New York Buyers’ Club - The Blog

NYBC stocks the Pacific BioLogic formulas Hepato-Detox and Hepato-C, which are crafted following the precepts of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and have been used by many of the co-op members over the years to support liver health. Below are detailed product descriptions for each formula.

 Note: in keeping with its non-profit miision, NYBC aims to stock these formulas at a very reasonable price (less than $20 each). 

Hepato-C (Pacific BioLogic) Each bottle, 100 capsules. Each capsule, 500 mg made up of a Chinese Herbal Formula for Hepatitis C: Astragalus membranaceus radix (root; huang qi), Artemisia capillaris herba (shoots and leaves, yin chen/mian & hao), Citrus aurantium fruit (bitter orange fruit, zhi ke), Codonopsis pilosularadix (high grade root, dangshen), Dryopteris crassirhizoma (root, guan zhong),Heydyotidid diffusaherb (bai hua she she cao), Lycium barbarum fructus (lycium fruit, gou qi zi), Magnolia officinalis cortex (bark, hou po (reg)), Paeoneae rubrae radix (red peony root, chi shao), Polygonum cuspidatum rhizoma (knotweed rhizome, hu zhang), Polygonum multiflorum radix (root, he shou wu), Polyporum umbellatum sclerotium (zhu ling), Rhodiole sachelanensi radix (root, hong jin tian), Salvia miltiorrhiza radix (root, dan shen) and Scutellaria barbata herb (barbat skullcap herb, ban zhi lan). This formulation has been specifically designed for hepatitis C infection.

Hepato-Detox (Pacific BioLogic) Each bottle, 100 capsules. Each capsule, 500 mg of an herbal formula designed to strengthen liver function. Combination includes salvia, codonopsis, lycium, polygonatum rhizome, astragalus, reishi, privet fruit (ligustrum),ginseng root (red ji lin) and Cornelian Asiatic cherry. Suggested use is 2 daily before bedtime. For those who want a remedy for alcohol use, 2 capsules before and after drinking.

In the May 2007 issue of Gastroenterology, investigators from the University of Washington/Seattle reported on a study of a standardized extract of milk thistle (silymarin), the botanical with a long tradition of use to treat liver disease. They concluded: “The data indicate that silymarin exerts anti-inflammatory and antiviral effects, and suggest that complementary and alternative medicine-based approaches may assist in the management of patients with chronic hepatitis C.”

OK–no big surprising news here. But it’s always nice to see more evidence and more detail about how and why a traditional botanical works effectively!

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Citation: SJ Polyak, C Morishima, MC Shuhart, and others. Inhibition of T-cell inflammatory cytokines, hepatocyte NF-kappa B signaling, and HCV infection by standardized silymarin. Gastroenterology 132(5): 1925-1936. May 2007.

Here’s an excerpt from the New York Buyers’ Club guide to using nutritional supplements in the management of liver disease. This entry deals with SAMe, which you’ll also find discussed on this Blog for its use as an anti-depressant. (SAMe is currently the subject of a multi-year National Institutes of Health study of depression at Massachusetts General and Butler Hospitals.)

See also the NYBC entry on SAMe, which explains why it may be a good idea to use this supplement together with vitamins B6, B12, folic acid and, possibly, betaine (TMG).

 S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe). SAMe is an amino acid which helps in the manufacture of the “master antioxidant” glutathione in the liver. It appears to help cell membranes function normally, and assists the liver with detoxification (removal of toxins such as ethanol and pesticides from the system). SAMe can help to normalize bile secretion by the liver, a process commonly affected in chronic liver diseases. Interestingly, in several European studies of people living with hepatitis B or C, it has also been shown to help reduce jaundice, fatigue, and chronic skin irritation and itching, while also lowering liver enzymes and bilirubin levels. Dosages of SAMe in these studies were either 800 mg given intravenously or 800 to 1,600 mg given orally. No significant side effects were reported in any of the studies with SAMe in chronic liver disease.
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As SAMe’s mechanism of action in the liver has become better understood by researchers, it’s been used to treat people with alcohol-induced damage to the liver. Basically, SAMe raises levels of the key antioxidant glutathione, which acts in the body to eliminate toxins such as ethanol and other poisons. In this way, SAMe can address cirrhosis and hepatitis stemming from alcohol abuse.

Other recent investigations have suggested that SAMe may play a role in preventing liver cancer, since it seems to have the ability to induce the death of cancerous liver cells. See, for example: Pascale RM, Simile MM, De Miglio MR, Feo F. Chemoprevention of hepatocarcinogenesis: S-adenosyl-L-methionine. Alcohol. 2002 Jul;27(3):193-8.