A milk thistle monograph for the home
Latin Name: Silybum marianum
Common Names: milk thistle, Mary thistle, holy thistle.
This milk thistle monograph provides basic information about milk thistle—common names, usefulness and safety, and resources for more information.
Source: https://nccih.nih.gov/
Milk Thistle Basics
- Milk thistle is native to southern Europe, southern Russia, Asia Minor, and northern Africa. It also grows in North and South America and South Australia.
- Silymarin is considered to be the main component of milk thistle seeds, but the terms “milk thistle” and “silymarin” often are used interchangeably.
- Historically, people have used milk thistle for liver disorders, such as hepatitis and cirrhosis, and gallbladder problems.
- Silymarin is the most commonly used herbal supplement in the United States for liver problems.
- Milk thistle products are available as capsules, powders, and extracts.
Milk Thistle in Health Research
- We know little about whether milk thistle is effective in people, as only a few well-designed clinical studies have been conducted.
Milk Thistle Research Summary
- Results from clinical trials of milk thistle for liver diseases have been mixed, and two rigorously designed studies found no benefit.
- The 2008 Hepatitis C Antiviral Long-Term Treatment Against Cirrhosis (HALT-C) study, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), found that hepatitis C patients who used silymarin had fewer and milder symptoms of liver disease and somewhat better quality of life but no change in virus activity or liver inflammation.
- A 2012 clinical trial, cofunded by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, showed that two higher-than-usual doses of silymarin were no better than placebo for chronic hepatitis C in people who had not responded to standard antiviral treatment.
- Results from a 2013 clinical study suggest that milk thistle may enhance standard treatment in young people with a particular form of anemia (Cooley’s anemia).
Milk Thistle Safety
- In clinical trials, milk thistle appears to be well tolerated in recommended doses. Occasionally, people report various gastrointestinal side effects.
- Milk thistle may produce allergic reactions, which tend to be more common among people who are allergic to plants in the same family (for example, ragweed, chrysanthemum, marigold, and daisy).
- Compounds in milk thistle may lower blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes. People with diabetes should use caution.
Milk Thistle References
- Abenavoli L, Capasso R, Milic N, et al. Milk thistle in liver diseases: past, present, future. Phytotherapy Research. 2010;24(10):1423-1432.
- Fried MW, Navarro VJ, Afdhal N, et al. Effect of silymarin (milk thistle) on liver disease in patients with chronic hepatitis C unsuccessfully treated with interferon therapy: a randomized, controlled trial. JAMA. 2012;308(3):274-282.
- Loguercio C, Festi D. Silybin and the liver: from basic research to clinical practice. World Journal of Gastroenterology. 2011;17(18):2288-2301.
- Milk Thistle. Natural Medicines Web site. Accessed at naturalmedicines.therapeuticresearch.com on April 8, 2015. [Database subscription].
- Moayedi B, Gharagozloo M, Esmaeil N, et al. A randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study of therapeutic effects of silymarin in ß-thalassemia major patients receiving desferrioxamine. European Journal of Haematology. 2013;90(3):202-209.
- Polyak SJ, Oberlies NH, Pécheur E-I, et al. Silymarin for HCV infection. Antiviral Therapy. 2013;18(2):141-147.
- Seeff LB, Curto TM, Szabo G, et al. Herbal product use by persons enrolled in the Hepatitis C Antiviral Long-Term Treatment Against Cirrhosis (HALT-C) trial. Hepatology. 2008;47(2):605-612.