Quick Take
A social media post claims that preparing small balls using harad and jaggery and consuming them regularly can help manage a swollen liver and restore liver health. We fact checked and found the claim to be false.
The Claim
A Facebook post suggest that mixing powdered harad (haritaki) with jaggery, preparing the mixture into small balls, and consuming them regularly can prevent several liver diseases, including an enlarged or “swollen” liver.
Fact Check
Does a “swollen liver” mean that the liver simply has inflammation?
No. The term “swollen liver” is commonly used to describe an enlarged liver, medically known as hepatomegaly. Importantly, hepatomegaly is not a diagnosis by itself. It is a physical or imaging finding that may occur because of an underlying health problem.
The liver may become enlarged due to conditions such as metabolic fatty liver disease, viral hepatitis, alcohol-related liver disease, congestion related to heart disease, certain metabolic disorders and, less commonly, tumours or other serious illnesses. This means that two people with an enlarged liver may require completely different treatments.
Therefore, treating “liver swelling” without first determining why the liver is enlarged is not an appropriate medical approach.
Can harad and jaggery reduce an enlarged liver?
No. There is currently no good-quality human clinical evidence demonstrating that harad-jaggery balls can reduce liver size or treat hepatomegaly.
Harad, also called haritaki, is the dried fruit of Terminalia chebula and has a long history of use in traditional systems of medicine. Researchers have identified compounds in the plant with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. Reviews of Terminalia chebula research have also discussed possible hepatoprotective effects. However, researchers themselves note that stronger in-vivo and clinical studies are required before its traditional uses can be considered scientifically established.
More importantly, “hepatoprotective” does not automatically mean that something can treat an enlarged liver. Protecting cells from experimentally induced oxidative damage is very different from treating fatty liver disease, hepatitis, heart-related liver congestion or another cause of hepatomegaly in a patient.
Has scientific research shown any liver benefits from harad?
Yes, but the evidence is preliminary. Some experimental research has produced interesting findings. For example, a study using mice investigated Terminalia chebula water extract in chemically induced acute liver injury. Researchers observed effects on oxidative stress and inflammatory pathways. However, this was an animal experiment involving a specific extract and controlled doses, not a clinical trial of people eating homemade harad-jaggery balls.
Other experimental work has investigated compounds such as chebulic acid isolated from Terminalia chebula and reported potential effects on processes related to oxidative stress and fibrosis in laboratory models. Again, laboratory findings cannot establish that the same substance will safely and effectively treat liver disease in humans.
So, while harad may be scientifically interesting, the evidence is not sufficient to recommend it as a treatment for hepatomegaly.
Does adding jaggery make the remedy more effective?
No. There is no established clinical evidence that combining jaggery with harad makes harad capable of reducing an enlarged liver.
Jaggery may make a herbal preparation easier to consume, but combining two ingredients does not automatically create a medically effective therapy. Most importantly, if a person’s enlarged liver is related to metabolic dysfunction and excess liver fat, management centres on the underlying metabolic factors rather than a particular homemade sweet preparation.
For people with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, lifestyle measures such as appropriate weight reduction, dietary changes and regular physical activity can reduce liver fat and improve liver health.
How should an enlarged liver actually be investigated?
Dr Vishnu Girish, Consultant and In-charge – Hepatology Services VPS Lakeshore Hospital, Kochi said, “Hepatomegaly kind of case should be medically evaluated to identify its cause. The assessment may include the person’s symptoms, alcohol intake, medicines and supplements, metabolic health and relevant medical history.”
Depending on the situation, doctors may order tests such as AST, ALT, alkaline phosphatase, bilirubin, complete blood count, coagulation tests, viral hepatitis testing and iron studies, along with an abdominal ultrasound. Further investigations may be required if autoimmune, metabolic or other liver disorders are suspected.
The treatment then depends on what is found. For example, metabolic fatty liver disease requires a very different approach from viral hepatitis, alcohol-related disease or heart-related liver congestion.
Is there any harm in relying on harad-jaggery balls?
Yes, potentially. The major concern is that relying on a home remedy may delay investigation of the actual reason the liver is enlarged. It is also incorrect to assume that every herbal product is automatically harmless simply because it is “natural”. Herbal and dietary supplements have occasionally been associated with liver injury, and liver specialists recommend taking a careful history of supplements and herbal products when investigating abnormal liver tests.
This does not mean that harad itself has been proven to damage the liver when eaten in usual amounts. Rather, someone who already has suspected liver disease should avoid using unproven herbal preparations as substitutes for proper medical assessment.
What actually helps an enlarged liver?
Treatment of the underlying cause helps. There is no single diet, herb or food that universally “shrinks” an enlarged liver. If excess liver fat and metabolic dysfunction are responsible, gradual weight reduction, appropriate nutrition and physical activity may improve liver fat and inflammation. NIDDK notes that even modest weight loss can reduce liver fat, while greater weight reduction may also improve inflammation and fibrosis in people with metabolic fatty liver disease.
If another disease is responsible, treatment needs to be directed specifically towards that condition.
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