Protocol to Restore Liver Health

The protocol that I first came across back in 2004-2005 was the one by Dr. Burt Berkson, who published this in a German publication:

A conservative triple antioxidant approach to the treatment of hepatitis C. Combination of alpha lipoic acid (thioctic acid), silymarin, and selenium: three case histories. Med Klin (Munich), 1999 Oct 15; 94 Suppl 3:84-9. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10554539

It recommended:

  • Milk thistle, with the active aspect being Silymarin, 900 milligrams split between two doses;
  • Selenium, 400 micrograms split between two doses; and
  • Alpha-lipoic Acid (“R” form, hard to find and must be kept cold), 600 milligrams split between two doses.

I continued using this protocol through the hepatitis C infection until the diagnosis of cirrhosis in 2007. At this point I kind of gave up, ditoxhausted and depressed. . . .

I was then offered the conventional treatment, the Pegylated Interferon (PEG-IFN) and Ribavirin protocol. I then learned that certain aspects of the Berkson protocol helped with the outcomes of the conventional treatment and resumed it, with the addition of:

  • Vitamin E (tocotrienol), 1,000 milligrams;
  • Vitamin C, 2,000 milligrams (slowly and to bowel tolerance);
  • Vitamin B complex (high strength); and nicotinamide [also called niacinamide or B3];
  • Zinc, 40 milligrams; and
  • Vitamin D3, 5,000 international units (IUs).

After the doctors gave me a 20% chance of success, and on about the 46th week of what I can only describe as poisoning from the Interferon and Ribavirin, they declared me “non-detectable” for hepatitis C but still having cirrhosis, and I continued on to finish the full 48 weeks of treatment.

After those 48 weeks they declared me “cured,” but I had to remind the consultant [specialist in a teaching hospital] that I was only “non-detectable.” It was at this point that I questioned him about the cirrhosis. His response was that there would be continued decompensation, leading to liver cancer and ultimately a liver transplant or death.

I then informed him, on the contrary, that I was going to reverse the cirrhosis, and asked for a prescription for a 48-week, nutrient-dense, fresh-fruit-and-vegetable diet. Unfortunately, he informed me that this is not available through the U.K.’s National Health Service.

I continued on the Berkson protocol alongside the above, then followed links from the Rethinking Aids Facebook group page to the “Umlingo Wamangcolosi” recipe. [Editor: This is a food combination used by nurse Tine van der Maas and her mother, Nelly van der Maas, to treat the poor in South Africa. Their illnesses include those deemed to be AIDS-related conditions. Our interview with Tine van der Maas, Episode 66 posted August 20, 2013, is an ingredient-by-ingredient discussion of “What’s in That Stuff?”.]

Umlingo Wamangcolosi [Edited for clarity]

(Original recipes available: https://www.facebook.com/umlingo/ and http://infoclinic.co.za/)

  1. Soak three average-size organic lemons for about 10 minutes in water with some vinegar or plenty of sea salt added. Then scrub each lemon to rid it of whatever the growers have sprayed on it.
  2. Cut the lemons with skin and pips [seeds] in pieces and put them in a strong blender.
  3. Add 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.
  4. Add 3 Tablespoons organic local garlic.
  5. Add 3 Tablespoons organic ginger (double this amount if lung problems and/or asthma are present).
  6. Add 1 teaspoon cold-pressed hemp seed oil (triple this amount if epilepsy and/or nervous diseases are present).
  7. Add 1 teaspoon cold-pressed flax seed oil. [Editor: Tine van der Maas warns that not all people can process Omega-3s from flax seed oil; hemp seed oil is better.]
  8. Add 3 Tablespoons aloe vera extract (with no preservatives).
  9. Add 1 teaspoon turmeric (fresh is best).
  10. Add the daily portion of a natural multivitamin/multimineral supplement of your choice.
  11. Add ¼ teaspoon stevia powder.
  12. Add 3 cups of ozone-enriched filtered water (we recommend OASIS water). [Editor: Tine van der Maas did not recommend ozone-enriched in our interview with her.]
  13. Blend until very smooth. [Editor: This takes about 25 to 35 minutes.]
  14. Drink one-third in the morning, one third after lunch, and one third in the evening (or one-sixth at each time, depending on your size and condition). Repeat this for six to 24 weeks nonstop, depending on when you feel that you have fully recovered. Then you can maintain your health by eating organic and wholesome foods. You can also use this juice for maintenance by having one bottle twice a month or every two months, depending on your needs.

