Milk Thistle May Help with Liver Problems

By: Jean Johnson for Body1

Plant with a Friendly Name

Milk thistle: Who would have thought a plant from the aster family with such a friendly name might help those with chronic liver disease? Indeed, treatment claims surrounding milk thistle also say the herbal supplement wards off gall bladder problems and high cholesterol, not to mention reducing insulin resistance in people with type 2 diabetes who also have cirrhosis. Milk thistle may also reduce the growth of cancer cells in breast, cervical and prostate cancers. Pretty big claims for a lowly herb – at least that’s how many Americans accustomed to modern medicine might see it.

Take Action

Stay Safe When Taking Milk Thistle Be sure to tell your doctor about all medication you are taking, including herbal supplements like milk thistle. According to the University of Maryland Medical center, the following doses are considered safe for adults: Recommended dose is generally 12 to 15 g of dried herb (200 to 400 mg silymarin) per day, or 100 to 200 mg of silymarin-phosphatidylcholine complex two times per day. For liver protection: 120 mg silymarin (about 2 capsules), two times daily. To treat liver damage (from alcohol, drugs or chemicals) take 120 mg (about 3 capsules), three times per day. If you have allergies to plants, consult with your doctor before taking herbal supplements.

Europe and Milk Thistle

A native to the Mediterranean, milk thistle has been used in Europe since the 16th century as a “remedy for a variety of ailments, especially liver problems,” states the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) – one of the 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health, which itself is a governmental body that is one of eight agencies under the Public Health Service in the Department of Health and Human Services.

While nothing definite in the way of science is out just yet, it’s cause for notice that NCCAM is interested enough in milk thistle to spend some of its $123 million annual budget studying the herb. Perhaps NCCAM is interested in part because in Germany, milk thistle is commonly used complementarily along with conventional drugs to treat liver conditions like cirrhosis and hepatitis. Then again in Germany, herbal cures are regulated by an authority comparable to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and prescribed like pharmaceutical drugs.

How Milk Thistle Might Work

Silymarin, a substance contained in the fruits of the milk thistle plant, is believed to be responsible for the herb’s medicinal qualities. Though NCCAM underscores the idea that the results of scientific studies to date do not definitively find that milk thistle is beneficial, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ; also under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) notes that there is evidence that milk thistle may be hepatoprotective – hepa referring to the liver. Among other things, milk thistle is thought to work as an antioxident, which inhibits free radicals (a result of biological processes) from damaging cells.

NCCAM Studies

More specifically, NCCAM states that although “the results of scientific studies to date do not definitively find that milk thistle is beneficial in treating hepatitis C in humans, studies in laboratory animals suggest that silymarin may have various benefits to the liver.” NCCAM adds that milk thistle may also inhibit inflammation.

More, although the center is currently sponsoring clinical trials aimed at accumulating more definitive information, to date “studies have generally been small and on liver diseases rather than on hepatitis C infection specifically.” NCCAM also observes that the studies thus far have produced contradictory results, which leave researchers facing the chore of designing comprehensive experiments to draw more reliable conclusions.

The Herbal Industry

The federal government might be waiting in the wings on the efficacy of milk thistle, but meanwhile herbal companies are pulverizing, encapsulating and bottling the herb for sale. Indeed, milk thistle and its herbal sisters and brethren form a marked presence in natural food stores, pharmacies, chain discount stores, grocery stores and in supply houses selling on the Internet.

Hepatitis C and Milk Thistle

Learn More

The University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) offers the following observations on milk thistle: In the late 19th and early 20th centuries physicians in the United States used milk thistle seeds to relieve congestion of the liver, spleen, and kidneys. Many professional herbalists recommend milk thistle extract for the prevention and/or treatment of various liver disorders including viral hepatitis, fatty liver associated with long term alcohol use, and liver damage from drugs and industrial toxins such as carbon tetrachloride. Five of seven American Healthcare Research and Quality studies evaluating milk thistle for alcoholic liver disease found significant improvements in liver function. Those with the mildest form of the disease appeared to improve the most. Milk thistle was less effective for those with severe liver disease such as cirrhosis. UMMC offers further comment on dosage, contraindications, and possible side effects at www.umm.edu/altmed/ConsHerbs/MilkThistlech.html

Perhaps one reason to study milk thistle’s ability to fight disease is that almost four million Americans are infected with Hepatitis C, a viral disease transferred via the blood or bodily fluids. Indeed, a survey of nearly 1,000 patients being treated for various liver diseases at six clinics in the United States found that 39 percent used some form of alternative therapy and that 12 percent listed milk thistle as one of the interventions on which they relied.

Contraindications and Side Effects

The traditional medical community warns consumers about problems associated with the absence of FDA regulation and urges those interested in exploring herbs like milk thistle to be cautious. That said, milk thistle is generally well tolerated and has shown few side effects in clinical trials. The NCCAM also stated that “it can cause a laxative effect; less common effects include nausea, diarrhea, abdominal bloating, fullness and pain.” Finally, the center noted that if a person has allergies to the aster family of plants including ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigolds and daisies, they can experience similar reactions to milk thistle. Also the NCCAM warns that women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should not use milk thistle.

Last updated: 20-Jun-06