The active ingredient in milk thistle is silymarin, a compound that is known to protect the liver. Silymarin acts to stabilize liver cell membranes, helping to repair and protect them from toxins and viruses, as well as assisting them to regenerate. Milk thistle has been used to prevent cancer and to treat alcoholism, cirrhosis, hepatitis, drug-induced liver toxicity, liver disease, food poisoning and indigestion. The effects of milk thistle on the liver are described below.
Improves Overall Liver Function
According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's (AHRQ) summary of milk thistle's effects on the liver, the most frequent benefit of milk thistle appears to be on aspects of overall liver functioning, including improvements in some liver enzymes and proteins such as aminotransferases, albumin, bilirubin, and/or malondialdehyde. More research is needed to determine whether milk thistle is more effective for acute, chronic or different types of liver diseases and what length of treatment is appropriate.
Repairs Damaged Liver Cells
Milk thistle's active ingredient, silymarin, is made of a group of flavonoids (silibinin, silidianin and silicristin) that stimulate protein synthesis. This stimulates the regenerative properties of the liver by promoting the growth of new hepatocytes, suggesting it may be useful in repairing livers damaged by alcohol, food poisoning and other toxins.
In the AHRQ summary of research findings on milk thistle, there was some evidence of improved liver functioning among those with acute viral and chronic cases of hepatitis and those with alcoholism, demonstrating milk thistle's regenerative abilities. However, the studies showed both positive and negative findings on ultimate survival rates among participants. More research is needed to clarify how much repair can be done and for what types of conditions milk thistle can improve survival.
Reduces Inflammation
Studies have suggested that silymarin is an anti-inflammatory substance that regulates molecules called inflammatory mediators and reduces enlargement of the liver.Those with hepatitis and liver inflammation may benefit from milk thistle's anti-inflammatory properties.
Prevents Liver Cell Damage
Milk thistle has the ability to alter the structure of the outer cell layer of hepatocytes (liver cells) in a way that prevents liver toxins from invading them. It may therefore protect the liver and slow down the advancement of cirrhosis from alcohol and drug toxicity as well as hepatitis. Laboratory rat studies offer some evidence that milk thistle blocks the toxic properties of some drugs that are poisonous to the liver, and that they can interrupt the recirculation of toxins in the liver and stimulate healthy re-growth.
Silymarin is also a natural antioxidant, and there is some early evidence from laboratory studies with animals that it may also help to prevent cancer by protecting the liver cells from toxic, tumor-causing chemicals.
