Authenticity, Safety, and Quality Assessment of Plant-Based Dietary Supplements Marketed for Liver Support

Botanical dietary supplements are widely used, and many are marketed for liver support. Yet product-specific prevalence data are limited, and composition, standardisation, authenticity, and safety vary substantially. This focused narrative review integrates clinical, regulatory, product quality, and analytical evidence, using milk thistle, artichoke leaf, turmeric, and green tea as case studies. Unlike ingredient-centred reviews, it links clinical interpretation to product identity, formulation, batch characterisation, and analytical decision-making. Searches updated to 3 August 2026 prioritised controlled human studies, primary regulatory sources, and fit-for-purpose analytical literature. The selected evidence was dominated by small or short trials, heterogeneous formulations, surrogate outcomes, and incomplete lot characterisation. It did not establish disease-modifying efficacy for any reviewed preparation. Bioavailability-enhanced turmeric products and concentrated green tea extracts show that plausible benefits can coexist with liver-injury risk. Product substitution, inaccurate labelling, contamination, undeclared co-ingredients, and microbiological non-conformity can further alter exposure. Because no single method is sufficient, complementary chemical, microbiological, molecular, and palynological analyses are integrated into a staged, qualitative, risk-based workflow, from product definition through confirmatory testing and action. Product- and lot-specific characterisation, transparent trial reporting, adverse-event investigation, and surveillance are required before broad liver-support claims can be sustained.