Hepatoprotective Role of Medicinal Plants

With its ability to self-regenerate, the liver is considered an important gland in the human body, performing essential functions such as the production of vital proteins, lipids, lipoproteins, glucose homeostasis as well as the production and secretion of vitamin stores and bile acids. Therefore, any impairment of the organ can lead to serious problems in our bodies. There are various forms of disorders associated with an unhealthy liver, which affect the liver in different ways and can be detected by observing various general symptoms and some specific diagnostic tests. To treat and control these hazardous effects on our bodies, various medicines are available in the market that are mainly derived from plants and plant products. As they have fewer side effects, herbal medicines have attracted much attention for alleviating various liver diseases while maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Moreover, nanobased delivery of natural products shows higher hepatoprotective activity than crude extracts. In this chapter, various hepatoprotective functions of medicinal plants and their nano-based drug delivery have been highlighted.