Is herbal medicine effective in the management of patients with chronic hepatitis C?

Abstract

• Dear Editor
• Many thanks for providing us with the opportunity to discuss our article entitled: Effects of silybum marianum on patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV).¹ We were glad to receive Dr.Alavian's comment entitled “Herbal medicine and liver disease, for any conclusion we need more studies”. HCV is a major cause of liver-related morbidity and mortality.² Ribavirin plus interferon combination therapy is presently considered as an optimal treatment for patients with chronic hepatitis C, but the recommended treatment regimen is concerned with considerable expense, adverse effects and poor efficacy in some patients. Although the popularity of silymarin has been increased in people with liver diseases,^3,4 a few evidences with controversial results exist regarding the effect of silymarin on chronic HCV infection.