Q Is it safe for the liver to take hwa-byung herbal medicine for a long time?
A Hwa-byung prescriptions made from GMP-certified herbs are safe even with long-term use, and periodic liver function monitoring is recommended.
Detailed Answer
Concerns about herbal hepatotoxicity mainly arise from unlicensed products or herbs contaminated with heavy metals. The GMP-certified herbs prescribed at a Korean medicine clinic undergo heavy-metal and pesticide-residue testing to ensure safety. Prescriptions of the Sihosogan-tang and Hwangnyeonhaedok-tang families have had their safety confirmed in clinical practice over several decades. For long-term use of 6 months or more, we recommend periodically checking liver function tests (AST, ALT).
Korean Medicine Clinic Perspective
At Dongjedang, we assess whether there are any liver function abnormalities through history-taking at the first visit, and if needed, add liver-protecting herbs (Astragalus, Poria) to the prescription. For patients with abnormal liver function values, we design the prescription more carefully, and if you bring your blood test results, a more accurate prescription is possible.
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