Milk thistle is a plant that looks more like a bothersome weed than a highly valued herb. In fact, it is categorized as a noxious weed in many states and countries. You may have seen this plant growing along roadsides, empty pastures and fields. Yet within that purple thistle are the seeds containing active compounds identified as flavonolignans. These have properties that protect your liver from toxins.
History
Milk thistle use dates back to the first century when a Greek physician, Dioscorides used it as an antidote for snake bite, as noted by M. Grieve in "A Modern Herbal." In Rome it was recorded as being "excellent for carrying off bile," an indication that it was being used for liver ailments as well. The heads of the thistle were also boiled and eaten much like artichokes are today.
In the 1970s, researchers in Germany isolated and identified the active compounds found in the seeds called silymarin, a flavonolignan. Silymarin is made up of many lignans, the most prominent and medicinally active called silibinin.
Research
Research in the Department of Biology at the University of North Carolina has reported positive results with one of the active components of milk thistle--silibinin--in the treatment of cirrhosis to prevent carcinoma of the liver. It was published in the May 2010 issue of "Cancer Letters."
Milk thistle has also been researched for its liver protective effects on carbon tetrachloride poisoning. As reported in the January 2009 "Journal of Pharmacological Sciences," researchers in Korea found that silybum mixed with aloe vera could protect the liver from injuries associated with carbon tetrachloride contamination.
In the March 2010 "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America," researchers reported that milk thistle inhibits hepatitis C infection due to its anti-inflammatory properties. They concluded that milk thistle has liver protective properties.
Uses
Supplement your diet with milk thistle whenever your liver is under stress, such as when you are taking drugs. Acetaminophen and ibuprofen are metabolized through the liver and in excessive amounts are known to cause liver damage. Milk thistle has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that may repair the liver with new cells, as noted by the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Herbalists recommend that you take milk thistle for excessive alcohol consumption, infection and after chemotherapy and radiation therapy to help regenerate damaged liver cells.
If you want to add milk thistle to a detox program, it is a safe herb to aid in a liver cleanse.
Dosage
Take milk thistle to treat liver disorders or damage in doses of 280 to 450 mg per day, for eight to 12 weeks, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Use preparations standardized to 70 to 80 percent of silymarin, the active ingredient.
Some preparations have been combined with a phosphatidylcholine complex for better absorption. If you take this type, 100 to 200 mg two times per day is sufficient.
For a detox program take silymarin as suggested for liver disorders or follow the directions on the bottle. Always talk with a medical doctor for more serious liver problems.
Safety
Fortunately, milk thistle has been shown to be a relatively safe herbal treatment. Side effects, if any, are usually mild, involving stomach upset or diarrhea. Pregnant or breastfeeding women should not take it.
References
- "A Modern Herbal": Milk Thistle
- Cancer Letter: "Silibinin Inhibits Ethanol Metabolism and Ethanol-dependent Cell Proliferation in an In Vitro Model of Hepatocellular Carcinoma
- Journal of Pharmacological Sciences: Protective Effect of a Mixture of Aloe Vera and Silybum Marianum Against Carbon Tetrachloride-induced Acute Hepatotoxicity and Liver Fibrosis"
- National Academy of Sciences: Identification of Hepatoprotective Flavonolignans from Silymarin
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Milk Thistle
