Trends in Clinical Research on Herbal Medicine for Hepatitis A, B, and C: A Review of Korean Literature

Objectives: This study aimed to analyze trends in clinical studies of herbal medicines for viral hepatitis (hepatitis A, B, and C) in Korea.Methods: We searched four Korean databases for clinical studies of hepatitis A, B, or C treated with herbal medicine and descriptively analyzed study design, interventions, and outcomes.Results: Thirty-one studies involving 407 patients were identified; most involved chronic hepatitis B or C, while fewer involved acute hepatitis A.Injin-cheonggan-tang and Cheonggan Plus (CGX) were the most frequently used formulas (six studies each), and Artemisia capillaris was the most common herb. Herbal medicine was used as monotherapy in 58.1% and combined with Western medicine in 41.9%. In acute hepatitis A, herbal medicine was associated with rapid biochemical normalization and symptom resolution. In chronic hepatitis B or C, it was associated with stabilized liver function and symptom relief, although serologic responses were limited to a subset of patients. No serious adverse events were reported.Conclusions: In Korea, herbal medicine is actively used to support recovery in self-limiting acute hepatitis A and stabilize liver function in chronic hepatitis B or C. However, as most studies were case reports with heterogeneous designs, these findings should be interpreted with caution. Well-designed randomized controlled trials are needed to provide high-quality evidence on the efficacy and safety of herbal medicines for viral hepatitis.