health
Hepatotoxicity (Liver Toxicity)
Adverse effectHepatotoxicity, or liver toxicity, is an adverse effect involving harm or abnormal changes to the liver. It may be identified through findings such as elevated ALT and AST, and can include changes described as steatosis or necrosis.
Hepatotoxicity is another term for liver toxicity. Explore this health effect in plain language.
These are research findings, not promises. Most options have little evidence, and results differ from person to person.
What can cause it
How likely each one is to cause it, most likely first.
AcupuncturepracticeUnclear
Based on 4 studies. Strongest study: a pooled analysis of several trials.
Pooled analyses of randomized trials reported abnormal liver function in studies involving people with cancer, Parkinson's Disease, or stroke.
Open the Acupuncture pageOzone TherapypracticeUnclear
Based on one study. Strongest study: a pooled analysis of several trials.
Pooled human studies in people with Covid 19 reported an increase in AST/ALT with ozone therapy.
Open the Ozone Therapy pageChagasupplementsimple.meter.userReports
Based on one study.
Open the Chaga pageTurkey Tailsupplementsimple.meter.userReports
Based on one study.
Open the Turkey Tail page
The expert view shows every study, dose protocol and source.
What can cause it
Interventions reported to bring this on4 listedHighest probability
- →PracticesAcupunctureCertaintyLowSourceClinical4 other sources
Pooled analyses of randomized trials reported abnormal liver function in studies involving people with cancer, Parkinson's Disease, or stroke.
Who was studied
- People with a condition
- Cancer
- Parkinsons Disease
- Stroke
Open AcupunctureStudy result
abnormal liver function
- →PracticesOzone TherapyCertaintyLowSourceClinical1 other source
Pooled human studies in people with Covid 19 reported an increase in AST/ALT with ozone therapy.
- →SupplementsChagaCertaintyLowSourceAnecdotal1 other source
Long-term, high-dose Chaga supplementation associated with elevated liver enzymes (ALT/AST) in multiple anecdotal reports; likely due to oxalate and polyphenol load.
- →SupplementsTurkey TailCertaintyLowSourceAnecdotal1 other source
Rare cases of elevated LFTs in long-term, high-dose turkey tail use; likely due to polyphenolic load or contaminant exposure.
How to read the evidence
Evidence tier — overall strength of the evidence for the whole compound
- StrongWell established — backed by strong, consistent human research.
- ModerateSome genuine support, but mostly from small or lower-quality studies. Promising, not proven.
- PreliminaryEarly-stage evidence — a promising hypothesis, not an established effect yet.
- LimitedVery limited evidence — treat this as a hypothesis, not proof.
- InsufficientNot enough good evidence to draw conclusions yet.
Certainty — how sure we can be that the effect is real
- Very highVery sure — strong, consistent evidence
- HighFairly sure — consistent evidence from good studies
- MediumModerately sure — new studies could change this
- LowNot sure — little or mixed evidence
- Very lowVery unsure — almost no usable evidence
Source — where the data comes from
- Meta-analysisPooled analysis of many trials — the strongest evidence
- RCTRandomized controlled trial — a strong human study design
- ClinicalA human clinical study
- Reference knowledgeFrom general health-science or pharmacology references, not a study of this exact claim
- Animal researchStudied in animals, not humans
- Community reportsAggregated user reports — anecdotal signal, not evidence
- TheoreticalMechanism-based reasoning, not yet tested
Study grade — quality of each underlying study (A best, D weakest)
- AHigh-quality — strong, consistent human trials
- BGood — solid evidence with some limitations
- CModerate — limited, small, or mixed-quality studies
- DWeak — preliminary, indirect, or animal-only
Confidence — how strongly the sources back a finding
A 0–100 score from study quality and agreement
Most supplement evidence is graded C–D. Read it as preliminary signal, not proof.
Full write-up
What is it
Hepatotoxicity, or liver toxicity, is an adverse effect involving harm or abnormal changes to the liver. It may be identified through findings such as elevated ALT and AST, and can include changes described as steatosis or necrosis. This outcome is not a benefit or a general measure of wellness; it refers specifically to a potential liver-related harm associated with an intervention, such as CBD (Cannabidiol) or Berberine.
How interventions help
Hepatotoxicity associated with interventions can appear in different forms, from elevated liver enzymes such as ALT, AST, or ALAT to more clinically apparent liver injury involving jaundice, cholestasis, steatosis, necrosis, fibrosis, or hepatomegaly. These findings should not be treated as interchangeable: an isolated enzyme change and a report of structural or symptomatic liver injury represent different types of outcome.
The interventions differ substantially in how they have been studied. For CBD (Cannabidiol), findings were examined at 5-50 mg/kg/day oral and 195-390 mg transdermal over 3-16 weeks. Other findings come from trials, reviews, or individual case reports, so the circumstances and detail available for each intervention are not uniform. Some reports describe laboratory changes without attributing them to the intervention, while others describe suspected or documented liver injury.
The people represented in these findings had a health status that was not specified. This limits how confidently the information can be applied to a particular person, especially when their liver health or other relevant circumstances differ. Information about a consistent time to onset, or whether liver effects persist after an intervention is stopped, is not provided here.
Choosing guidance
For decisions involving liver toxicity, the most useful distinction is not simply the option name, but how the concern was observed and under what exposure conditions. Clinical evidence provides human context, while pharmacology references, case reports, and anecdotal reports generally provide less information about how often the effect occurs or which users may be susceptible. No health status is specified, so these findings do not establish how well they apply to people with pre-existing liver disease.
Exposure context is especially important. CBD (Cannabidiol) has clinical evidence covering 5-50 mg/kg/day oral and 195-390 mg transdermal over 3-16 weeks. Saffron Extract also has a defined dose and duration context, whereas several other entries are linked to specific situations such as high-dose niacin, excessive chronic Cod Liver Oil intake, >400 mcg/day selenium, chronic high-dose preformed Vitamin A, or acute overdose or sustained iron overload. These details matter because a finding associated with a particular dose, duration, or exposure pattern may not describe every form of use.
For readers who want the most directly relevant human context, options supported by clinical studies or clinical reviews offer more information than those represented only by isolated reports or anecdotal mentions. For readers seeking to minimize uncertainty, reports based on single cases, post-marketing observations, or unclear attribution warrant particular caution in interpretation: they can identify a possible concern but cannot show how commonly it occurs. The available evidence also does not provide a direct comparison of liver risk across all options or identify a universally suitable choice.