Milk Thirstle Benefits
Liver Protector Aid Detox and Fat Burn

More and more benefits are reported in the scientific literature about the herb milk thistle each year! This herb definitely should be on everyone’s “must drink” or “must take” list!

Silymarin, an extract from the seeds of the milk thistle plant Silybum marianum, has been used for centuries for the treatment of chronic liver diseases. Although the herb is commonly used to patients to treat hepatitis C in the United States, only a few scientific studies have been carried out to date.

A 2009 study published by the Washington School of Medicine aimed to investigate this, and the results confirmed milk thirstle liver benefits.

They found that Silymarin can block the growth of the secretion of T cells (that are inflammatory) and is antiviral. Both mechanisms could explain why milk thirstle can benefits patients suffering from hepatitis C.

The milk thistle plant is very protective of your liver.

A 2009 study conducted by Sungkyunkwan University of Korea tested a mixture of aloe vera and milk thistle on mice suffering from liver poisoning of carbon tetrachloride.

To their amazement, the liver enzyme levels and fat oxidation levels stayed in the normal range. Also the glutathione levels stayed the same.

They are confident about the liver-protecting ability of milk thistle.

When you examine silymarin chemically, you find that it is packed full of flavonoids that are antioxidants. These aren’t just ordinary antioxidants, but instead are ones capable of quenching free radicals called reactive oxygen species or ROS.

As the brain ages, it becomes more susceptible to oxidative stress; stress caused by ROS. That’s why memory losses, slower thinking, and difficulty concentrating occur.

A 2009 study conducted by Universidade Federal do Rio GrandeRio Grande gave silymarin to young and old rats and found that both dosage levels – 200 mg and 400 mg/kg/day reduced the ROS in the brain. The Brazilian researchers believe that milk thistle’s silymarin can contribute to the prevention of brain problems of both young and old.

The scientists concluded: "These results suggest that SM may contribute to the prevention of aged-related and pathological degenerative processes in the brain."

Another 2009 study conducted by Meijo University of Japan discovered that silibinin, one of the flavonoids in milk thistle, prevented the accumulation of a specific type of advanced glycation endproduct (AGE) called malondialdehyde in mice.

This chemical is a culprit in accelerating brain degeneration in those with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

Silibinin also was able to help the hippocampus of the brain keep the levels of an antioxidant called glutathione constant. The hippocampus is important for general memory functions and emotional memory of events.

Sometimes, you may hear someone say that they took milk thistle to lose weight. Since there are so many claims for different substances and weight loss, it’s important to weed out the facts from the fiction.

Scientists from Chonbuk National University of Korea chose to be the weed gardeners.

They administered silibinin’s effects on the production of fat cells. They found that milk thistle compound silibinin reduce fat formation by suppressing the growth of fat cells in the body.

If you’re a wilderness hiker, you may sometimes stop to admire the pretty mushrooms.

However, unless you have specifically taught which mushrooms to eat and which not to eat, you can make a serious mistake that costs you your life.

Dr. P.L. West was sharp and right on the money when he diagnosed a 55-year-old male with Amanita poisoning at Oregon Poison Center.

The man had been hiking and ate only 3 raw wild mushrooms that he thought were nontoxic. About six hours later, the man had severe nausea and vomiting that brought him to the Emergency Room.

The smart doctor gave him milk thistle extract, penicillin and N-acetyl-cysteine. Unfortunately, the man developed acute renal failure and needed dialysis but he healed completely within the next 40 days. The milk thistle saved his life!

One of the flavonoids found in milk thistle, silibinin, has anti-cancer properties.

For cancer cells to grow, they need certain proteins to be produced in great quantities. According to a study conducted by Keimyung University of Korea, silibinin inhibited HIF-1 alpha protein, one of these proteins from being produced in the case of prostate cancer.

In another Spanish study, silibinin was a hero when it reduced the release of a growth factor called VEGF, which makes it easy for cancer cells to get their nutrition from newly-formed blood vessels that feed them.

It also inhibited cell proliferation in cervix and liver cancer.

Morishima C, Shuhart MC, Wang CC, Paschal DM, Apodaca MC, Liu Y, Sloan DD, Graf TN, Oberlies NH, Lee DY, Jerome KR, Polyak SJ (2009). Silymarin inhibits in vitro T cell proliferation and cytokine production in hepatitis C virus infection. Gastroenterology. 2010 Feb;138(2):671-81, 681.e1-2.

Kim SH, Cheon HJ, Yun N, Oh ST, Shin E, Shim KS, Lee SM (2009). Protective effect of a mixture of aloe vera and silybum marianum against carbon tetrachloride-induced acute hepatotoxicity and liver fibrosis. J Pharmacol Sci. 2009 Jan;109(1):119-27.

Galhardi F, Mesquita K, Monserrat JM, Barros DM (2009). Effect of silymarin on biochemical parameters of oxidative stress in aged and young rat brain. Food Chem Toxicol. 2009 Oct;47(10):2655-60.

Lu P, Mamiya T, Lu LL, Mouri A, Zou L, Nagai T, Hiramatsu M, Ikejima T, Nabeshima T (2009). Silibinin prevents amyloid beta peptide-induced memory impairment and oxidative stress in mice. Br J Pharmacol. 2009 Aug;157(7):1270-7.

Ka SO, Kim KA, Kwon KB, Park JW, Park BH (2009). Silibinin attenuates adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes through a potential upregulation of the insig pathway. Int J Mol Med. 2009 May;23(5):633-7.

West PL, Lindgren J, Horowitz BZ (2009). Amanita smithiana mushroom ingestion: a case of delayed renal failure and literature review. J Med Toxicol. 2009 Mar;5(1):32-8.

Jung HJ, Park JW, Lee JS, Lee SR, Jang BC, Suh SI, Suh MH, Baek WK (2009). Silibinin inhibits expression of HIF-1alpha through suppression of protein translation in prostate cancer cells. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2009 Dec 4;390(1):71-6.

García-Maceira P, Mateo J (2009). Silibinin inhibits hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha and mTOR/p70S6K/4E-BP1 signalling pathway in human cervical and hepatoma cancer cells: implications for anticancer therapy. Oncogene. 2009 Jan 22;28(3):313-24.

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