Milk thistle: digestive benefits
Traditionally used in phytotherapy as a hepatoprotective agent.
Milk thistle is a plant native to the Mediterranean basin that is now also found in North America. It has been used therapeutically since antiquity. Indeed, the Greeks were already using it to treat liver disorders.
Milk thistle was also used for culinary purposes in Europe, where its leaves, young shoots, flower buds and seeds were consumed.
Today, the plant's traditional use is recognized in the treatment or prevention of liver diseases such as intoxication, hepatitis and cirrhosis. Milk thistle's active ingredients can regenerate damaged liver tissue and protect this organ from natural and synthetic toxins.
Silymarin
Silymarin is a mixture of substances found in milk thistle, including silibinin. Isolated in 1968, silymarin is believed to be the plant's active substance, giving it its therapeutic properties. Today, it is used medicinally for the prevention and treatment of liver disorders. The plant's active compounds are not very soluble in water, so infusions and decoctions contain less of them. For this reason, extracts standardized to contain between 70% and 80% silymarin are used today.
Professionals
Numerous trials and medical observations have reported the positive effects of milk thistle for liver disorders, particularly in cases of viral or alcoholic hepatitis and cirrhosis. In vitro tests indicate that the plant's active compounds may act by modulating the activity of cytochromes P450 2C9 and P450 3A4 (liver enzymes), which play an important detoxification role in the body's elimination of drugs. 4 trials on healthy humans showed that drug interactions were low and had no clinical consequences, underlining the product's safety of use.
Medicinal Ingredient Sylibum marianum 250.0 mg (standardized 80.0 % silymarin) ;
Non-Medicinal Ingredients Cellulose; Gelatin; Magnesium stearate.
Milk thistle comes in gelatin capsules containing 250.0 mg Silybum marianum powder standardized to 80.0% silymarin.
The recommended dose for our Blessed Thistle product is 1 capsule 3 times a day, i.e. a total of 960 mg per day. Dividing this dosage into capsules of
320mg capsules makes it easy to adapt the dosage to individual needs.
Precautions and warnings
Consult a health care practitioner if symptoms persist or worsen. Consult a health care practitioner
practitioner prior to use if pregnant.
Known adverse reactions: Hypersensitivity, such as allergy, may occur. If so, discontinue use.
Léo Désilets Maître Herboriste Inc.
Specializing in natural products since 1974, our experience and know-how have enabled us to develop
a range of over 200 products, meeting the most stringent standards in terms of both quality and safety.
safety standards.
Our products are manufactured in Quebec in compliance with GMP requirements, and are approved by Health Canada.
under the Natural Health Products Regulations.
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Milk thistle to protect the liver. Passeport Santé. June 2011. Available online at :
http://www.passeportsante.net/fr/Solutions/PlantesSupplements/Fiche.aspx?doc=chardon_marie_ps (accessed on 10.11.2014)
Silybum marianum (L.) Gaernt. USDA Plant Database. Available online at: http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=SIMA3 (accessed on 10.11.2014)
Luper S. A review of plants used in the treatment of liver disease: part 1. Altern Med Rev. 3(6):410-21. 1998
Pizzorno JE Jr, Murray Michael T (Ed). Textbook of Natural Medicine, Churchill Livingstone, USA, p. 948. 1999
Zuber R, Modriansky M, et al. Effect of silybin and its congeners on human liver microsomal cytochrome P450 activities. Phytother Res. 16(7):632-8. 2002
Venkataramanan R, Ramachandran V, Komoroski BJ, et al. Milk thistle, a herbal supplement, decreases the activity of CYP3A4 and uridine diphosphoglucuronosyl
transferase in human hepatocyte cultures. Drug Metab Dispos. 28(11):1270-3. 2000
Piscitelli SC, Formentini E, et al. Effect of milk thistle on the pharmacokinetics of indinavir in healthy volunteers.Pharmacotherapy. (5):551-6. 2002
Mills E, Kumanan W, et al. Milk thistle and indinavir: a randomized controlled pharmacokinetics study and meta-analysis. Eur J Clin Pharmacol. 61:1-7. 2005
Gurley B, Gardner SF, et al. In vivo assessment of botanical supplementation on human cytochrome P450 phenotypes: Citrus aurantium, Echinacea purpurea, milk
thistle, and saw palmetto. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics. 76(5):428-40. 2004
Fuhr U, Beckmann-Knopp S, et al. The effect of silymarin on oral nifedipine pharmacokinetics. Planta Med. 73(14):1429-35. 2007