The National Institutes of Health has initiated the National Center
for Complementary and Alternative Medicine and serves as a good
springboard to evaluating the scientific evidence for non-conventional
therapies. Read what they have to say about
milk thistle.
Liver Disease
Alcohol and hepatotropic viruses are far and away the major causes of
liver disease in the Western World. They can progress to liver
fibrosis and cirrhosis and contribute a major cause of morbidity and
mortality. Major complications of liver disease include portal
hypertension, varices, ascites, hepatic encephelopathy, hepatorenal
syndrome, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, hyperestrinism, coagulation
defects, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Unfortunately, western
medicine can not offer a magic bullet cure for alcoholic cirrhosis.
Interferon or lamivudine are the standard of care for those afflicted
with Hepatitis B. Ribavirin plus interferon combination therapy is
the recommended therapy for chronic Hepatitis C. Both of these
regiments have shown significant benefits in terms of increased survival
(though not without adverse effects), but unfortunately the cost of
these therapies precludes them from being used in low-income countries
where they would be needed most.
Sensibly, many have sought natural substances that may give hope of
treating liver diseases with less toxicity and better efficiency.
Recently in 2007 The Cochrane
Collaboration conducted a systematic review of Milk thistle for
alcoholic and/or hepatitis B or C virus liver diseases. Thirteen
randomized clinical trials followed 915 patients with either alcoholic
or viral hepatotropic liver disease. Unfortunately, the
methodolical quality was low: only 46% of trials were considered
adequately double-blinded. Milk thistle vs. placebo or no
intervention hand no significant effect on mortality, complications of
liver disease, or liver histology. When considering all trials
liver-related mortality was significantly reduced, but not in
high-quality trials only. There does seem to be some evidence
in these trials that milk thistle may be more effective in those
patients suffering from milder forms and earlier stages of alcholic
liver disease. The viral hepatitis subset did not show such an
association.
Cancer
There have been multiple
studies addressing milk thistle derivatives in cancer therapy. Among the
purported uses are:
- Prostate: Zi and
Agarwal (1999) found that milk thistle derivatives decrease
prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a common marker in prostate cancer, and
that by inhibiting growth and fostering differentiation, it may be useful
particularly in prostate cancers that do not respond well to hormone
treatment.
- Breast: Silymarin has
been shown to exert exceprioanlly high to complete anticarcinogenic effects
in epithelia tumorgenesis models (Zi et al. 1998)
- Cervix: The active components of silymarin have
been shown to inhibit the growth of cervical cancer cells in
vitro.
The various studies focus on similar mechanisms and the
antioxidant quality of milk thistle derivatives, and show a need for further
research into the benefits of such therapy in cancer patients.
 Amanita Mushroom Poisoning
Silymarin (milk thistle) is
known to counteract the poisonous effects of the mushroom Amanita phalloides, also known as "death caps."
Amanita mushrooms are found throughout North America and Europe many species of
Amanita are sought after by mushroom collectors. However, many species are
quite toxic, and ingestion of the fungi often results in severe liver damage and
is fatal in up to 30%
of people. Many studies and case reports have shown hepatoprotective
effects of silymarin. (Luper 1998) Immediate administration of milk
thistle within 10 minutes completely counteracts the effects of the toxic
mushroom, but silymarin may decrease morbidity and mortality from liver
damage even up to
two or three days following mushroom ingestion. (Hruby et al. 1983)
Hypercholesterolemia
One animal study shows that silymarin is as effective as the
cholesterol-lowering drug probucol, with the additional benefit of
increased HDL levels. Further studies in humans are necessary.
Other reported uses:
- Gallbladder disorders - (especially during pregnancy)
- Pancreatic protection in cyclosporin A treatment (von
Sconfeld et al. 1997)
- Jaundice relief
- Snakebites
- Varicose veins
- Psoriasis
- Hangover relief
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