Consumption of Too Much Giloy Without Prescription Can be harmful: Study

The study was conducted on 43 patients -- 23 females and 20 males -- who reported symptoms of jaundice. Clinical findings revealed that all patients were suffering from chronic liver disease or liver failure.

Doctors also found that each of the patients had a history of taking a concoction of giloy.

Dr Ajay Kumar Patwa, associate professor of gastroenterology at KGMU, said, "We found that giloy was the main cause of liver issues in 67.4 per cent (29) patients as there was no other factor like excessive alcohol consumption, diabetes, thyroid, hypertension or any other etiological reason. The remaining patients consumed alcohol regularly and had comorbidities, hence they were not included among those in whom giloy was the main cause."

"Most of these patients had consumed the herbal drug without prescription or taken unprescribed doses for an average 46 days. This generated common antinuclear antibodies which started attacking liver cells and induced acute hepatitis with autoimmune hepatitis-like features," said Prof Patwa.

Also Read:Misleading, Flawed, Incomplete: AYUSH Ministry dismisses study linking Giloy to liver damage