Yet, it should be mentioned that conventional therapies have been proven to work in a substantial portion of patients. Because milk thistle does not dissolve well in water, the herb is not effective in the form of a tea. It currently is marketed in the United States as a dietary supplement in the form of capsules containing 200 milligrams of a concentrated extract with 140 milligrams of silymarin. That May Help Licorice Root Herbalists use tea made with licorice root to manage some of the effects hepatitis has on the liver. The scientific name for licorice root is Glycyrrhiza glabra , and its active component is called glycyrrhizin.
Studies suggest that licorice root displays antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties.
Licorice root does come with a warning, however. Glycyrrhizin has been used in Japan for more than 20 years as a treatment for chronic hepatitis. In a 1998 review of several randomized controlled trials, researchers reported that treatment with glycyrrhizin is effective in easing liver disease in some people. Several of the trials reviewed indicated improvements in liver tissue that had been damaged by hepatitis. Some of them also showed improvements in how well the liver does its job.