Research Progress on Traditional Chinese Medicine in Treating Viral Hepatitis： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ABSTRACT

Viral hepatitis is an important cause of liver cirrhosis and liver cancer， which has become a major public health problem in the world. Traditional Chinese medicine has unique advantages in treating viral hepatitis， which can inhibit virus replication and enhance immunity. It can effectively prevent liver fibrosis and canceration， improving liver function and symptoms significantly with definite clinical curative effects， a high level of safety， and seldom drug resistance. In addition， it reduces the side effects of western medicine， achieving the effect of synergy and attenuation while reducing the recurrence rate of patients after drug withdrawal. Attention has been paid to the research on the treatment of viral hepatitis with traditional Chinese medicine， and great progress has been made in experimental research and clinical practice. In this paper， the research progress of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of viral hepatitis at home and abroad in recent five years was systematically reviewed. Modern research has confirmed that traditional Chinese medicine can play a role in the treatment of viral hepatitis by directly or indirectly inhibiting the virus， anti-inflammatory， anti-fibrosis， anti-oxidation， regulating immunity， regulating autophagy， and other signal pathways. In clinics， traditional Chinese medicine compound or combined with western medicine is often adopted to ameliorate the clinical symptoms of patients such as fatigue and loss of appetite， improve the immune mechanism of the body， enhance the antiviral ability， shorten the treatment course of patients and improve their quality of life. The research provides a reference for pharmacological research， clinical research， and new drug development for viral hepatitis.