Milk thistle is a medicinal plant, also known by its Latin name, Silybum marianum, and another common name, holy thistle, according to Medicinal Herb Info. The milk thistle plant contains the active substance silymarin that is most concentrated in the seeds, reports MedLinePlus. When the seeds are ground up, they are used in medicinal remedies and supplements to treat a variety of conditions. Before you begin to take milk thistle to treat a health condition, consult your health care provider.
Benefits
Milk thistle may be effective in treating heartburn and lowering blood glucose levels, reports MedLinePlus. It's also often used to treat food poisoning, pleurisy, spleen disorders, malaria, gallbladder problems, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and liver disease caused by either alcohol or drugs. The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center adds that milk thistle is used as a treatment for cirrhosis of the liver and as prevention for cancer. Drugs.com reports that milk thistle is useful for jaundice, peritonitis, hemorrhage, bronchitis and varicose veins. The National Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine includes lowering cholesterol among the uses for milk thistle.
Research
Some people with HIV are also infected with the hepatitis C virus. Often, these patients don't respond well to treatment. But research using silibinin, one of the components of slymarin from milk thistle seeds, has potential to successfully treat these patients when administered intravenously. Researchers investigated the antiviral effects of milk thistle extracts for people with both HIV and hepatitis C who have not responded to traditional treatments in a study at the Medical University of Vienna in Vienna, Austria. Their conclusion was that this treatment is worthy of further study to determine its full potential. The study results were published in the October 2010 issue of "Journal of Clinical Virology."
Function
Milk thistle is able to protect the liver by stabilizing the liver cell membranes and making them more difficult for carcinogens and other harmful substances to get in, says the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. It then helps the healthy liver cells grow and causes the damaged cells to die. Milk thistle shows promise in reducing kidney damage in laboratory tests.
Possible Side Effects
Generally, milk thistle supplements are considered to be safe in moderate amounts, with a few exceptions. Some people may experience nausea, diarrhea, flatulence, indigestion, bloating or lack of appetite, reports MedLinePlus. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, you should avoid taking milk thistle until more is known about its safety for the child.
Considerations
People who are allergic to plants including daisies, chrysanthemums, ragweed or marigolds should avoid the use of milk thistle, since it is part of the same plant family, according to National Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine. Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center cautions against taking milk thistle if you are hypoglycemic or take medications to lower your blood sugar. If you take other medications, especially medicines for HIV, check with your pharmacist or health care provider to be sure that milk thistle won't interfere with their action.
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