Health Benefits Of Milk Thistle – A Comprehensive Look

Here, you will learn about the many health benefits of milk thistle and how this herb can improve your health as well as help treat numerous ailments and conditions. Most of these benefits are proven in research studies.

The active compounds in milk thistle which give the herb most of its healthful properties are flavonoids called silymarin. The use of milk thistle for medicinal purposes began over 2,000 years ago and, during that time, herbalists have recognized the health benefits of milk thistle on the liver and gallbladder.

Indeed, today, milk thistle is most well-known and widely used for its ability to boost liver health and to treat numerous liver ailments and disorders. These diseases and conditions include cirrhosis, poisoning, and hepatitis.

But, other than aiding the liver, milk thistle has a host of other health benefits and treatment uses, too.

Summary of the Health Benefits of Milk Thistle

Here is a quick summary of the various health benefits of milk thistle, including the numerous diseases and disorders which the herb can help to treat. For more details and information on these health benefits, you could read the relevant sections in the rest of this article.

Here is a list of health conditions and areas in which milk thistle can provide benefits:

• Acne
• Addiction Issues, including Alcoholism and Drug Abuse
• Adrenal Disorders
• Allergies
• Altitude Sickness
• Antioxidant
• Atherosclerosis
• Cancer
• Cholesterol Profile and Lowering Cholesterol
• Constipation
• COX-2 Inhibitor
• Crohn‘s Disease
• Depression and Emotional Issues
• Detoxification
• Diabetes and Blood Sugar Levels
• Digestion, in Particular Digestion of Fats
• Eczema
• Gallstones and Gallbladder Disorders
• Hemorrhoids and Varicose Veins
• Hormonal Balance
• Immunity Boost
• Intestinal Inflammation
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
• Kidney Health and Kidney Protection
• Liver Health and Liver Ailments / Diseases
• Parkinson‘s Disease
• Poisoning
• Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)
• Prostate Enlargement
• Psoriasis
• Rashes
• Skin Conditions and Skin Health

Acne

Milk thistle can help acne sufferers. [1]

Milk thistle stimulates bile production (bile is a liquid made in the liver which helps with the breakdown of fats in the digestion process), and higher bile flow assists the body in removing the testosterone by-products which cause acne – these are eliminated via bowel movements. [3]

Also, milk thistle enhances the liver’s detoxification capabilities and, in the process, helps to remove harmful toxins from the blood. This can help boost skin health and prevent the flare-ups associated with various skin conditions, including acne. [11]

Addiction Issues, including Alcoholism and Drug Abuse

Milk thistle can help with recovery from drug addiction as well as recovery from alcohol addiction. [1]

When one is recovering from some sort of substance addiction, be it alcohol or drug, the liver is working hard to clean bodily tissues and to regenerate itself. In both regards, milk thistle can contribute. Further, Mark Stengler, ND, finds that milk thistle seems to boost the mood and energy levels of recovering patients. [11]

Silymarin could help with alcoholism, at a dosage of 70 to 210mg thrice per day. Silymarin which is bound to phosphatidylcholine (silymarin phytosome) at a dosage of 100mg twice or thrice per day could work even better. [8]

To learn more about how milk thistle can help issues regarding substance addiction, read about the ways in which milk thistle boosts liver health.

Adrenal Disorders

Milk thistle can help those who suffer from adrenal disorders. [4]

Allergies

Milk thistle could help with chronic allergies, in particular multiple-chemical sensitivity, because it boosts the liver’s ability to deal with environmental allergens. [11]

Altitude Sickness

Milk thistle helps to prevent altitude sickness. [3]

Antioxidant

Silymarin is a potent antioxidant – this is a trait shared by other bioflavonoids. [6][7]

Silymarin has “significant antioxidant and liver-protecting effects.” [9] As an antioxidant, its activity is at least 10 times more potent than vitamin E – and vitamin E is the vitamin most well-known for its antioxidant properties. [11]

There are not many substances which can increase the amount of glutathione in the liver. Glutathione is one of the body’s most vital antioxidants and it plays an important role in effective detoxification. [11]

Quite remarkably, silymarin, together with other phytonutrients in milk thistle, can boost the amounts of glutathione in liver cells by more than 35%, possibly even up to 50%. [9][7]

Further, milk thistle raises the amount of superoxide dismutase (SOD), another powerful antioxidant. [11]

Atherosclerosis

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol can, through oxidation, turn into a form which contributes to plaque on the walls of arteries. Milk thistle contains a compound called silibinin which prevents this process. This herb can thus help to slow down the development of atherosclerosis. [3]

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6