Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Can herbal drops or an amulet clear jaundice? | CION Cancer Clinics
No. Herbal drops in the nose or eyes and amulets cannot remove jaundice, because the yellow comes from bilirubin in the blood. They seem to work because the most common jaundice, from a short viral infection, settles on its own. Other causes, including gallstones, hepatitis B and sometimes cancer, do not. A blood test and an ultrasound find the cause. At CION Cancer Clinics in Hyderabad, our oncologists explain liver cancer in plain words and plan care around you and your family.
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Medically reviewed by Dr. Naresh GunduConsultant Medical Oncologist · MBBS, DNB (Internal Medicine), DM (Medical Oncology, AIIMS) · last reviewed October 2026, next review due October 2027
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On this page
- Do herbal drops, threads or amulets clear jaundice?
- Why do traditional jaundice remedies seem to work?
- What can turn the eyes and skin yellow?
- What will a doctor actually do about jaundice?
- How do I bring my parents to the doctor without a fight?
- What this page cannot tell you
- Common questions about jaundice remedies
What families tell us
Do herbal drops, threads or amulets clear jaundice?
These beliefs are passed on with love, usually by someone who saw a relative recover after the drops. Here is what is actually happening in each case.
"The drops in the nose or eyes pull the yellow out of the body."
The yellow colour comes from bilirubin, a pigment made when old red blood cells are broken down. It sits in the blood and the skin. Drops in the nose or eyes cannot reach it or remove it. The yellow fluid that sometimes runs out is the body's reaction to the irritation, and it is not bilirubin leaving.
"My cousin had the drops and was fine in a few weeks."
Many cases of jaundice in young adults come from a short viral infection of the liver, often from food or water. That kind usually settles by itself, with or without drops. The drops get the credit for what the liver did on its own.
"A thread or amulet tied on the wrist will take it away."
An amulet does no harm to the body. The harm comes when the family waits for it to work, and the blood tests and scan that would find the cause are pushed back by weeks.
"Jaundice is one illness, so one remedy fits everyone."
Jaundice is a sign that something is wrong with the blood, the liver or the bile ducts. Each cause needs a different answer. A gallstone blocking a duct, hepatitis B and a tumour all turn the eyes the same yellow.
"Going to the hospital means strong medicines that will harm the liver."
For most jaundice the first step is only a blood test and an ultrasound. Nothing is started until the cause is known.
The short answer
Why do traditional jaundice remedies seem to work?
They seem to work because the most common jaundice in this region settles on its own. Hepatitis A and hepatitis E spread through food and water, turn the eyes yellow for a few weeks, and then the liver recovers. Whatever the family tried in those weeks looks like the answer.
The cases nobody remembers
Stories travel about the people who got better. The person whose yellow eyes came from a blocked bile duct, from long-standing hepatitis B, or from a growth in the liver or pancreas does not get better with drops. By the time the family stops waiting, the window for simple treatment may have narrowed.
Where the real harm comes from
The amulet itself is harmless. Drops squeezed from leaves or roots into the eyes or nose can irritate the eye or the lining of the nose, and anything swallowed adds work for a liver that is already struggling. The bigger risk is the delay. If you want to understand the causes in more depth, read blockage jaundice versus liver-failure jaundice.
Jaundice that does not fade, or keeps coming back, always needs a doctor to find the cause.Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistWhat it can mean
What can turn the eyes and skin yellow?
Most causes are not cancer. All of them need the cause named before anyone can say what will help.
A short viral infection
Hepatitis A and E are the common causes in children and young adults. Most people recover with rest, fluids and food. Pregnant women with hepatitis E need close medical care.
A long-term liver infection
Hepatitis B and C can sit quietly for years. They are found with a blood test, and both can be treated. Hepatitis B is controlled with tablets, and hepatitis C is curable with modern tablets.
A blocked bile duct
A gallstone, a narrowing or a growth can block the tube that carries bile out of the liver. This often brings dark urine, pale stools and itching.
Sometimes caused by
- Gallstones
- Bile duct or pancreatic cancer
- Cancer that has spread to the liver
Medicines, alcohol and herbs
Some prescription medicines, alcohol and herbal preparations can injure the liver. A liver already scarred by cirrhosis is the most easily harmed.
!
When jaundice cannot wait for any remedy
Go to hospital today if yellow eyes come with a fever or shivering, confusion or unusual sleepiness, vomiting blood or black stools, a swelling belly, or severe pain in the upper right side. Go today too if the person with jaundice is pregnant or is a small baby. If the yellow has come on slowly with no pain, and with itching, dark urine or pale stools, see a doctor this week. That pattern, called painless jaundice, is explained on why painless jaundice is the warning sign. Do not wait to see whether drops work first.
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At the doctor
What will a doctor actually do about jaundice?
Ask a few questions
How long the yellow has been there, whether there is fever, pain, itching or weight loss, and what medicines, alcohol or herbs have been taken. Answer honestly. Nobody will scold you for having tried drops.
A blood test
Bilirubin, liver enzymes and tests for hepatitis viruses. These show whether the problem is in the blood, the liver or the bile ducts.
An ultrasound of the abdomen
A painless scan that shows whether a duct is blocked and whether there is a stone or a growth. At CION the doctor arranges this through partner diagnostic centres.
