Milk thistle is "perhaps one of herbal medicine's best kept secrets," wrote ethnobotanist James Duke in "The Green Pharmacy Herbal Handbook." Distinguished from the more common bull thistle by the creamy white veins on its leaves, milk thistle has a long history of use to treat liver complaints from jaundice to Amanita mushroom poisoning.
History
The ancient Greeks and Romans used milk thistle to combat liver complaints and snakebite. European herbals written and published in the 1500s and 1600s recommend milk thistle to treat liver ailments. Well-known English herbalist John Gerard called it "the best remedy that grows against all liver diseases."
German researchers began isolating the active constituents of milk thistle in the 1960s. By 1968, they succeeded in extracting silymarin from milk thistle seeds. Germany's Commission E, which approves herbal remedies, approved milk thistle extract to treat liver disease in 1986.
Active Compounds
Silymarin contains silibinin, silidianin, isosylibinin and silicristin, four antioxidant flavonoids. Silibinin, the most studied of those compounds, contains two different substances, silibinin A and silibinin B.
Benefits
Many studies suggest that sylimarin or sylibin plays a role in the prevention of liver cancer and liver damage from alcohol and other toxins, according to a summary of milk thistle's use in cancer treatment at the Masonic Cancer Center's website. Silibinin may stabilize liver cell membranes and help block toxins from entering the cells. It may also encourage liver cells to regenerate more quickly and prevent harmful toxins from binding to liver cells.
Uses
Commission E approves the use of milk thistle for inflammatory liver diseases including hepatitis, cirrhosis and chronic hepatitis. Its monograph of milk thistle also notes that silymarin protects the liver from damage when taken before exposure to a liver toxin. European hospitals typically keep silibinin, which is derived from milk thistle, on hand to treat cases of Amanita mushroom poisoning. Practitioners of natural and herbal medicine recommend milk thistle to protect and strengthen the liver.
Side Effects
Milk thistle has few reported side effects. Some people report mild stomach upset, nausea, heartburn or diarrhea when they start taking it, but the reports are rare. Milk thistle may affect the way your body metabolizes sugar. If you're diabetic, you should check your blood sugar more often, according to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute's website.
References
- "The Green Pharmacy Herbal Handbook"; James A. Duke, Ph.D.; 2000
- Bethi Israel Deaconess Medical Center: Milk Thistle
- University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center: Milk Thistle
- "101 Medicinal Herbs"; Steven Foster; 1998
- Steven Foster Group: Milk Thistle
