Hepatitis is a word not a complete sentence
As per Ayurveda the liver is called yakrut or yakruta or yakrit. The word yakrut is the combination of Sanskrit words “ya” and “krut.” Ya denotes activity and krut denotes several meanings such as “to breakdown”.
Liver is considered as the largest organ of the body engaged in the activity of breaking down. Yakrut is also used known for “restoration” because it helps bring back damaged body tissues to a normal physiological state.
In Ayurveda, the role of liver is explained in relation to pathogens (dosha), tissues (dhatu) and its development, muscle (mamsa), heart (hridroga), blood (rakta), respiration (pranavaha srotas), and excretion (mala). The liver may be affected in the diseases involving these systems.
In modern medicine, through its involvement in the metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins, the liver is known to play a central role in maintaining metabolic homeostasis.
It converts sugar into glycogen, carbohydrates and proteins into fats, toxic ammonia into nontoxic urea, etc. It produces bile, blood coagulating and anti-coagulating factors, proteins, and enzymes. It stores critical trace elements and vitamins and is responsible for detoxification and elimination of various toxins, carcinogens, nitrogen-containing waste products, and alcohol.
The symptoms include increased serum bilirubin (pittavriddhi), decreased hepatic uptake (yakruta dhatwagni manya), decreased hepatic conjugation (saman vikruti), hepatocellular damage (yakruta shotha), biliary stasis (sang), steostasis (medomay, yakrut medoj siragranthi), and cirrhosis (yakrutshosh).
According to Ayurveda, hepatitis is a disease of the circulatory system and is categorized under biliary (pitta) diseases; ranjaka pitta is the type of biliary fluid. The liver secretes Pachaka pitta (more than 500 cc in a day) and is stored in the gall bladder (pittashaya). The stored bile gets reabsorbed and leaves a fraction of original bile (tyakta drava pitta). The concentration of original bile in the circulation is critical and any derangement leads to diseases arising out of weak digestive and metabolic activity (agni vaishamya). The more dilution of bile in the gall bladder results predominantly in symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and fever. When the concentration is too high, it leads to symptoms like burning sensations, thirst, profuse sweating, giddiness etc.
There are two main classifications of Hepatitis as per Ayurveda:
Hepatitis could also be intrahepatic (swatantra) or extra hepatic jaundice (paratantra). The other minor types of hepatitis are chronic hepatic failure (kumba kamala), fulminant hepatic failure (halimaka), and hepatorenal syndrome (panaki).
Hemolytic hepatitis is generally associated with anemia. Destruction of red blood cells and hemoglobin (increased malaroopa ranjaka pitta), due to the diet and lifestyle that increase pitta (pittavardhaka ahara and vihara), leads to enhanced bilirubin formation.
The obstructive hepatitis is due to the obstruction in the biliary flow. Water (kapha) or fluid accumulation obstructing the passage channels of biliary system results in this manifestation. The stools will be clay colored (tilapista nibha) until bile comes to the intestine (kosta).
Diagnostic Tests for Liver Disorders
Types of Hepatitis Virus
| Test Name | Biochemical Analysis |
| Alkaline amino transferase (up to 35 IU/l) | Elevation indicates degree of inflammation and possible causes for the disease |
| Alkaline phosphatase (53–128 IU/l)
Gamma glutamyl transpeptidase (G-50 IU/l) |
Elevation suggestive of obstructive liver diseases and liver cancer ,GT is an indicator of alcohol usage |
| Total bilirubin (0.2–1.0 mg/dl),Direct bilirubin (0–0.2 mg/dl) | Elevation indicates diseases of the liver and bile ducts |
| Albumin (3.5–5.0 g/dl) | Decreased level suggests chronic liver disease and liver cancer, particularly worse cases, though a decrease is also noticed in generalized protein deficiency conditions (e.g., kwashiokar and marasmus) |
| Alpha feto protein (up to 10 ng/ml) | Specifically rises to 500 ng/ml during hepatic carcinoma |
| Abnormal clotting studies | Suggestive of worsening chronic liver disease |
Himalayan Heal perspective towards Liver disorders and Hepatitis
- Clean the path
- Rejuvenate the local mechanism
- Minimize the effect of the virus
- Remove Obstruction among minute channels.
- Provide a good life to RBCs and defense mechanism of the body
- Clearing biliary tract blockage by laxatives is the basic line of its treatment.
- The vitiated pathogens removed with the curative therapy and live regenerative protocol will be followed as essential management.
There are some “interesting” combinations that are frequently found in liver formulas such as bhasmas but the prominent materials are derived from roots, barks, leaves, flowers, and fruits. Ayurveda believes in balancing all the three dosha in the equilibrium state, so we do. However, no individual herb alone is considered useful for promoting liver disorders. Rather, a combination of herbs is used in with the purpose of correcting a functional or organic problem that caused liver disorders.
References: Mali, M.D. and Kulkarni, P.H., Clinical interpretation of LFT with Ayurvedic point of view, in Ayurved and Hepatic Disorders, Kulkarni, P. H., Ed., Sri Satguru Publications, Delhi, 2001.Nanal, V., Liver disorders and their Ayurvedic management, in Ayurveda and Hepatic Disorders, Kulkarni, P.H., Ed., Sri Satguru Publications, Delhi, 2001 .