A plan for the cause
Rest and follow-up for a passing infection, antiviral care from a hepatologist for hepatitis B or C, or a specialist review if a blockage or a growth is seen.
Keeping the peace
How do I bring my parents to the doctor without a fight?
You do not have to win an argument about the drops. Ask for one thing: a blood test and a scan this week, alongside whatever the family has already started. Most elders agree to a test when it is offered as checking, not as a rejection of what they believe.
Make the medicine list complete
Write down every drop, powder, syrup and tablet the person has taken, including anything from a local healer. Take it to the doctor. This matters most for anyone with cirrhosis, hepatitis B or a liver tumour, where herbs can do real damage. Our page on telling your doctor without being judged helps with this conversation.
Who this page does not apply to
Babies with yellow skin in the first days of life have a different, common kind of jaundice that is checked by the paediatrician. Someone already under a liver team should follow that team's plan, and ask them before adding anything new.
Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you why your relative is yellow. Only a blood test, a scan and a doctor who has examined them can do that. It cannot tell you whether the jaundice is from cancer. Most jaundice is not, and our page on yellow eyes and when jaundice means cancer explains the patterns doctors look for.
It cannot judge a remedy you were given
Traditional preparations vary from village to village and nobody checks what is in them. We cannot say whether a particular drop was safe. If eyes are red, painful or blurred after drops, see an eye doctor promptly.
Who to ask
Your family doctor or a physician for new jaundice. A hepatologist for hepatitis B, hepatitis C or cirrhosis. If a scan has already shown a growth in the liver or bile ducts, the CION team can review the reports and tell you what the next step should be.
If you are not sure where to start, call the helpline and describe the symptoms. Someone will tell you how urgent it is.Questions we are asked
Common questions about jaundice remedies
Are herbal nose drops for jaundice safe?
Nobody can promise they are, because what goes into them is not checked. They can irritate the lining of the nose and cause bleeding or swelling. They do nothing to the bilirubin in the blood. If someone has already had them, tell the doctor, and get the blood test that finds the cause.
Can I use the drops and see a doctor at the same time?
Seeing the doctor is the part that matters, so do that first. Avoid putting anything into the eyes, and avoid swallowing herbal mixtures until the cause is known, because some can add to liver injury. An amulet can stay on; it does not affect any test or treatment.
How long can jaundice be watched at home?
It should not be watched at home without a blood test at all. A doctor can tell you after that test whether rest at home is reasonable. Fever, confusion, bleeding, a swelling belly or pregnancy mean hospital the same day.
Why does the yellow come back after the drops?
Because the cause was never treated. Jaundice that returns or never fully fades points to something lasting, such as hepatitis B, a stone in the bile duct, cirrhosis or a growth. It needs a scan and a specialist opinion, not another round of drops.
Does jaundice mean liver cancer?
Usually not. Most jaundice comes from infections, gallstones or medicines. Cancer is one possible cause, especially when the yellow appears slowly without pain in an older adult. Our page on whether jaundice means cancer explains this in more detail.
What should someone with jaundice eat?
Ordinary home food, enough fluids and enough protein, unless the doctor says otherwise. Cutting out dal, eggs or milk to rest the liver is a common belief that often makes people weaker. No alcohol at all while the liver is inflamed.
My father has cirrhosis and has become yellow. Is that urgent?
New or deepening jaundice in someone with cirrhosis needs a doctor quickly, within a day or two. If it comes with confusion, fever, vomiting blood or black stools, go to hospital today. It can mean the liver is under new strain and the cause needs finding.
How do I talk to an elder who believes in the drops?
Start with respect for why they suggested it. Then ask for a blood test to see how the liver is doing. Framing the test as checking progress, rather than proving them wrong, usually works. Bring them to the appointment so they hear the explanation themselves.
Your Specialists
Meet CION's liver cancer specialists. Bring your scan reports and liver blood tests.
Our medical and surgical oncologists plan liver cancer care together, weighing the tumour and how well your liver works before choosing surgery, a liver-directed procedure or medicines.
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Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy
MBBS(Gold Medal), DNB(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Gold Medal)
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Dr. Bharati Devi Gorantla
MBBS, MD(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Adyar,Chennai), ECMO, MRCP SCE(UK)
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Dr. Owais Mohammed
MBBS, MD (General Medicine), DrNB (Medical Oncology), ECMO, MRCP SCE (Medical Oncology) (UK)
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Dr. Muralidhar Muddusetty
MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery) (AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh)
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Sources
- MedlinePlus — Jaundice
- NHS — Jaundice
- Merck Manual Consumer Version — Jaundice in Adults
- MedlinePlus — Herbal Medicine
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
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Myth: Jaundice means liver cancerThe opposite fear, answered just as plainlyJaundice that is not cancerThe common, treatable causes of yellow eyesWhy painless jaundice is the warning signThe one pattern that needs a doctor this weekLiver cancer myths and factsEvery common belief about the liver in one place
Talk to us
Has someone in the family been yellow for a while?
Tell us how long the jaundice has been there and what tests have been done. We will help you understand how urgent it is and what to check next. One helpline serves every CION centre.