Milk thistle (Silybum marianum), sometimes thought of as the detox herb, is a tall herbal plant with prickly leaves and a ‘milky’ looking sap. The herb was being used medicinally in ancient Greece and continues to be used by many individuals today, especially to treat liver ailments. Often the supplement is known as silymarin, which is the name of the major bioflavonoid, or active plant compound, found in the herb.
Many hundreds of studies have documented the usefulness of this herb. Often people associate milk thistle with ‘detox’ regimens. This is probably because there is some evidence to suggest that the herb can fortify or strengthen the liver. The liver is the major detoxification organ of the body, it ‘cleans’ our blood and neutralises any toxins from the air, diet, metabolic processes or drugs/medicines. The bioflavonoids in milk thistle appear to protect and strengthen the liver cells, possibly through antioxidant and anti-inflammatory processes and actions. The herb also appears to help promote the regeneration of new liver cells in order to replace older damaged ones. There also seems to be some indications that the herb helps in the prevention of cancer, possibly via its antioxidant capabilities.
A recent Hungarian research paper (1) reviewed the available evidence for milk thistle in the treatment of chronic liver diseases. The most common serious liver problems are viral infections (hepatitis) and liver scarring (cirrhosis) often caused by alcoholism and fatty liver. Many of the liver diseases are linked to damage by free-radicals, which are destructive oxygen molecules naturally present in the body, and the antioxidant capacity of milk thistle is probably why it is so useful. The bioflavonoids found in milk thistle act as antioxidants and can ‘mop-up’ these free radicals. (I have written about antioxidants numerous times in my blog posts).
Antioxidants are linked to the reduction in the risk of many conditions raging from cancer, to heart disease, dementia and arthritis. One of the reasons why fruit and vegetables are so important in our diets is because they provide many antioxidant nutrients, such as vitamins C and E and various antioxidant bioflavonoids. The research paper discusses the findings that milk thistle benefits the liver through mechanisms such as strengthening cell membranes, acting as an antioxidant, helping liver cells to regenerate, reducing liver inflammation and helping to prevent liver scarring. The paper(1) also discusses the significant antiviral activities of the herb which could account for its potential usefulness in helping patients with hepatitis.
A recent laboratory cell study (2) looked at how the antioxidant bioflavonoids in milk thistle protect the cholesterol in our blood from becoming damaged or oxidised. Oxidised cholesterol is far more dangerous to our bodies and poses an increased risk for heart disease. Milk thistle appeared to be very potent in protecting against oxidation. Similarly the antioxidants appear to be potentially important in the prevention of cancer (3,4). It appears that milk thistle acts through a variety of cellular mechanisms in our body and not just through antioxidant capacity. Further larger trials with this herbal supplement are certainly warranted to clarify its health benefits.
The antioxidant power of this herb may mean that it could be very useful as a dietary supplement in the prevention of all kinds of free-radical related diseases(6) such as liver problems, cancers, heart disease, dementia, arthritis and a whole host of others. However, supplements are definitely not the whole story. It is important to remember that supplements are not a substitute for a healthy diet. Vegetables and fruits will provide an array of various antioxidant and other nutrients which are vital for our health. A milk thistle supplement could be viewed as an extra boost for the body. If you think you may have over-done the alcohol and pain-relief medicines recently and fancy strengthening your liver you could consider a short course (1-3 months) of milk-thistle supplementation in addition to a liver strengthening healthy antioxidant diet.
(1)Fehér J & Lengyel G. 2008. [Silymarin in the treatment of chronic liver diseases: past and future.] [Article in Hungarian]. Orv Hetil. 149(51):2413-8.
(2) Ferenci P et al. 2008. Silibinin is a potent antiviral agent in patients with chronic hepatitis C not responding to pegylated interferon/ribavirin therapy. Gastroenterology. 135:1561-1567
(3) Wallace S et al. 2008. Milk thistle extracts inhibit the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and subsequent scavenger receptor-dependent monocyte adhesion. J Agric Food Chem. 56:3966-3972
(4) Hogan FS et al. 2007. Flavonoid, silibinin, inhibits proliferation and promotes cell-cycle arrest of human colon cancer. J Surg Res. 143:58-65
(5) Ramasamy K & Agarwal R. 2008. Multitargeted therapy of cancer by silymarin. Cancer Letter. 269:352-362
(6) Asghar Z & Masood Z. 2008. Evaluation of antioxidant properties of silymarin and its potential to inhibit peroxyl radicals in vitro. Pak J Pharm Sci. 21:249-254
Written by Ani Kowal
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