Milk Thistle

Milk thistle is commonly found growing wild in a variety of settings, including roadsides. The seeds of the dried flower are used.

Medical use of milk thistle can be traced back more than 2,000 years. Culpeper, the well-known eighteenth-century herbalist, cited its use for opening “obstructions” of the liver and spleen and recommended it for the treatment of jaundice.

Active constituents of milk thistle

Milk thistle seeds contain a bioflavonoid complex known as silymarin. This constituent is responsible for the medical benefits of the plant. Silymarin is made up of three parts: silibinin, silidianin, and silicristin. Silibinin is the most active and is largely responsible for the benefits attributed to silymarin.

Milk thistle extract may protect the cells of the liver by blocking the entrance of harmful toxins and helping remove these toxins from the liver cells. As with other bioflavonoids, silymarin is a powerful antioxidant. Milk thistle also regenerates injured liver cells. Milk thistle extract is most commonly recommended to counteract the harmful actions of alcohol on the liver.

Long-term placebo-controlled, double blind studies have shown milk thistle extracts to be effective in patients with liver cirrhosis, chronic hepatitis, and even diabetes due to cirrhosis. However, there have also been studies that have shown no effect in cirrhosis patients. Milk thistle alters bile makeup, thereby potentially reducing risk of gallstones. Combination of milk thistle with potentially liver-damaging drugs has been shown to protect the liver.

How much milk thistle is usually taken?

For liver disease and impaired liver function, some doctors of natural medicine suggest 420 mg of silymarin per day from an herbal extract of milk thistle standardized to 70–80% silymarin content. According to research and clinical experience, improvement should be noted in about eight to twelve weeks. Once that occurs, intake is sometimes reduced to 280 mg of silymarin per day. This lower amount may also be used for preventive purposes.