Symptoms:
Upset stomach, fever, constipation or diarrhea, weakness, weight loss, poor appetite, vomiting, enlarged liver, and red palms. Fluid collects in the abdomen. Possible mild jaundice. Large veins often seen over the abdomen, especially about the navel and across the body near the diaphragm. Enlarged veins in the rectum, intestines, stomach, and esophagus.

In the later stages, anemia, edema, and easy bruising, due to bleeding beneath the skin.

Cause:
Cirrhosis is a hardening of the liver, because of too much connective tissue and a degeneration of the active liver cells.

It can be caused by certain poisons, chief among which is alcohol. Certain infectious diseases can cause special types of liver cirrhosis, of which viral hepatitis is outstanding (see hepatitis). This is especially true of syphilis (which see), which produces nodes in the liver. Malnutrition, caused by lack of food or eating junk food, can also lead to cirrhosis.

The liver cells harden and scar, causing them to no longer function normally, due to the scarred tissue. This prevents the blood from passing properly through the liver.

Treatment:
• Eat a good nourishing diet and go off all meat, tea, coffee, or spices.

• Silymarin helps the liver.

• Helpful herbs include burdock, celandine, barberry, echinacea, goldenseal, fennel, red clover, and thyme.

• Follow the program for hepatitis and jaundice, both of which see.