect the liver
from the adverse effects
of toxins and alcohol.
Some studies have shown that it increases
the liver regeneration
after damage or surgery.
Studies on humans are much fewer than
those carried out for milk thistle,
but the results are really promising.
Ginseng is widely used in many forms
in Asia and all over the world,
and, in general, it's very safe.
But you should be careful when using it,
because it interacts with some drugs,
therefore before you decide to use it,
you must ask for your doctor's advice.
Green tea.
You all know green tea as a beverage,
but studies have used its extract
in the form of a tablet.
Today, we're talking about
these preparations, not the beverage.
You may have heard that green tea
has very strong anti-oxidant effects
and it has been extensively used
for the treatment
of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Studies have shown that it reduces
liver enzymes with impressive consistency,
as well as the liver inflammation indices.
However, these were short-term studies,
therefore we're not sure
if these benefits last in time.
Green tea as a beverage hasn't been tested
in similar studies,
however, there's no reason why
we shouldn't consume it.
Licorice.
Some studies have shown that licorice
has anti-inflammatory effects
and protects the liver too.
These studies are fewer than
the studies on milk thistle and ginseng,
but they've shown that it reduces
liver enzymes and inflammation indices.
However, these are early data
and this is not one of the herbs
that we try first for the treatment
of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Turmeric.
In a previous video, I extensively mentioned
the countless benefits of turmeric
and its active ingredient, curcumin,
for our health.
Some studies claim that curcumin
protects the liver too,
because it reduces the liver enzymes
of people with fatty liver
and it also reduces
the inflammation indices.