Milk thistle: what is it?

the milk thistle is a plant of the Asteraceae family,species Silybum marianum. The plant owes its name to a legend: a drop of the Virgin Mary’s milk would have left a white mark on the leaves of the plant. In English, milk thistle is called ” milk thistle for “milk thistle”.

The molecules active ingredients in milk thistle are called silymarins. Silymarin has antioxidant properties: it reduces the production of free radicals. Its benefits have been described in different areas. Here are some examples:

• for lactation: in a study out of 50 breastfeeding women, some took 420 mg per day of silymarin. Women who took silymarin for two months produced significantly more milk than those who took a placebo (about +50%);
• against the diabetes : silymarin would reduce fasting glucose levels, but studies are lacking;
• against theacne and theinflammation of the skin: in a small study, patients who took silymarin for two months had a 50% reduction in their acne-related lesions. It would be related to the effects anti-inflammatories and silymarin antioxidants.

Milk thistle and liver disease

Milk thistle extracts are traditionally used to treat liver problems because they protect the liver hepatotoxic substances. Silymarin is for example used for patients with cirrhosisofhepatitisdisease of liver fat or carcinomas. It would also have an effect antiviral directly against the virushepatitis C. It would act by preventing the attachment of toxic molecules to the membrane receptors present on liver cells. In animals, it limits liver damage from radiation, excess iron or to mushrooms toxic likeammonite phalloid. Milk Thistle would protect the liver against amatoxin, toxin found in mushrooms poisonous.