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Marvels of Milk Thistle

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Marvels of Milk Thistle

Historical or traditional use
Medical use of milk thistle can be traced back more than 2,000 years. Nicholas Culpepper, the well-known 17th-century pharmacist, cited its use for opening “obstructions” of the liver and spleen and recommended it for the treatment of jaundice. Milk thistle is commonly found growing wild in a variety of settings, including roadsides. The dried fruit (also called achenes) are used to produce modern herbal extracts.

Active constituents
The dried fruit of milk thistle contain a flavonoid complex known as silymarin. This constituent is responsible for the medical benefits of the plant. Silymarin is made up of three parts: silibinin, silidianin, and silicristin. Silibinin is the most active and is largely responsible for the benefits attributed to silymarin.

Milk thistle extract may protect the cells of the liver by blocking the entrance of harmful toxins and helping remove these toxins from the liver cells. As with other bioflavonoids, silymarin is a powerful antioxidant. Silymarin has also been shown to regenerate injured liver cells. Recent studies have shown that silymarin has the ability to block fibrosis, a process that contributes to the eventual development of cirrhosis in people with inflammatory liver conditions secondary to diseases such as alcohol abuse or hepatitis.

Milk thistle extract is most commonly recommended to counteract the harmful actions of alcohol on the liver. Double-blind trials indicate that it helps the liver return to a healthy state once a person stops drinking. Some trials suggest it may improve quality of life and even life expectancy in people with liver cirrhosis. However, another trial found no effect in cirrhosis patients. Milk thistle extract has been shown to protect the liver from the potentially damaging effect of drugs used to treat schizophrenia and other forms of psychosis.

How much is usually taken?
For liver disease and impaired liver function, research suggests the use of 420 to 600 mg of silymarin per day from an herbal extract of milk thistle standardized to 80% silymarin content. According to research and clinical experience, improvement should be noted in about eight to twelve weeks. For people with chronic liver disease, milk thistle extract may be considered a long-term therapy.

For those who prefer, 12 to 15 grams of milk thistle dried fruits can be ground and eaten or made into a tea. This should not be considered therapeutic for conditions of the liver, however.

Are there any side effects or interactions?
Milk thistle extract is virtually devoid of any side effects and may be used by most people, including pregnant and breast-feeding women. In fact, it has been recommended as a treatment for itching due to poor gallbladder function during pregnancy. Since silymarin stimulates liver and gallbladder activity, it may have a mild, transient laxative effect in some people. This will usually cease within two to three days.

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