Table 2.

Few important hepatoprotective herbal products alongside their source and possible mechanism of action in vivo and in‐vitro

Herbal medicine	Botanical source	Potential target/mechanism of action	References
Crypto‐tanshinone	Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge.	Protects hepatocytes from lipopolysaccharide‐ and ethanol‐induced cell death by inhibiting production and nuclear translocation of sterol regulatory element binding protein‐1, and the consequent transactivation of the target genes involved in fatty acid biosynthesis in dose‐dependent manner primary cultured rat hepatocytes	(Yin et al., 2009)
Glycyrrhizin	Licorice (Glycyrrhiza sp.)	Glycyrrhizin administered in PLC/PRF/5 cells suppressed the secretion of HBsAg into the culture medium and concluded that glycyrrhizin modifies the intracellular transport and the surface nature of the hepatocytes Glycyrrhizin administered intraperitoneally inhibits the lipopolysaccharide‐ and D‐galactosamine‐induced liver injury by preventing inflammatory responses and IL‐18 production in mice Glycyrrhizin inhibited anti‐Fas antibody‐induced hepatitis in mice by acting upstream of CPP32‐like protease Administration of glycyrrhizin or glycyrrhetinic acid, significantly suppressed α2 (I) collagen gene promoter activation and progression of liver fibrosis induced by repeated CCl4 injections in transgenic mice	(Liew, Erali, Page, Hillyard, & Wittwer, 2004; Martell et al., 1992; Ogata, Alter, Miller, & Purcell, 1991; Sato et al., 1996)
Phyllanthin	Phyllanthus amarus Schum. et Thonn.	Phyllanthin help in restoration of antioxidant potential of rat hepatocytes, level of GSH, and SOD and GR activities reduced by ethanol	(Chirdchupunseree & Pramyothin, 2010)
p‐Methoxy benzoic acid	Capparis spinosa L.	The compound alleviated the enzyme levels increased as result of administration of CCl4, and PCL	(Gadgoli & Mishra, 1999)
Silymarin	Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn.	Silymarin attenuated the rifampicin‐ and/or pyrogallol‐induced hepatotoxicity by restoring the alterations in the expression and activity of CYP1A2 and CYP2E1, glutathione‐S‐transferase, glutathione reductase and glutathione peroxidase, and lipid peroxidation in male Swiss albino mice. Silymarin suppresses N‐nitrosodiethylamine induced hepatocarcinogenesis by modulating the antioxidant defense status of the animals	(Farghali et al., 2000; Upadhyay et al., 2007)

Note. HBsAg = hepatitis B surface antigen; CPP32 = 32‐kDa putative cysteine protease; CCl₄ = carbon tetrachloride; GSH = glutathione, SOD = superoxide dismutase; GR = glutathione reductase; CYP = Cytochrome P450; PCL = Paracetamol.