Got Milk Thistle?

Jennifer A. DeSpain
Andrew E. Bourne
Milk ThistleSilybum marianum
Acts as an antioxidant protecting the liver from
free-radical damage
Increases liver tissue regeneration rates
Protects the liver against possible toxic
substances
Possible anti-hepatitis properties as well as aiding
in cirrhosis
Acts as an antidote to death cap mushrooms
Acts as a possible anticarcinogen
Description of
Silybum marianum
Annual or biennial
Up to 6 feet in height
Leaves are spiny and prickly
with white veins
Crimson to reddishviolet
flowers which bloom from
May to June
Originally from the
Mediterranean region
Seen as a weed in California,
choking out native grasses
and wildflowers in the State
Parks
the national plant of Scotland

Photo 2000 Steven Foster


Traditional Uses of Milk Thistle
Traditional names: Holy Thistle, Lady's Thistle,
Marian Thistle, Mary Thistle, Our Lady's Thistle,
St. Mary Thistle, silybin, silybum, silymarin
The plant has been grown both as an ornamental
and a vegetable
Folk medicine for the treatment of appetite loss and
digestive problems
Seeds have been roasted for use as a coffee
substitute and the leaves are used as a substitute for
spinach
Ancient herbalists note its use for all melancholy
diseases


Traditional Uses (Cont.)
Historically, the plant has been used for treating malaria,
upset stomach, as a liver protectant, uterine complaints,
and to stimulate menstrual flow
It was mentioned by Theophrastus (4th century B.C.)
with the name of Pternix and by Pliny the Elder (1st
century A.D.) with the name of Sillybum
Dioscorides recommended the seeds as a bitter tonic,
capable of powerfully rejuvenating the liver, and Arabian
physicians used the plant both to stimulate the appetite &
the digestive processes, to promote bile, to strengthen
liver function & to treat poisoning, jaundice & hepatitis
Known for 2000 years as a liver protecting herbal: Pliny
the Elder said the juice of the plant mixed with honey is
excellent for carrying off bile



Medical Interest
Von Haller (1744) in his "Medizinischen Lexicon"
documented the specific use of the plant for liver
disorders.
In the 19th and 20th centuries many authors such as
Rademacher, Schulz and Henry Leclerc mentioned the
fruits of S. marianum for the treatment of liver
diseases, disorders of the bile duct and spleen
The German Commission E concluded in 1986 that
daily doses were effective treatment for inflammatory
liver disease and hepatic cirrhosis
Not approved by FDA as a drug, but used widely in
European countries
Active Compounds
Silymarin: the term given for the active
extract from Silybum marianum
Silymarin is composed of the flavinoids
silybin, isosilybin, dehydrosilybin,
silydianin, and silychristin
Silybin is the most active flavinoid, but
most herbals contain the mixture silymarin
The Herbal Supplement
Milk Thistle can be taken as
capsules or tinctures
(standardized to 70% to 80%
silymarin)
Teas have little benefit
because of silymarins poor
solubility
The recommended daily dose
is 200 to 400 milligrams of
silymarin


Possible Side Effects
Gastrointestinal problems (e.g., nausea, diarrhea,
dyspepsia, flatulence, abdominal bloating,
abdominal fullness or pain, anorexia, and changes
in bowel habits due to increased bile flow)
Headache
Skin reactions (pruritus, rash, urticaria, and eczema)
Neuropsychological events (e.g., asthenia, malaise,
and insomnia)
Arthralgia
Rhinoconjunctivitis
Impotence
Anaphylaxis

-These occur in only 1% of Milk Thistle users-
Milk Thistle as an Antioxidant
The Antioxidant activity has been shown to be
considerably stronger than that of vitamin E
Extracts from the plant are capable of
counteracting the damaging effects of free
radicals
This is due to silymarins ability to increase the
amount of glutathione in liver cells, which is a
very powerful antioxidant that protects cells from
oxidative damage
Increasing Tissue Regeneration
Perhaps the most interesting effect of silybum
components on the liver is their ability to
stimulate protein synthesis
Silymarin stimulates RNA polymerase I,
enhancing ribosome protein synthesis
The result is an increase in the production of new
liver cells to replace the damaged old ones
This demonstrates that silymarin exerts both a
protective and restorative effect on the liver
Protection Against Toxic Substances
Silymarin has been shown to protect against liver
damage of diverse toxic chemicals as carbon
tetrachloride, amanita toxin, galactosamine and
praseodymium nitrate
The liver can also be damaged by the action of
leukotrienes, which are compounds produced by
the transfer of oxygen to a polyunsaturated fatty
acid (catalyzed by lipoxygenase)
Silybum components inhibit lipoxygenase,
thereby inhibiting the formation of these
damaging compounds
Protection Against Toxins cont.
Liver Cirrhosis
In the United States, chronic alcoholism and hepatitis
C are the most common causes liver cirrhosis
20-30% of people with chronic hepatitis C will
develop cirrhosis; 1-7% will develop liver cancer
Milk Thistle interrupts enterohepatic recirculation of
toxins
The silymarin complex puts up a protective shield
against liver-harming substances like alcohol
Clinical studies have shown that taking Milk Thistle
decreases death rate with advanced alcoholic cirrhosis
Antidote to Death Cap Mushroom
Consuming the Death Cap mushroom (Amanita
phalloides) results in severe liver damage and often
death in 2 to 3 days
Silymarin binds to the liver cells preventing the
mushroom poisons from binding, blocking their
poisonous effect
The silymarin is also able to directly neutralize the
poison itself, making it effective even after the
mushroom poison has been injested.
Fighting Cancer and Other Uses
Prevents cancer by decreasing the activity of
carcinogens
Case Western Reserve University study showed
milk thistle provided almost complete protection
against skin cancer in mice that were exposed to
known carcinogens
Protects liver cells against such drugs as
ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and the statin drugs,
which are harmful to the liver
Silymarin has been found to lower blood glucose
levels, decreasing the need for exogenous insulin