Review Article

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Pathogenesis and Treatment in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine

Table 2

Classification of Chinese medicinal herbs commonly used for NAFLD treatment in clinical practiceaccording to the literature and clinical experience.

TypeThe Chinese medicinal herbs

Circulation-promoting and stasis-removingSalvia miltiorrhiza, white peony root, hawthorn, lycopus lucidus, angelica sinensis, radix curcuma, cattail pollen, peach seed, prepared rhubarb, red peony root, polygonum cuspidate, and dried radix rehmanniae.

Heat-clearing and damp-dryingScutellaria, cape jasmine, coptis chinensis, herba artemisiae scopariae, phellodendron, and polygonum cuspidate.

Spleen-invigorating and qi-supplementingBighead atractylodes rhizome, astragalus, dried tangerine or orange peel, and codonopsis pilosula

Dampness elimination with aromaticsFresh lotus leaf, lotus petiole, rhizoma atractylodis, fructus amomi, round cardamom fruit, and flos magnoliae officinalis

Spleen-invigorating for dampness eliminationCoix seed, poria cocos, and bighead atractylodes rhizome
Diuresis-inducing with bland drugRhizoma alismatis and poria cocos

Spleen-invigorating for removing food retentionHawthorn and medicated leaven

Liver-soothing for qi-regulatingBupleurum, radix curcumae, fructus aurantii, and mint

Phlegm-reducing and masses-resolvingZhejiang fritillary, alga, kelp, and phizome pinelliae

Liver blood-nourishingFructus lycii, angelica sinensis, white peony root, radix polygoni multiflori preparata, and fructus ligustri lucidi

Yin-nourishing and liquid-engenderingRadix glehniae, tuber of dwarf lilyturf, dried radix rehmanniae, polygonatum kingianum, radix polygonati officinalis, and radices trichosanthis

Liver and kidney-tonifyingPrepared rehmannia root, fructus corni, parasitic loranthus, radix polygoni multiflori preparata, fructus lycii, fructus schizandrae, and achyranthes bidentata

Heat-clearing for liver-calmingChrysanthemum morifolium ramat, semen cassia, scutellaria, and frostbitten mulberry leaf