Background

• Bupleurum (Bupleurum falcatum, Bupleurum fruticescens) has been widely used for over 2,000 years in Asia and is used today in Japan and China for hepatitis, cirrhosis, and other conditions associated with inflammation. Other traditional uses that are not supported by human scientific studies include the treatment of deafness, dizziness, diabetes, wounds, and vomiting. Bupleurum's root is an important ingredient in xiao-chai-hu-tan/sho-saiko-to, also known as Minor Bupleurum Decoction, a combination of nine herbs, including ginseng, ginger, and licorice, which is used in traditional Chinese and Japanese herbal medicine for hepatitis and cirrhosis.
• Clinical studies have suggested that this combination may be effective in the treatment of hepatitis B and in the prevention of hepatocellular carcinoma. The mixture has also shown some promise as a liver-protecting agent and as an adjuvant in the treatment of HIV infection. The effect of Bupleurum is inseparable from the effects of the other ingredients in xiao-chai-hu-tan/sho-saiko-to, and thus it is difficult to make any firm conclusions based on studies of this combination product. However, because there is some promising early clinical evidence of efficacy for these formulae in the treatment and prevention of hepatitis-associated liver disease, a number of the studies of the combination preparations are included in this review.

References

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