Case series and review of Ayurvedic medication induced liver injury
Authors
Christopher Karousatos
Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA USA
Justin Lee
Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, Newport Beach, CA USA
David Braxton
Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, Newport Beach, CA USA
Tse-Ling Fong
Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, Newport Beach, CA USA
Keywords:
Ayurveda, Ayurvedic medicine, Drug induced liver injury (DILI), Herb induced liver injury (HILI), Traditional Chinese medicine, Roussel Uclaf causality assessment method
Abstract
Complementary and alternative medicine use among Americans is prevalent. Originating in India, Ayurvedic medicine use in the United States has grown 57% since 2002. CAM accounts for a significant proportion of drug induced liver injury in India and China, but there have been only three reports of drug induced liver injury from Ayurvedic medications in the U.S. We report three cases of suspected Ayurvedic medication associated liver injury seen at a Southern California community hospital and review literature of Ayurvedic medication induced liver injury.
Case presentations
Three patients presented with acute hepatocellular injury and jaundice after taking Ayurvedic supplements for 90–120 days. First patient took Giloy Kwath consisting solely of Tinospora cordifolia. Second patient took Manjishthadi Kwatham and Aragwadhi Kwatham, which contained 52 and 10 individual plant extracts, respectively. Third patient took Kanchnar Guggulu, containing 10 individual plant extracts. Aminotransferase activities decreased 50% in < 30 days and all 3 patients made a full recovery. Roussel Uclaf Causality Assessment Method (RUCAM) scores were 7–8, indicating probable causality. These products all contained ingredients in other Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese medicines with previously reported associations with drug induced liver injury.
Conclusions
These patients highlight the risk of drug induced liver injury from Ayurvedic medications and the complexity of determining causality. There is a need for a platform like LiverTox.gov to catalog Ayurvedic ingredients causing liver damage.
Supplementary Information
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12906-021-03251-z.
Keywords: Ayurveda, Ayurvedic medicine, Drug induced liver injury (DILI), Herb induced liver injury (HILI), Traditional Chinese medicine, Roussel Uclaf causality assessment method
Author Biography
Tse-Ling Fong, Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, Newport Beach, CA USA
Division of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 1510 San Pablo Street, 2/F, Los Angeles, CA 90033 USA
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