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Milk Thistle

Uses

Botanical names:
Carduus marianus, Silybum marianum

Parts Used & Where Grown

Milk thistle is commonly found growing wild in a variety of settings, including roadsides. The dried fruit (also called achenes) are used to produce modern herbal extracts.

What Are Star Ratings?

This supplement has been used in connection with the following health conditions:

Used for Why
3 Stars
Liver Support
420 to 600 mg of silymarin daily
Though not a treatment for withdrawl symptoms, milk thistle extract is commonly recommended to counteract the harmful effects of alcohol on the liver, as this herb speeds the regeneration of injured liver cells.

extract is commonly recommended to counteract the harmful effects of alcohol on the liver. Milk thistle extracts have been shown in one double-blind study to reduce death due to alcohol-induced cirrhosis of the liver, though another double-blind study did not confirm this finding. Milk thistle extract may protect the cells of the liver by both blocking the entrance of harmful toxins and helping remove these toxins from the liver cells. Milk thistle has also been reported to regenerate injured liver cells.

2 Stars
Hepatitis
420 mg of silymarin daily
Supplementing with milk thistle may support the liver.

Silymarin, the flavonoid extracted from , has been studied for treating all types of liver disease. The standard amount used in most trials has delivered 420 mg of silymarin per day. For acute hepatitis, double-blind trials have shown mixed results. A preparation of silymarin and phosphatidylcholine was reported to help sufferers of chronic viral hepatitis. One small preliminary trial found that at least 420 mg of silymarin was necessary each day. A controlled trial found that silymarin decreased liver damage. One trial has suggested that silymarin may be more effective for hepatitis B as opposed to hepatitis C.

Recent findings have shown that silymarin has the ability to block fibrosis, a process that contributes to the eventual development of cirrhosis in persons with inflammatory liver conditions secondary to alcohol abuse or hepatitis. While there are no published clinical trials in people with hepatitis C to date, this action makes milk thistle extract potentially attractive as a supportive treatment for the condition—particularly for those that have not responded to standard drug therapy. The effectiveness of silymarin (particularly its antifibrotic actions) needs to be studied in larger numbers of persons with hepatitis C to determine whether it is an effective treatment for this condition.

2 Stars
Liver Cirrhosis
420 mg of silymarin daily
Supplementing with milk thistle may protect liver cells and improve function.

An extract of  (Silybum marianum) that is high in a flavonoid compound known as silymarin may improve liver function and increase survival in people with cirrhosis. Clinical trials have shown that silymarin (420–600 mg per day) improves liver function tests and protects liver cells against oxidative damage in people with alcohol-related liver disease. However, evidence is conflicting regarding the ability of silymarin to prolong survival of people with liver cirrhosis. In one double-blind trial, a significant increase in survival was found in people with cirrhosis who were given 140 mg of silymarin three times a day for approximately two years. Positive results were also found in a 12-month controlled study of adults with diabetes and alcoholic liver cirrhosis taking the same daily amount of silymarin. However, another double-blind trial found that 150 mg of silymarin three times a day for two years had no significant effect on survival among alcoholics with liver cirrhosis.

For people with chronic liver disease, milk thistle extract may be taken long-term. Milk thistle extracts containing 80% silymarin are commercially available and may be taken in amounts that deliver 420 mg of silymarin per day.

2 Stars
Type 2 Diabetes
140 mg of silymarin three times daily
Supplementing with milk thistle extract may improve blood glucose levels, HbA1c, and insulin sensitivity, and reduce oxidative stress and inflammation.
An extract of milk thistle (Silybum marianum) called silymarin, at a dose of 140 mg three times per day, has been shown in placebo-controlled research to improve blood glucose, insulin, and triglyceride levels, and reduce HbA1c and markers of insulin resistance, oxidative stress and systemic inflammation in people with type 2 diabetes. In addition, preliminary research indicates a combination supplement containing silymarin and berberine (a compound found in several medicinal plants including goldenseal [Hydrastis canadensis]) may improve glycemic control and lipid metabolism in people with type 2 diabetes.
1 Star
Gallstones
Refer to label instructions
Milk thistle extracts in capsules or tablets may be beneficial in preventing gallstones.

extracts in capsules or tablets may be beneficial in preventing gallstones. In one study, silymarin (the active component of milk thistle) reduced cholesterol levels in bile, which is one important way to reduce gallstone formation. People in the study took 420 mg of silymarin per day.

Traditional Use (May Not Be Supported by Scientific Studies)

Medical use of milk thistle can be traced back more than 2,000 years. Nicholas Culpeper, the well-known 17th-century pharmacist, cited its use for opening “obstructions” of the liver and spleen and recommended it for the treatment of jaundice.

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PeaceHealth endeavors to provide comprehensive health care information, however some topics in this database describe services and procedures not offered by our providers or within our facilities because they do not comply with, nor are they condoned by, the ethics policies of our organization.