Milk Thistle

Milk thistle helps relieve the symptoms of hepatitis, cirrhosis, and inflammatory liver conditions. It is one of the most effective herbs known for treating liver disorders. Even the ancient Greeks knew the virtues of milk thistle for jaundice. Physicians of the Middle Ages used it for liver problems and other conditions, and nursing mothers took milk thistle leaf to increase their milk for breast-feeding.

Milk thistle fruit contains an active ingredient called silymarin. Silymarin is the liver-protecting compound inside milk thistle. Silymarin repairs liver cells damaged by alcohol and other toxic substances. Silymarin also keeps new liver cells from being destroyed by these same substances.

Plant Description

Milk thistle originally came from the Mediterranean. It is now widespread throughout the world, from Europe to Asia, and from Africa to North America. This stout thistle usually grows in dry, sunny areas. The stem branches at the top, and it reaches a height of 4 to 10 feet. The leaves are wide, with white blotches or veins. The flowers are red-purple. The small, hard-skinned fruit is brown, spotted, and shiny. Milk thistle is easy to grow, and it matures quickly, in less than a year.

What's It Made Of?

Milk thistle products are made from the seeds inside the fruit. The seeds contain 1.5 percent to 3 percent silymarin. Silymarin is actually made up of a group of compounds called flavonolignands. The most important flavonolignan is silybarin (sometimes called silybin). Other flavonolignans in silymarin are isosilybin, dehydrosilybin, silydianin, and silychristin.

Available Forms

• Capsules of standardized dried herb (each capsule contains about 120 to 140 mg silymarin)
• Several teas contain the standardized extract.
• Liquid extract
• Tincture

How to Take It

Milk thistle protects the liver from harmful chemicals and alcohol. Silymarin is a more powerful antioxidant than vitamin C and vitamin E. Standardized extracts of milk thistle are beneficial for cirrhosis of the liver, chronic hepatitis B, chronic alcoholic liver diseases, and liver damage from toxins.

Silymarin is the most effective antidote to deathcap mushroom poisoning. Milk thistle standardized extract can stop deadly mushroom poisoning if you take it 10 minutes after you ingest deathcap (Amanita phalloides) mushrooms. Always get immediate medical attention if you eat poisonous mushrooms or any other toxic substance.

If you have a liver problem, or if you drink much alcohol (or drank too much in the past), your health care provider may recommend milk thistle for you. This herb can also help protect your liver if you take a lot of acetaminophen (nonaspirin pain reliever). Milk thistle is also beneficial if you need to increase your bile flow, and helps reduce the symptoms of psoriasis.

You should always use standardized capsules whenever possible. This is because the silymarin in milk thistle seeds is hard to absorb. Silymarin can get into your system faster if it is concentrated, and it is most concentrated in standardized capsules. Try to avoid alcohol extracts.

The recommended dose of milk thistle is 12 to 15 g dried herb (200 to 400 mg silymarin) per day.

If you are taking milk thistle to protect your liver, you can take 120 mg silymarin (about 2 capsules) two times a day.

If you are taking milk thistle because your liver is damaged (from alcohol, drugs, or chemicals), the recommended dosage is 120 mg (about 3 capsules) three times a day.

There is a new form of milk thistle called silymarin-phosphatidylcholine complex. This is absorbed better than regular standardized milk thistle. In clinical trials, the silymarin-phosphatidylcholine complex worked better than silymarin by itself for treating liver disorders. A key element in cell membranes, phosphatidylcholine helps the silymarin attach easily to the cell membranes. This keeps toxins from getting inside liver cells.

The recommended dosage for silymarin-phosphatidylcholine complex is 100 to 200 mg two times per day.

Precautions

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration labels milk thistle a dietary supplement so there are no restrictions on using it. Milk thistle is safe when you follow the recommended dosage. Sometimes this herb has a mild laxative effect. If this happens, take some fiber such as guar gum, psyllium, oat bran, or pectin. The fiber should stop loose stools and any stomach discomfort.

Possible Interactions

No harmful drug interactions have been reported.

Supporting Research

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