In addition, on a daily basis, the patient should eat/drink two large beets (roots) per day, two Brazil nuts, 1 Tablespoon pumpkin seeds, as much non-GE/non-GMO organic fruits and vegetables as possible and [at least] two liters filtered water per day. Expose the body to sunshine in the mornings and late afternoons and breathe deeply. If the patient feels like drinking tea, this should be only natural herbal tea such as green or Rooibos without sugar. (Stevia powder is acceptable to sweeten the tea.)

I added/changed this recipe to:

  • 2 Tablespoons organic coconut oil;
  • 1 teaspoon black seed oil [a combination of black cumin, black caraway, black sesame, onion seed, Roman coriander, generically known as black seed oil or Nigella Sativa];
  • 1 measure (roughly one heaping teaspoon, as measured by the scoop in the package) spirulina;
  • 2 finger lengths fresh organic turmeric (instead of the powdered form);
  • 1 vitamin B-complex supplement;
  • 1 vitamin D3 supplement at 5,000 international units (IUs) (would now consider using highly filtered cod liver oil);
  • Filtered water (instead of ozonated);
  • Manuka honey, rather than stevia, to taste; and
  • Aloe vera juice (full strength, as directed on container) (instead of aloe vera extract).

While I was on this protocol my energy increased, and the “brain fog” that had engulfed me for years began to lift. Empathy also began to increase as I was no longer feeling the fatigue or the fog – so much that I had to consciously stop picking up on other peoples’ feelings. (On the other hand, after a week on the protocol, my pores began to exude a very strong odor of garlic; in Scotland that does expose one to a lot of ridicule.)

The only reason I stopped this protocol was the expense. I have the strong opinion that this reversal could have been accomplished much faster and a lot cleaner if I’d had available to me all of the ingredients listed above. Costs are the main barrier to this, as is access in a rural area.

The unavailability of a nutrient-dense diet is another key aspects of why I couldn’t follow the protocol as well as I had wished. The availability of this as a prescription covered by the U.K.’s National Health Service is probably another decade in coming.

However, in my experience of the U.S., this is probably available at much cheaper costs there than in the U.K.

I hope this helps.

Alistair Mackinnon

Supporting Documentation

Animal models of liver regeneration. Biomaterials 25 (2004) 1601–1611.

Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection via Antioxidants. J Clin Gastroenterol Volume 39, Number 8, September 2005.

Cirrhosis reversal: a duel between dogma and myth. Journal of Hepatology 40 (2004) 860–867.

Correlation of serum leptin levels with anthropometric and metabolic parameters and biochemical liver function in Chinese patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection. World J Gastroenterol June 14, 2005, Volume 11, Number 22.

Curcumin: potential for hepatic fibrosis therapy? British Journal of Pharmacology (2008) 153, 403–405.

Curcumin prevents and reverses cirrhosis induced by bile duct obstruction or CCl4 in rats: role of TGF-b modulation and oxidative stress. Fundamental & Clinical Pharmacology 22 (2008) 417–427, 417.

Curcumin Protects Hepatic Stellate Cells against Leptin-Induced Activation in Vitro by Accumulating Intracellular Lipids. Endocrinology, September 2010, 151(9):4168–4177.

Dietary Saturated Fatty Acids Reverse Inflammatory and Fibrotic Changes in Rat Liver Despite Continued Ethanol Administration. The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics 2001 Vol. 299, No. 2. JPET 299:638–644, 2001.

Effects of Zinc Deficiency/Zinc supplementation on ammonia metabolism with patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis. Acta Med. Okayama. Vol 55 No. 6.

Hepatic stellate cells and the reversal of fibrosis. Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology 21 (2006) S84–S87.

Silymarin Ascending Multiple Oral Dosing Phase I Study in Non-cirrhotic Patients With Chronic Hepatitis C. J Clin Pharmacol 2010;50:434-449.

Hepaticosteodystrophy: Vitamin D metabolism in patients with liver disease. Gut, 1986, 27, 1073-1090.

Vitamin D metabolism and chronic liver disease. Ann Clin Lab Sci. 1984 May-Jun;14(3):189-97.

Effects of black seed oil on resolution of hepato-renal toxicity induced by bromobenzene in rats. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2013 Mar; 17(5):569-81.

Tocotrienol: the natural vitamin E to defend the nervous system? Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2004 Dec; 1031:127-42.

High doses of nicotinamide prevent oxidative mitochondrial dysfunction in a cellular model and improve motor deficit in a Drosophila model of Parkinson’s disease. Journal of Neuroscience Research 86:2083–2090 (2008).

Chronic fatigue syndrome and mitochondrial dysfunction. Int J Clin Exp Med (2009) 2, 1-16.