{"id":11084,"date":"2023-12-27T11:37:22","date_gmt":"2023-12-27T11:37:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.herbalreality.com\/?post_type=herb&p=11084"},"modified":"2025-08-29T09:50:37","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T08:50:37","slug":"milk-thistle","status":"publish","type":"herb","link":"https:\/\/www.herbalreality.com\/herb\/milk-thistle\/","title":{"rendered":"Milk thistle"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"featured_media":14234,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","beyondwords_generate_audio":"1","beyondwords_project_id":"47224","beyondwords_content_id":"83a483d5-2863-463a-b06f-e21bae83545b","beyondwords_preview_token":"38cd2d17-a2af-41d6-a5fa-7fdcb3945a4c","beyondwords_player_content":"","beyondwords_player_style":"","beyondwords_language_code":"","beyondwords_language_id":"","beyondwords_title_voice_id":"","beyondwords_body_voice_id":"","beyondwords_summary_voice_id":"","beyondwords_error_message":"","beyondwords_disabled":"","beyondwords_delete_content":"","beyondwords_podcast_id":"","beyondwords_hash":"","publish_post_to_speechkit":"","speechkit_hash":"","speechkit_generate_audio":"","speechkit_project_id":"","speechkit_podcast_id":"","speechkit_error_message":"","speechkit_disabled":"","speechkit_access_key":"","speechkit_error":"","speechkit_info":"","speechkit_response":"","speechkit_retries":"","speechkit_status":"","speechkit_updated_at":"","_speechkit_link":"","_speechkit_text":""},"tags":[1659],"conditions":[685],"sustainability":[1576],"sense":[17,18,27],"western_action":[994,1004,1005,1012,1013,1014,1022],"chinese_action":[],"ayurvedic_action":[],"energetics_action":[1492,1498,1382,1488,1494],"region":[1893],"class_list":["post-11084","herb","type-herb","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-antihepatotoxic","conditions-digestive-system","sustainability-green-sustainability-status","sense-aromatic","sense-bitter","sense-sweet","western_action-antioxidant","western_action-cholagogue-and-choleretic","western_action-demulcent","western_action-galactagogue","western_action-hepatic","western_action-hepatoprotective","western_action-trophorestorative","energetics_action-toning","energetics_action-bitter","energetics_action-cool","energetics_action-moist","energetics_action-sweet","region-western-herbs"],"acf":{"last_reviewed":"20231227","herb_author":null,"banner_text":"Milk thistle seed is used for liver and gall bladder conditions","latin_name":"Silybum marianum<\/em>","pseudonym_name":"","family_name":"Asteraceae","herb_summary":"Milk thistle's traditional reputation as a liver tonic is now supported by extensive research. Modern herbalists use milk thistle for a variety of digestive conditions. It is also used as a standardised extract for the treatment of various liver conditions.","key_benefits":"Liver protective\r\nLiver tonic\r\nGall stones\r\nDyspepsia","how_does_it_feel":"Milk thistle is a refreshingly sweet and aromatic medicine that is much easier to tolerate than the usual bitter liver herbs. It works best as an alcoholic extract, powdered or dried seed preparation.","hdif_image_1":14234,"hdif_image_2":11091,"hdif_image_3":11088,"hdif_video":"https:\/\/youtu.be\/TrJBJpUpxEk","sense":[17,18,27],"what_can_i_use_it_for":"[caption id=\"attachment_14234\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"600\"]\"Milk Milk thistle (Silybum marianum<\/em>)[\/caption]\r\n\r\nMilk thistle is well known as a liver herb that is safe for all to use to support this important detoxification system. It works via a direct stimulating effect on the liver, which also encourages the flow of bile. Milk thistle is also both a restorative and protector of the liver. It encourages optimum function of the liver and gall bladder - offering a wide range of therapeutic benefits such as better detoxification of the blood as well as improving the assimilation of fat-soluble nutrients.\r\n\r\nMilk thistle\u2019s protective and rejuvenating effect on liver cells has been well documented in modern research. This includes support where there has been exposure to high levels of chemicals and pollution, whether through diet, medication or unprotected contact.\r\n\r\nAs the name alludes in the \u2018Doctrine of Signatures\u2019 milk thistle is used as a galactagogue- to enhance the flow of breast milk and care for the young. The \u2018milky\u2019 white veins are a helpful \u2018sign\u2019 and a pointer of its benefits.\r\n\r\nMilk thistle is also a useful remedy for dyspepsia and digestive complaints of that are associated with a sluggish liver, after serious conditions have been ruled out (3).","into_the_heart_of":"Milk thistle has a sweet, warming and nourishing action. Due to its milder bitter flavour it is useful for those with a colder constitution or for people who are depleted and require nourishing restorative support alongside detoxification. Milk thistle's warming energetics also have a decongestant effect on stuck and stagnant blood flow resulting from its ability to reduce and eliminate toxicity from the blood (8).\r\n\r\nMatthew Wood recommends it for people with dry constipation that is relating to liver congestion and lack of bile. This type of constipation will usually present as hard and small (rabbit droppings) or they may also be pale in colour due to lack of bile. They might also float rather than sinking, which can indicate poor fat absorption (8).","tradtional_uses":"Milk thistle has been used for more than 2000 years for diseases of the liver and gallbladder (4). In Europe, milk thistle was used traditionally for curing jaundice and for inflammation in the biliary ducts. It was also traditionally used for hepatitis and haemorrhoids (1).\r\n\r\nDioscorides referred to milk thistle as a remedy for venomous snake bites, whilst Culpepper discusses an infusion made with both the seeds and root for disintegrating and expelling gall stones (1).\r\n\r\nTraditionally, milk thistle was used by nursing mothers for increasing milk production. As a bitter tonic, it has also had a long history of use for supporting the digestive system. It is referenced also as a demulcent to reduce inflammation topically and as an antidepressant and for dyspeptic complaints (4).","what_practioners_say":"[caption id=\"attachment_11087\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"600\"]\"Milk Milk thistle in a bowl (Silybum marianum<\/em>)[\/caption]\r\n

