Milk Thistle and Your Liver

Our liver plays a major role in our body. Not only is it the largest internal organ we have, it also helps our metabolism, works in glycogen storage, decomposition of red blood cells, plasma protein synthesis, and detoxification. The liver also produces bile, which aids in digestion, via the emulsification of lipids.

When we take substances into our bodies such as alcohol, or the least obvious such as medications, our liver must work on removing its toxic properties for us. All of this work can often tax our liver. But there is a natural way to help strengthen your liver and it’s through the herb Milk Thistle.

Milk Thistle is a plant that is native to the Mediterranean region. It has been used for thousands of years as a remedy for a variety of ailments, especially liver problems.

Milk Thistle has also been called Mary thistle and holy thistle, but its Latin name is Silybum marianum

The Milk Thistle’s stem is tall, branched and furrowed but not spiny. The large, alternate leaves are waxy-lobed, toothed and thorny, as in other genera of thistle. The lower leaves are cauline (attached to the stem without petiole). The upper leaves have a clasping base. They have large, disc-shaped pink-to-purple, rarely white, solitary flower heads at the end of the stem. The flowers consist of tubular florets. The phyllaries under the flowers occur in many rows, with the outer row with spine-tipped lobes and apical spines. The fruit is a black achene with a white pappus.

The Milk Thistle has historically been used to treat liver cirrhosis, chronic hepatitis (liver inflammation), and gallbladder disorders. What makes Milk Thistle so medicinal? An active compound called silymarin.

Besides benefiting our liver, Milk Thistle is also known to:
• Lowering cholesterol levels
• Reducing insulin resistance in people with type 2 diabetes who also have cirrhosis
• Reduce the growth of cancer cells in breast, cervical, and prostate cancers.
• Reduce the effects of a hangover.

The silymarin, which can be extracted from the seeds (fruit), are used to prepare capsules containing powdered herb or seed; extracts; and infusions (strong teas). The silymarin is found in the milk thistle seeds and in this form is difficult to absorb. The more concentrated the solution of silymarin, the more easily it is absorbed and the more readily it enters the bloodstream.

Standardized capsules are the most concentrated form and, therefore, should be used whenever possible.

Preliminary research with a new form of silymarin (BioSorb Silymarin) indicates a much greater bioavailability in both animal and human studies. These studies show that BioSorb Silymarin to enhance peak silymarin blood concentrations by 290% in just 1.5 hours. Even more impressive, concentrations remained elevated by 342% for 12 hours, making Biosorb Silymarin the state of the art antioxidant promoting enhance liver health with 5 times more absorption.

So does your liver need a tune-up? Go the natural way and give the ancient herbal practice of using Milk Thistle a shot.

R. Fredriksen is the Vice President of Nutrition Dome, a leading provider of Jarrow Formulas, Met-Rx, Pioneer Nutritional Formulas, Lipodrene and other quality supplements. For more information, please visit www.nutritiondome.com.