Liverworts, along with many other plants, got its name from an ancient philosophy called the Doctorine of Signatures. It was thought that the shape, taste, smell, and feel of a plant could tell you about its medicinal properties. Spleenwort was good for the spleen, Lungwort was good for respiratory infections, etc. The lobes of Liverwort reminded people of the lobes of the liver, so they thought that it was good for treating liver problems.