1. Obstructive jaundice
2. Hepatocellular jaundice
3. Hemolytic jaundice

Home Remedies for Jaundice:
Following are some jaundice home remedies which are effective and do not have any adverse effects:

Turmeric powder: Take ¼ tablespoon of turmeric powder and mix it in a glass of hot water. Take this solution twice or thrice in a day.

Papaya leaves: Grind tender papaya leaves to make paste and take ½ tablespoon of it along with 1 tablespoon of honey. This is another simple remedy for jaundice.

Lemon leaves: Add 8 – 10 leaves of lemon to a cup of boiling water and leave it for 4 – 5 minutes. Take this decoction for nearly 4 – 5 days regularly.

Lime juice: One must drink plenty of lime juice.

Ginger and mint juice: Combine 1 tablespoon each of mint juice and lime juice and ½ tablespoon of ginger juice and take this as often as possible.

Radish leaves: Extract juice from radish leaves and drink 1 cup twice a day. This gives relief from jaundice symptoms.

Tomato juice: Drink a glass of fresh tomato juice on an empty stomach. You can also add a pinch of pepper and salt to the juice.

Basil leaves: Make paste with 10 – 15 basil leaves and add half a glass of fresh radish juice to it. Take this mixture daily for 2 – 3 weeks. This is one of most common home remedies for jaundice.

Barley water: This is an effective home remedy for jaundice. This can be digested easily and thus, it is often given to the patient.

Indian gooseberry: This is another beneficial remedy for treating jaundice because it is rich in vitamin C. Vitamin C is highly needed for jaundice patients.

Snake gourd: Boil 7 – 10 dry snake gourd leaves in a cup of water and keep it aside. Again boil 10 – 15 coriander seeds in ½ liter of water. Mix this with snake gourd solution and give this thrice a day. This is a natural remedy for jaundice.

Do’s and Don’ts for Jaundice:
Here are some simple tips for jaundice:

• Stay away from non-vegetarian food till the impact of jaundice lasts on skin. Also, don’t take heavy vegetarian foods. This is so because liver must produce more bile for digestion of these foods. Also, it could alleviate skin pigmentation.
• Avoid junk foods like colas, ice creams, potato chips, pastries, cakes, chocolate, etc.
• Drink boiled or filtered water only and also drink raw milk only.
• Don’t eat sea food particularly oysters.
• In the initial days, just have simple diet like porridge particularly rice gruel. You can add honey or jaggery syrup to it.
• You must add to the diet as it is a mineral and needs a difficult process of digestion.
• Don’t give pulses and cereals to jaundice patient because they cause liver inflammation. Sweet potatoes, nuts, black soya beans and grapes are beneficial during jaundice.
• Bitter vegetables such as bitter variety of drumsticks and bitter gourd are beneficial to the patient.
• People suffering from jaundice are advised to drink plenty of fruit juices and to take rest.
• Alcohol is dangerous to the jaundice patient. It complicates the disease and thus, it is best to say no to alcoholic beverages.

Jaundice Liver Disease:

After the destruction of red blood cells, the pigment bilirubin is processed in the liver. From the liver, bilirubin is carried in the form of bile to the small intestine. Bile ducts aid in carrying the bile to small intestine. The bile passes from from small to large intestine and it is finally excreted. However, in the case of jaundice liver, the bile is not excreted and the bilirubin levels and jaundice levels gradually increase.

Jaundice Liver Causes:

Liver disease can affect the elimination of bilirubin, and can result in jaundice. Following are few conditions where jaundice liver disease is seen:

• Viral Hepatitis:

  In viral hepatitis (A, B, C, D or E), the inflammation of the liver is seen due to the action of the hepatitis virus. As a result the liver stops working properly. The bilirubin produced from the destruction of red blood cells  is not excreted and this results in jaundice

• Alcoholic Hepatitis:

  Alcoholic hepatitis is the inflammation and destruction of the liver cells due to alcohol abuse. The destruction of liver cells in alcoholic hepatitis can lead to jaundice

• Cirrhosis of the Liver:

  Cirrhosis is a condition in which healthy liver tissue is replaced by the scar tissue. The scar tissue severely impairs the proper functioning of the liver and results in jaundice

• Liver Cancer:

  Liver cancer can block the bile ducts and interfere with the flow of bile to the small intestine. Thus jaundice may also be an indicator of liver cancer

• Autoimmune hepatitis:

  In autoimmune hepatitis, the body’s immune attacks its own liver causing inflammation and improper functioning of the liver. This can lead the jaundice liver

The earlier jaundice liver is detected, the better is the chance that the person will recover. Hence, if symptoms such as yellow skin and eye discoloration, dark urine, nausea, abdominal pain are detected, one should consult a doctor immediately.

Jaundice Symptoms:

The symptoms of jaundice are:

• Yellow appearance of the skin and eyes
• Anemia and tiredness
• Abdominal pain
• Weight loss
• Dark colored urine and pale stools
• Intense itching

Jaundice Causes:

To understand how jaundice is caused, it is important to know how bilirubin is formed and excreted from the body.

Red blood cells have a lifespan of 120 days and after their lifespan they are broken down by the body. The breakdown of red blood cells produces bilirubin, which has to be removed from the body. Bilirubin passes from the blood to the liver, where it is processed. After this bilirubin is passed out in the form of bile from the bile duct coming out of the liver.

The bile duct joints the small intestine, from which bilirubin is passed from small intestine to large intestine and finally it is excreted in the stools. The characteristic brown color of the stools is due to the presence of bilirubin.

The failure of removal of bilirubin can cause its build-up and can result in jaundice. Hence, jaundice (or high levels of bilirubin in blood) can be caused due to:

• Excessive breakdown of red blood cells results in accumulation of bilirubin
• Improper functioning of the liver due to organ damage or hepatitis
• Alcohol abuse can cause liver damage resulting in jaundice
• Obstruction of bile ducts which prevents the removal of bilirubin
• Gall stones
• Cancer
• Swelling of an organ near the bile duct

Treatment of Jaundice:

Treatment of jaundice is based on the source of the problem. It is important to find out if the jaundice liver is caused due to excessive breakdown of red blood cells, liver damage, infection, obstruction of bile ducts etc. To know the problem, blood tests, scans or liver biopsy can be peformed.

Treatment options include medical interventions such as surgery to remove gall stones, anti-viral medication for hepatitis, antibiotics to treat infection etc.