Not everyone can tolerate the side effects of interferon, the standard treatment for hepatitis C. That leaves a lot of hepatitis C carriers stuck with fatigue and a less healthy life, which has led many to try herbal treatments. But the data on herbs are inconclusive. A group of Minnesota researchers tried out some traditional Chinese herbal medicines that are used extensively in Asia to treat hepatitis C.

What the researchers wanted to know: Do Chinese herbal medicines help hepatitis C patients?

What they did: The researchers recruited patients through clinics and advertising. Patients were excluded if they'd had antiviral treatment recently, if they had other liver disease, or if they consumed more than two alcoholic drinks a day. Forty-five patients entered the study, and 31 made it all the way through the follow-up visits. Half the subjects took a combination of 10 traditional Chinese herbs and the other 10 took a placebo; no one knew whether a patient was getting the herbs or the placebo. Both groups took the tablets twice a day for 12 weeks. At several office visits, the participants were asked how they were doing and had blood taken to check on their liver and kidneys.

What they found: The herbal medicines were no different from the placebo. Liver function was the same in people taking herbs and placebo. Neither group had less virus at the end of the trial, and quality of life showed no improvement, either. Side effects were mild, and there were about the same number in the two groups.

What it means to you: The evidence on using herbs for hepatitis C is still shaky.

Caveats: This is a very small pilot study. Most of the subjects were middle-aged, white, and male, so the results might not apply to others.

Find out more: Information on Radix astragali, one of the 10 herbs in this study, from a database of Chinese herbs

Read the article: Jakkula, M. et al. "A Randomized Trial of Chinese Herbal Medicines for the Treatment of Symptomatic Hepatitis C." Archives of Internal Medicine. June 28, 2004, Vol. 164, pp. 1341–1346.