How Can Milk Thistle Help You?

Milk thistle is one of the "hot herbs" flying off herbal and vitamin store shelves now. Used as for medicinal purposes for thousands of years both by Native American shamans and Chinese herbalists, it is now available everywhere.

But what does milk thistle do? And is there any clinical proof of its effectiveness? Before you lay out your hard-earned money, you might want to read a bit further.

This is actually one of the few cases where there is clinical evidence to support the claims made about the product. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a division of the National Institutes of Health, is currently conducting a Stage Two clinical trial using an extract of milk thistle, silymarin, to treat hepatitis C.

Once again, the science follows the folk medicine. This herb was used in Greco-Roman The Milk Thistle Plant times as a remedy for a variety of ailments. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, physicians used the seeds of plant as a treatment for liver, spleen and kidney congestion.

Today, some studies suggest that oral milk thistle, as opposed to the extract silymarin, is effective in protecting the liver from toxins that result from alcohol and drug ingestion. Other studies point to the seeds protecting the liver from viruses.

The alcohol protection aspect is very important, and is one that is getting more and more study grants and more media attention. Alcohol abuse is one of the biggest problems in today's society, and costs billions of dollars a year in lost work time and health care costs.

Another claim made about milk thistle is that it helps lower cholesterol. This seems to make sense, as it works to protect the liver. However, here there really is no clinical evidence to back up the claims. There are good reasons to take the herb, but no reputable medical organization has added cholesterol cutting to them.

Which brings us to weight loss. If you are looking for herbal weight loss help, spend your money elsewhere. There is no evidence that milk thistle, other than helping detoxify and protect the liver, has any effect on weight loss whatsoever. It's not a bad idea to take it, but be sure to tell your doctor and check for any interactions with your prescription drugs.

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