Derived from the Silybum marianum plant, milk thistle is used medicinally for its dried fruits to treat liver conditions and other ailments. Traditionally, milk thistle was used for thousands of years to treat jaundice, liver diseases and spleen problems. You might take milk thistle extract for similar purposes, as well as to help treat a variety of other health issues. But before you begin taking the remedy, consult your doctor to discuss the proper dosage and potential drug interactions.
Function
Milk thistle contains the flavonoid compound called silymarin, which further contains three separate constituents, silidianin, silicristin and silibinin, according to the University of Michigan Health System. Silibinin in particular appears to provide the beneficial actions of the silymarin in milk thistle. Milk thistle provides antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and liver-protective actions, as well as functions that help the liver to repair and regenerate itself, says the University of Maryland Medical Center. Milk thistle extract seems to prevent toxins from entering the liver cells as well.
Effects
Milk thistle extract's functions have led people to use the remedy in treating alcohol-related liver disease, liver cirrhosis and hepatitis, reports the University of Michigan Health System. You might also take milk thistle extract to help treat gallstones and Type 2 diabetes. Milk thistle is sometimes used to treat mushroom poisoning and liver toxicity from certain medications, as well as rosacea, notes the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Milk thistle could potentially have anticancer effects as well, possibly preventing cancer cells from reproducing and surviving in the body, states the University of Maryland Medical Center. Don't take milk thistle for any health purpose before first consulting your doctor, however.
Types
You can find milk thistle remedies in several different forms, including liquid or encapsulated extracts, tinctures and special extracts containing a silymarin phospatidylcholine complex, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. You can also consume the dried fruits of the milk thistle plant, either in the form of a tea or ground spice, notes the University of Michigan Health System. Milk thistle extracts are typically standardized to contain about 70 percent silymarin, says the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Dosages
A typical dosage of milk thistle extract is 200 milligrams taken two or three times daily, according to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Alternatively, you might take 100 to 200 milligrams twice daily of silymarin phosphatidylcholine. Another suggested daily dosage is 420 to 600 milligrams of milk thistle extract standardized to contain 80 percent silymarin, says the University of Michigan Health System. Supplements contain only silymarin extracted from milk thistle are usually taken at 230 to 600 milligrams per day in two or three separate doses, the Mayo Clinic notes. Another milk thistle extract contains only silybin and is typically taken in a daily dosage of 160 to 480 milligrams. Ask your doctor about the dosage that is right for you before you take any type of milk thistle extract.
Warning
You could have a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction to milk thistle extract if you're allergic to plants belonging to the aster family, daisies, kiwi or artichokes, the Mayo Clinic warns. While taking milk thistle extract, you might experience side effects like headache, itching, stomach upset, diarrhea, joint pain, gas, loss of appetite and heartburn. Milk thistle can make birth control pills less effective, cautions the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Milk thistle extract might also interact negatively with medications, such as Dilantin for seizures, antipsychotics like butyrophenones and phenothizines, certain cancer drugs, anti-anxiety medications, blood-thinners like Plavix and Coumadin, allergy medications, and cholesterol-reducers like lovastatin, says the University of Maryland Medical Center.
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