Leaves may help prevent liver disease

Scientists in India have discovered leaves which may help protect against liver disease.

New research, published in the Society of Chemical Industry's Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, looked at the effect of the disease on rats.

The leaves from sea buckthorn berries were found to be high in anti-oxidants, vitamins C and E, and flavanoids.

Scientists administered a group of rats with a liver damaging agent. Different groups of the animals were tested using varying methods.

The rats which had been given the leaf extract showed the most protective mechanism on the liver compared to the control group. Rats given a smaller dose of the extract in combination with other treatments showed a restriction on liver damage.

Sea buckthorn is a deciduous shrub and its berries ripen in the autumn. It grows naturally in sandy soil and is an important natural resource in mountainous regions of China and Russia, according to the Institute for Traditional Medicine.