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Today's Daily Health Tip
A Closer Look at Milk Thistle
by Beth Levine     This week's featured ingredient, milk thistle, aka St. Mary's thistle, is probably the world's best-known liver herb. Its two key compounds are silymarin and silibinin (aka silybin). Dozens of studies have shown that both silymarin and silibinin can prevent or counteract damage to the liver caused by toxins such as alcohol, acetaminophen (Tylenol), and other drugs, as well as environmental (heavy metals) and bacterial toxins, and even poison mushrooms.
Silymarin combats lipid peroxidation in the liver of rats and has been shown to hasten the restoration of liver cells in damaged liver tissue. Sometimes the mechanism of liver damage is the depletion of glutathione (often from heavy consumption of alcohol). In studies, silymarin and silibinin actually elevated glutathione levels in rats given alcohol. Human subjects with liver damage caused by chronic alcoholism, cirrhosis, hepatitis, or other toxicities were likewise significantly benefited by treatment with silymarin.
As a 2003 report in the Journal de Pharmacie de Belgique pointed out, the liver benefitting properties of milk thistle are rather difficult to evaluate objectively. Mortality rate in the case of life-threatening liver diseases is the most objective parameter. And as it turns out, silymarin has been tested in living animals deliberately intoxicated with mushroom toxins, medicines, heavy metals, or toxic organic solvents. Preventive as well as curative activity has been confirmed. Silymarin accumulates in the liver, which is also the target organ in therapy.
Silymarin even improves the prognosis after accidental ingestion of toxic death cap mushrooms. And silymarin given to patients with liver damage by alcohol lowers the death toll. Side effects are comparable to placebo.
Studies have shown that silibinin can block hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and inhibit T cell proliferation. Even more impressive, a 2012 study has shown that intravenous silibinin inhibits replication of HIV-1. As the study concluded, silymarin-derived compounds provide cytoprotection by suppressing virus infection, immune activation, and inflammation, and as such may be relevant for both HIV mono-infected and HIV/HCV co-infected subjects.
Studies have also shown that milk thistle is effective in lowering both blood glucose levels and LDL cholesterol. One double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial found that milk thistle supplementation was able to help bring glucose levels back into the normal range, and the patients taking milk thistle had lower levels of LDL, triglycerides, and total cholesterol levels over the four-month trial period.
And milk thistle is quite safe as a supplement. Neither toxicity nor drug interactions have been reported following high doses of milk thistle or its components. The bottom line is that milk thistle has hepatoprotective properties and is safe enough to be used even in cases of chronic liver disease. It is valuable in post-operative liver repair and in the treatment of alcoholic cirrhosis, and, as a bonus, it is cancer protective.
Click here to learn more about other natural ingredients that can help your liver. |  LET'S CONNECT
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