A Comprehensive Review on the Use of Herbal Dietary Supplements in the USA, Reasons for Their Use, and Review of Potential Hepatotoxicity

Abstract

Herbal and dietary supplement (HDS) use has grown exponentially in the United States. Unfortunately, the incidence of HDS-related liver injury has proportionally increased. Despite the potential for certain HDSs to cause clinically significant liver injury, they are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. Recent efforts have been made to regulate HDSs but are far removed from the scrutiny of prescription medications. Scant literature exists on HDSs and their risks of causing liver injury. In this comprehensive review, we examine trends of HDS use in the United States and the pathophysiologic mechanisms of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) of certain HDSs. Finally, we review usage rates; benefits, if any; purported pathophysiology of DILI; and propensity for progression to fulminant hepatic failure of nine HDSs linked to clinically significant DILI.