M.L., a 51-year-old male (5’11”, lbs), was diagnosed with Hepatitis C about 10 years ago. He contracted the virus from drug use several years before as well as drinking alcohol. His liver enzymes at that time were constantly high. The diagnosis was a wake-up call for him. He immediately stopped drinking alcohol and changed his diet. His doctor recommended some conventional therapy for him but it was too expensive and he wanted to try something natural. So he started taking Liver Chi. To date, his liver enzymes have reduced (Table 1). His liver function improved as well. He has a lot of energy and is fairly healthy considering his condition. His doctor is so happy with his progress and told him to continue whatever he’s doing. Although M.L.’s liver enzymes are still high, his overall wellbeing is much better and he’s not suffering from symptoms of severe liver disease compared to his brother (see next case).







J.L, M.L.’s younger brother, was also diagnosed with Hepatitis C around the same time but had a different story. He was 36 at that time. Despite his diagnosis, he continued drinking alcohol and didn’t take any medication or supplement to support or improve his liver function. Eventually, his Hepatitis C developed into liver cirrhosis. His condition became so serious that he had severe weight loss, had no energy at all and had dizziness. He could not work at all. He also had ascites (fluid buildup in the abdominal cavity). Fluid needed to be drained from his abdomen every 2 weeks. Then he started bleeding through his mouth due to ruptured esophageal varices as a result of portal hypertension from the liver cirrhosis. He also suffered from seizures and became comatose (due to hepatic encephalopathy). He passed away at age 46 in September 2015.

While Hepatitis can be asymptomatic and go undetected for a long time, there are certain symptoms and physical markers that can alert us to a possible liver problem.

If you have the following symptoms, you may have liver problems:

• Dry mouth 
• Bitter or metallic taste 
• Fatigue 
• Bloating 
• Jaundice
• Right quadrant abdominal pain
• Discomfort or pressure on both ribs or just on one side
• No appetite
• Loss of taste in mouth

The thickness and width of the tongue as well as the veins under it can also determine liver disease. About 90% of hepatitis patients have only 2 veins under the tongue that start at the base with vein diameter of less than 3mm. If you see multiple branching veins that are bulging, that is most likely cirrhosis or, sometimes liver cancer. Furthermore, most hepatitis patients have a thick tongue, but not wide.

You can also check out the October 30, 2015 issue of the Chi Health Letter for more liver markers.

Checking your liver enzymes, ALT and AST, can be beneficial, too; however, liver enzymes may only be slightly elevated in hepatitis. But even if your enzymes are within normal range but if your AST/ALT ratio is over 0.8, you may already have a liver problem. If your AST is twice as high as your ALT, this is usually a sign of alcohol-induced hepatitis.

A sudden, sharp increase of liver enzymes (in the 100s) may be due to taking Tylenol with alcohol. This is a sign of acute liver disease.

When hepatitis is left uncontrolled, it can develop into liver cirrhosis and then to liver cancer. We see this in the following example where the patient already developed ascites (fluid buildup in the abdomen), jaundice and had severe unintended weight loss.

J.R., 55 y/o/m from CA, had alcohol-induced hepatitis. It eventually developed into liver cirrhosis and he exhibited symptoms such as ascites (Figure 1), extreme weight loss (147 to 127 lbs), edema, fatigue, and jaundice in the skin and sclera (Figure 2). He also had a red tongue with a lot of coating (Figure 3) which may indicate digestive cancer. In J.R.’s case, his cirrhosis may already have progressed to liver cancer.

If left untreated, Hepatitis C can cause liver damage leading to cirrhosis and liver cancer. There is a way of calculating your risk for liver cancer through a point system using liver enzyme levels, RNA titer, age and the presence of cirrhosis. The Hepatitis C RNA virus has seven genotypes, 1 to 7. In this test, Genotype I HCV RNA with a high titer is assigned the most points.













If you add all the points according to the criteria above, you can determine your risk for liver cancer (Table 2). The chance of developing liver cancer from Hepatitis C increases with the total points. So let us look at M.L.’s case, for example. His ALT is between 16 and 145 (2 points), AST/ALT is <1 (0), no RNA titer (0), no cirrhosis (0) and his age is 51 (3 points). So his total points is under 21, which puts him at <40% risk for liver cancer (see Table 3). 

You’ve probably heard about it in the news. A fairly new Hepatitis C drug Sovaldi, when used with another drug, can supposedly cure Hepatitis C in 12 weeks. But at what price? A whopping $84,000! That’s $1,000 per day of treatment. Needless to say, that cost is very prohibitive for most patients and has even strained the Medicaid budget.

Curing Hepatitis C is a big deal for sufferers because it can eventually develop into liver cirrhosis and, worse, liver cancer. So for people who cannot afford the Hepatitis C drug, a natural alternative is available in Liver Chi.

Liver Chi is a combination of herbs proven to improve liver function and inhibit the Hepatitis virus. It has been shown to reduce elevated liver enzymes and improve symptoms associated with liver disease such as fatigue, bloating, jaundice, loss of appetite, constipation and more.

Liver Chi Stimulates Interferon Production

In Hepatitis C, typical treatment involves interferon therapy. However, this therapy may not always be effective or have side effects. Liver Chi acts on lymph cells, increasing antibody production. This can directly stimulate phagocytes and the peripheral mono-nucleoid cell production of interferon.

Liver Chi Suppresses Hepatitis C Expression and Replication

Studies show that Liver Chi significantly suppressed Hepatitis C virus expression and replication both inside and outside cells in six days without any toxic effect on the cultured cell. Looking at Figures 4 and 5, at the dose of 10 pg/ml, the HCV RNA inside the cells was almost completely suppressed after 144 hours or six days (Figure 4). With 10 pg/ml of Liver Chi, the HCV RNA outside the cells was completely suppressed after 144 hours or six days (Figure 5). You will see a downward trend of the amount of HCV RNA both inside and outside the cells with Liver Chi. Without treatment, however, the amount of HCV RNA will have an upward trend because the virus will just keep replicating.






























Because Liver Chi can suppress the Hepatitis C virus fairly quickly, patients may already experience a relief of symptoms after taking it. We see this in the following example.

J.G., 51-year-old male from California, had stage 3.5 liver cirrhosis due to Hepatitis C and was due for a transplant. He exhibited jaundice, fatigue, ascites, edema and weight loss (lost 38 lbs). So he started taking Liver Chi, Cordyceps Extract and Reishi Spore Extract. After 1 ½ months, his energy and mental clarity improved. His ascites and edema cleared. He has gained back 15 lbs, which is a very good sign in cirrhosis.

Stopping the expression and replication of the HCV RNA virus both inside and outside the cells is therefore very important and it is what makes Liver Chi so effective for Hepatitis C.

Let us look at how the virus affects the liver cell. The virus initially attacks the liver cell only. In Figure 6, you can see that the Hep C virus can replicate within an intact liver cell. When there is too much Hep C virus inside the cell, the virus eventually comes out of the intact cell and lysates other liver cells. The body’s own immune system may not be able to keep up with the viral replication, so this is where Liver Chi becomes beneficial. Since Liver Chi inhibits Hep C virus expression and replication outside the cells, then the virus stays intact inside the cells, making it easier to manage. It can no longer lysate normal liver cells, preventing further infection. This also makes it easier for our own immune system to attack and get rid of the virus.

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