Milk Thistle
Updated Oct. 13th, 2017
Milk thistle was used historically as a digestive aid, to promote the flow of digestive juices, and as a tonic for nursing mothers, to increase milk supply. Nowadays it’s popularity stems from its ability to detoxify and protect a very important organ, the liver. Our liver is responsible for filtering out most everything that should not be in our body and processing it so that it doesn’t cause damage to other cells.
It also metabolizes hormones and fats, and makes sure that the transportation system for fats (cholesterol) is working properly. The livers secretions, called bile, carry metabolized waste products out into the intestine where they can be excreted. The medicinal activity of milk thistle is in a molecule called silymarin. It causes liver cells, hepatocytes, to resist toxic compounds and regenerate themselves. It also increases glutathione in the liver.
glutathione is an antioxidant that the liver uses to catch damaging free radicals that are created when the liver changes toxins into harmless chemicals. Silymarin also blocks the toxic effects of drug overdoses and poisonings. Milk thistle is a bitter herb that causes the release of digestive juices and bile, thus helping with indigestion and intestinal cleansing. Natural health practitioners recommend milk thistle for liver toxicity, indigestion, poisonings, drug overdoses, hepatitis, jaundice, gallbladder dysfunction and high cholesterol.
Milk thistle can be purchased as encapsulated herb, dried herb, tincture or liquid extract. Milk thistle’s active components are not soluble in water and therefore there is little medicinal value in drinking it as a tea. Concentrated extracts or capsules are the best forms to use. Milk thistle is found as a component of many cleansing formulas. In order to help with digestion, bitter herbs must be tasted, like when you take in a tincture or tea. Encapsulated herbs are swallowed, thus bypassing the taste buds, and will not stimulate digestion.
Milk thistle is a very safe herb but it does have detoxifying properties. Individuals with serious liver disease or high levels of toxic compounds in their body should use milk thistle under the guidance of a health professional.
Hope it will help me
Hello Marshmallow,
Milk Thistle is an excellent herb to support liver health. By supporting the liver, which is responsible for much of our detoxification, Milk Thistle also helps keep a clear complexion by supporting break outs and acne. You can learn more about liver supporting supplements or detoxification supplements in our other articles.
https://www.nationalnutrition.ca/articles/health-concerns/liver-support/
Stay healthy & well!
tks very helpfull
Hello Robert,
You're welcome. We're glad you enjoyed our article on Milk Thistle. It's a great herb for overall detoxification and liver support. If you'd like to learn more about these health concerns and other supplements that support them, check out our other articles as well:
https://www.nationalnutrition.ca/articles/health-concerns/detoxification/
https://www.nationalnutrition.ca/articles/health-concerns/liver-health-and-detoxification/
Have a healthy day!
Hi,
I'm wondering if there is a way to figure out an equivalent dosing between dry herbal extracts of milk thistle and milk thistle tinctures? For example, a capsule form will tell me how many mg is provided by each serving, and hopefully that it is standardized to 80% silymarin. But the tinctures only hive me a suggested dose range/interval. Any thoughts on the subject?
Hello TP,
Thank you for your question. Some brands of liquid Milk Thistle will provide this information. I've linked 2 here for you, both are great quality, the one by Naka is the most popular. If you have any further questions, please reach out, we are always happy to help.
https://www.nationalnutrition.ca/naka-milk-thistle-liquid-500ml-bonus-item.html
https://www.nationalnutrition.ca/a-vogel-milk-thistle-50ml-bonus-item.html
Have a healthy day!
Curious as to how long you can safely take Milk Thistle 250 mg caps for? I have been taking 1 cap daily for years. I have not had a liver issue for many years and had fatty liver detected a number of years prior to taking it. I have recently been deemed with a perfectly healthy liver and wonder if I should stop taking Milk Thistle or back off to every other day?
Hello DAM,
Thank you for your comment, we're happy you enjoyed learning more about milk thistle with us. As for your question, milk thistle is appropriate for long term use for everyday liver support. This might be important for someone who has struggled with liver issues in the past. Typically, for someone with healthy liver function, a daily maintenance dose is 50 to 150 mg, depending on the labelling directions on the bottle you choose. You can learn more about liver health here, https://www.nationalnutrition.ca/articles/health-concerns/liver-disorders/. We hope this helps and have a healthy day!