Digestive system<\/h3>\r\nSome of the primary uses for milk thistle are centred around the liver gall bladder and its associated systems. Herbalists may use milk thistle as a part of a supportive treatment for all manner of liver diseases including for cirrhosis, fatty liver, hepatitis and other liver function abnormalities (1). Milk thistle is also indicated for liver problems that may occur in relation to medicines, chemical exposure or environmental pollutants (1).<\/span>\r\n\r\nA number of mechanisms have been identified as being involved in milk thistle's effects on the liver. It works by stabilising and protecting the hepatocyte membrane against injury, as well as regulating its permeability (1). It has also been shown to increase the proliferation of important liver cells called Kuppfer cells (which are involved in the breakdown of blood cells in the liver) (11).<\/span>\r\n

Metabolic<\/h3>\r\nMilk thistle has potent free radical scavenging properties. It is used to improve detoxification mechanisms and improve cellular regeneration (1). Milk thistle is also indicated in a number of conditions that are caused by oxidative stress and where there has been exposure to pollutants, chemicals are other toxins (1).\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nMilk thistle may also sometimes be applied for treatment and prevention of blood sugar conditions such as diabetes. It may be most relevant for use where liver conditions are accompanied by a diabetic predisposition or to help lower blood glucose levels in diabetes type 2 patients alongside conventional treatment (7).<\/span>\r\n\r\nMilk thistle can be used to support phase 1 and phase 2 detoxification pathways. The phase 1 pathway attempts to break down compounds for excretion via oxidation, hydrolysis or reduction reactions facilitated by the cytochrome P-450 enzyme system. If that doesn\u2019t work, the compounds go into phase 2 where other molecules (such as cysteine, glutathione, or sulphur) are added to make the initial compound suitable for excretion. It is then excreted through the bile into the bowel or eliminated as water-soluble compounds via the bladder (9).<\/span>","research":"[caption id=\"attachment_11088\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"600\"]\"Milk Milk thistle seeds (Silybum marianum<\/em>)[\/caption]\r\n\r\nThere are a fair number of high-quality clinical trials on milk thistle. Most studies have investigated the isolated compound silymarin or its most active isomer silybin, rather than the herbal plant in its whole form. A number of these studies have been included below to demonstrate the evidence base for the medicinal actions discussed in this monograph.<\/span>\r\n\r\nMost studies have been carried out on extracts that contain between 60-80% silymarin (1). Many trials using the standardised extract of milk thistle support the clinical indications for both non-alcoholic and alcoholic fatty liver disease\/ damage as well as for cirrhosis, fatty liver, exposure to chemical pollutants (such as drugs, halogenated hydrocarbons, solvents, paints, glues and anaesthesia) and even for the treatment of death cap poisoning (1).<\/span>\r\n

A review of clinical studies evaluating the safety and efficacy of milk thistle<\/h3>\r\nIn this review, a number of experimental and high-quality clinical studies confirmed a number of effects such as anticancer, antidiabetic, and cardioprotective properties of milk thistle extracts. Milk thistle also has a strong body of evidence for mechanisms by which it protects the liver against toxins as well as for its ability to therapeutically assist in chronic liver diseases (3).<\/span>\r\n

Meta-analysis and systematic review of milk thistle for the treatment of liver disease<\/h3>\r\nA systematic review of available literature was carried out to determine the efficacy and safety of milk thistle for the treatment of liver disease. The fourteen trials included in this review support the use of milk thistle in the treatment of liver disease (5).<\/span>\r\n

The therapeutic potential of milk thistle in diabetes<\/h3>\r\nA review was carried out to analyse the available literature surrounding the use of milk thistle for blood sugar abnormalities such as diabetes. Numerous studies showing milk thistles efficacy were included in this review, including human studies, in vitro and in vivo studies. Compounds of milk thistle, namely s<\/span>ilibin have been shown to produce beneficial effects on several diabetic complications, including diabetic neuropathy, diabetic nephropathy, and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. These effects are thought to be mainly in relation to the anti-oxidant properties of milk thistle (7).<\/span>","did_you_know":"There is a group of polyphenols called flavolignans, which one of the main compounds of milk thistle silymarin is a part of. These have a protective and rejuvenating effect on liver cells, so much show that it has been shown to neutralise the toxic effects of one of nature\u2019s most poisonous mushrooms \u2014 amanita phalloids. This mushroom is known as \u2018the avenging angel\u2019, and produces the liver-destroying alkaloids amanantine and phalloidine. A treatment has now been developed into an injectable form for acute poisoning (3).","additional_information_right":{"illustration":11093},"additional_information_left":{"botany":"Milk thistle is a robust biennial thistle, forming a rosette of large, spiny dark green leaves with prominent white veins (variegated) that can be 3 inches across. It has purple flower heads with spiny bracts, in the second year. The bluish-purple seed head reaches 4' tall.","common_names":"