HERBS OF THE GENUS PHYLLANTHUS IN THE TREATMENT OF CHRONIC HEPATITIS-B - OBSERVATIONS WITH 3 PREPARATIONS FROM DIFFERENT GEOGRAPHIC SITES

It has been suggested that herbs of the Phyllanthus family may have an tiviral activity. We therefore tested the effects of three different P hyllanthus extracts on the serologic status of 123 patients with chron ic hepatitis B. Eleven patients received an extract of Phyllanthus ama rus (L) provided by S.P. Thyagarajan, Madras, India. Forty-two patient s received Phyllanthus niruri (L), gathered from Hainan Province in Ch ina, and 35 patients received an extract of Phyllanthus urinaria (L), which had been gathered in Henan Province. Thirty-five control patient s received no herbal therapy. The patients receiving Phyllanthus urina ria (L) were both more likely to lose detectable hepatitis B e-antigen from their serum and more likely to seroconvert hepatitis B e-antibod y status from negative to positive than were patients given either of the other two preparations. No patient changed status with respect to hepatitis B s-antigen.