Silybum marianum
(Milk thistle)

Therapeutic Actions:

• Antioxidant
• Detoxifies hormones, chemicals and drugs
• Increases glutathione content of the liver
• Increases SOD
• Increases solubility of bile
• Inhibits both cell growth and DNA synthesis in a time-dependent manner with large loss of cell viability in cervical carcinoma cells
• Lipoxygenase inhibitor thus inhibiting leukotriene damage
• Neutralizes toxic radicals in liver parenchyma
• Prevents liver destruction
• Protective effectagainst tumor promotion, primarily targeted against stage I tumors (in animal studies)
• Reduces hepatic inflammation
• Stabilizes hepatocellular membranes by modifying phospholipid turnover
• Stimulates liver protein synthesis but does not stimulate malignant liver cells

Clinical Indications:

• Cholecystitis
• Cholelithiasis
• Hepatitis
• Psoriasis
• Psoriatic arthritis
• Amanita phalloides poisoning
• Cirrhosis
• Cholangitis
• Detoxification
• Fatty infiltration of the liver

Contraindications:

• None known

Drug/Nutrient Interaction:

• Prevents kidney damage from cisplatin without decreasing its antitumor effectiveness
• Prevents liver damage from acetaminophen
• Prevents liver damage from alcohol
• Prevents liver damage from butyrophenones
• Prevents liver damage from dilantin
• Prevents liver damage from halothane
• Prevents liver damage from phenothiazines

Chemical Constituents:

• Silymarin containing:
  
  Silibin, most biological active component
  Silichristine
  Silidianin

Toxicity:

• Due to silymarin's ability to increase bile flow, stools may be looser
• Very low toxicity

Copyright 1998 - 2008 by L. Vicky Crouse, ND and James S. Reiley, ND. All rights reserved (ISSN 1527-0661).