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Herbal Diet Medicine: does it raise liver enzymes?
Herbal medicine from Korean medicine clinics and liver injury, answered with a large Korean study
A large Korean study found that herbal medicine prescribed after an examination at a Korean medicine clinic did not meaningfully raise the risk of liver injury. In a 2025 study of about 670,000 patients with drug-induced liver injury, the risk of liver injury after taking herbal medicine as an outpatient was 0.99 times, almost the same as before taking it.
Summarized from this study by Dr. Park Ji-seon of ACRO Korean Medicine Clinic in Sinnonhyeon, Gangnam.
What was the study?
A research team from Seoul National University and Dankook University studied people diagnosed with drug-induced liver injury in Korea from 2011 to 2019, analyzing 672,411 peoplein all. The results were published in Frontiers in Pharmacology in 2025. Because the method compares the same person before and after taking the medicine, individual differences such as constitution, lifestyle and existing illness have little influence.
| Conventional medicine | Herbal medicine prescribed at Korean medicine clinics | |
|---|---|---|
| Outpatients and inpatients | Liver injury risk rose sharply between days 3 and 15 of use, then fell | No meaningful rise over the full 90 days (outpatients 0.99×) |
| Patients with existing liver disease | Rose sharply between days 3 and 15 | Rose slightly at some time points |
These results apply only to herbal medicine diagnosed and prescribed by Korean medicine doctors at Korean medicine clinics and hospitals. They do not include health shop products, products sold online, or herbal juices.
When liver enzymes still rise
- Individual reactions — A small number of people react to a particular herb, as in an allergy. This can happen regardless of the dose, and in most cases it resolves quickly once the medicine is stopped
- When other causes overlap — Alcohol, lack of sleep, intense exercise, and other medicines or supplements can also briefly raise liver enzymes (AST·ALT). When this overlaps with taking herbal medicine, the herbal medicine may seem to be the cause
- Herbal medicine made outside medical institutions — Some are made without a diagnosis or without quality control, so care is needed
Please tell us first if this applies to you
If you have liver disease or have had high liver enzymes before, or if you take several medicines or supplements, please be sure to tell us at your visit. In people with existing liver disease, risk rose slightly at some time points even with herbal medicine, so we look more carefully before prescribing.
At ACRO
We use only hGMP-certified, pharmaceutical-grade herbs and keep checking on you while you take them. If you have a health checkup or other tests, stop taking the medicine two days before. View safety & medication care
- Does herbal diet medicine contain ephedra (Mahuang)?
- Yes. Ephedra (Mahuang) is the main herb in the herbal diet medicine at ACRO Korean Medicine Clinic.
- What side effects can herbal diet medicine have, and how are they managed?
- The most common discomforts while taking herbal diet medicine are constipation and insomnia, followed by dizziness, palpitations, headache and indigestion.
Related questions
Reviewed by Dr. Lim Joo-hyuk and Dr. Park Ji-seon ·
Studies referenced
- Yang T, Ahn J, Won S, Lee S. Frontiers in Pharmacology 2025. doi:10.3389/fphar.2025.1498124