Your liver is one of the most important organs in your body. It carries out many critical functions to keep you healthy, including helping process food you eat, regulating the amount of cholesterol and glucose in your blood, removing toxins, drugs and pathogens from your circulation and storing energy, vitamins and iron. Liver ailments may be minor or they may become serious, jeopardizing your overall health. Milk thistle is an herbal remedy that may help keep your liver healthy or help it recover from a problem. Discuss its use with your doctor before adding it to your regimen.
Liver Ailments
Several disorders may injure your liver and compromise its function, including hepatitis, cirrhosis, fatty liver disease, liver cancer and several genetic disorders. Some disorders are caused by ingestion of material that is harmful to the liver, such as certain drugs, excess alcohol or toxic compounds. Others involve liver inflammation caused by parasites, bacteria or viruses such as hepatitis virus A, B or C. In these disorders, liver cells become damaged and may die, impairing your liver's ability to perform its functions. Milk thistle may protect your liver cells from damage and may also help them recover from disease or an injury.
Milk Thistle
Milk thistle, or Silybum marianum, has been part of traditional herbal medicine for thousands of years. The seeds and pods contain a compound called silymarin, which is a complex of natural chemicals called flavonoids. Practitioners usually recommend milk thistle for various liver ailments and, in Germany, it is currently approved by a federal agency for treatment of patients exposed to liver toxins or suffering from liver disorders.
Properties of Silymarin
Silymarin, the active component in milk thistle, protects liver cells by stabilizing their cellular membranes, changing the membrane architecture to prevent toxic substances from entering the cells. It also stimulates enzymes that liver cells need for cell division, supporting the production of new cells and helping the liver to regenerate after some of its cells have been destroyed. It may also affect the blood circulation of the liver, speeding removal of toxic substances from the organ and minimizing the damage they cause.
Recommendations and Precautions
Milk thistle is available from some pharmacies and most health food stores as a standardized extract in capsules. Each capsule usually contains 120 to 140 mg of silymarin. The recommended daily dose of silymarin is 230 to 600 mg, divided into two or three doses. Milk thistle is generally considered safe, although it may cause mild stomach upset or headache and some people may be allergic to the herb. Do not take milk thistle if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. It may also interact with some prescription medications, especially those that affect blood sugar, so discuss its use with your doctor before taking it.
