Photo courtesy of Microsoft Clipart
The use of milk thistles for medicinal purposes has been around for several centuries. In ancient times, the physicians used it as an antidote for snakebites and other poisons. Pliny the Elder from ancient Rome described the herb as being excellent for "carrying off bile." Today, scientists are discovering that the milk thistle silymarin, the active component of milk thistle, really can help detoxify the liver and provide other benefits to the user.
Lloyd Wright, author of several books of his triumph to overcome Hepatitus C and the tissue damage the disease caused, noted that doctors held out very little hope for his condition. Because he had nothing to lose, he turned instead to alternative medicine. One of the remedies he used was milk thistle silymarin. While he tried modern medicine and doctors indicated it failed, giving him a maximum three to five years to live, his need to find a cure led him to alternative remedies. He is still alive and credits his 16 years of extra life and the eradication of the hepatitis C to alternative medicine.
Lloyd Wright isn't the only person with liver Hepatitis helped by milk thistle. A long-term study supported by the National Institute of Health called HALT Hepatitis C Antiviral Long-Term Treatment against Cirrhosis - found that milk thistle benefited patients with hepatitis C. The patients taking the herb had a better quality of life and milder symptoms.
Silymarin and Liver Protection
Milk thistle silymarin stabilizes the liver cell membranes. It changes the structure of parts of the outer shell to create a barrier for toxins to enter into the interior. It also increases the ability of the liver to regenerate and create new hepatocytes.
However, that's not all the milk thistle does. There are studies indicating that it may be a cancer fighter too. The flavonoids in milk thistle produce the anti cancer effects. In addition to formal studies, there are many anecdotal reports indicating that milk thistle can prevent damage to the liver from medications such as phenytoin or butyrophenones. Several other studies are presently underway, including one to find whether milk thistle silymarin can help patients who didn't respond to the conventional antiviral medication.
Milk Thistle Silymarin for Diabetes and Heart Health
There are research studies indicating that the combination of traditional diabetes treatment and milk thistle can decrease blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetics as well as improve their cholesterol levels. Research also indicates the improvement may occur because of the beneficial change to insulin resistance. In fact, on of the side effects noted for milk thistle is the potential for lowering blood sugar. This affects people taking diabetes medication but also those with hypoglycemia or low blood sugar.
Cancer Prevention and Cure
Several studies show that silymarin and other active phytochemicals in milk thistle have an anti cancer effect. Since many of these are antioxidant and anti inflammatory, their action may be partially responsible. Other phytochemicals in milk thistle stop the division and reproduction of cancer cells and limit the supply of blood to the tumors. These studies are primarily non-human and non-animal studies and still of a hypothetical nature.
