A significant number of people with hepatitis C cannot take interferon and ribavirin or cannot tolerate the side effects. In others, the drugs simply don't work on the virus. Research is ongoing to find other therapies for these people.
Alternative therapies now in use for hepatitis C include several different herbs. It should be emphasized that none of these alternative and complementary therapies has been proven to work in any scientific study. They are not recommended by any medical authority as an alternative to interferon and ribavirin in people able to take these medications. The most promising complementary therapy is milk thistle.
Other herbs may be taken as complementary therapy to help relieve the side effects of interferon. These include ginger (to reduce nausea) and St. John's wort (to relieve depression).
Like all herbal preparations, the manufacture and contents of these products is not standardized in the United States and is not regulated by any government body.
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