Milk Thistle

Milk Thistle

What is it?

• Milk thistle is a plant, part of the asteraceae family. This herb primarily grows in places that are dry and sunny. The seed of milk thistle contains a chemical called silymarin, a flavonoid, which is the primary ingredient responsible for its medicinal effect. Milk thistle functions as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent [58].

What is it used for [58]?

• Milk thistle can be used to help treat alcohol or drug-induced liver damage, and viral hepatitis [58, 59].

• Milk thistle can be used to reverse the poisonous effects of a death cap mush-room [58, 59].

• The silymarin ingredient can be protective against cancer by preventing cell growth and decreasing the flow of blood to tumors.

How does it work in the body?

• Silymarin-phosphatidylcholine is a complex of silymarin that facilitates the attachment of the supplement to the cell membrane, allowing for better absorption than standard milk thistle. Once the complex attaches to the cell membrane, it can prevent toxins from entering the cell.

Safety concerns, side effects, and precautions:

• Side effects: Milk thistle can cause GI disturbances and rashes.

• Precautions/concerns: Pregnant or breastfeeding women, individuals with hormone-related cancers, or with allergies to ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigolds, chamomile, yarrow, or daisies, should not use milk thistle.

Possible interactions:

• Given milk thistle's action in the liver, it may interfere with drug metabolism. of antipsychotics, phenytoin, halothane, birth control pills and/or hormone replacement therapy [58].

• Milk thistle may interfere with allergy drugs, statins, anti-anxiety drugs, anticoagulants, and some cancer drugs.

Evidence for or against its different uses:

• Alcoholic or hepatitis-induced liver disease: A systematic review including 13 randomized clinical trials, concluded that milk thistle supplementation does not significantly affect the clinical complications of histology of liver disease. However, there was significance in reduction of liver-related mortality.

• Mushroom poisoning: When given intravenously. Silibinin, a component of milk thistle, can help reduce the poisonous effects of the amanita mushroom. It does so by competing with the uptake at the liver.

• Viral hepatitis: A systematic review was conducted to assess the effect of milk thistle's chemical compound, silymarin, on individuals with hepatitis B and C. It was found that silymarin can lower levels of transaminase in the blood: however, there is no evidence of the effect on viral load or the liver.

• Cancer: A review concluded that milk thistle can be used for cancer prevention. In vitro and vivo studies have shown that silymarin can act as a chemo-protective agent, facilitate apoptosis in cancer cells, and potentially act as an anti-inflammatory agent. Overall, milk thistle may be useful to use as an adjunct therapy with chemotherapy.

Dosage:

• Silymarin can be taken via capsules, tablets, tinctures, or intravenously. When taking silymarin for hepatoprotection a dosage of 420 mg three times a day for 6-8 weeks is recommended. When supplementing for maintenance, the recommended dosage is 280 mg/day. The recommended dosage for mush-room poisoning is 33 mg/kg/day for -81.67 h via intravenous solution.