Health Benefits Of Milk Thistle – A Comprehensive Look

Diabetes and Blood Sugar Levels

Milk thistle has been used to help with type 2 diabetes, and it is able to assist with stabilizing blood sugar levels. [2][3]

Sometimes, long-term liver damage can cause the liver to stop responding to the chemical insulin, a situation termed “insulin resistance”. The result could be a certain form of diabetes. A double-blind study carried out on 60 persons who suffered from alcoholic liver cirrhosis as well as diabetes suggested that milk thistle could help. After a year of taking 600 mg of silymarin every day, the study subjects experienced markedly lower fasting blood sugar levels and lower sugar levels in their urine. Further, their red blood cells were found to be less “sticky”; when blood sugar levels are high, the red blood cells tend to become more “sticky”, and this impairs healthy blood circulation. [3]

Research published in the journal “Phytotherapy Research” showed that milk thistle extract helped lower blood sugar levels and blood lipid profiles in diabetics. In the study, which lasted 4 months, 51 persons aged 40 to 65 suffering from type 2 diabetes took either 200mg of silymarin or a placebo 3 times per day before their meals while still on diabetes medication. The fasting blood glucose levels of those who took silymarin decreased 15%, while the levels of those who took a placebo went up 13% instead. The latter group also had no improvements to their blood lipid levels, whereas the study subjects who took silymarin had lowered blood lipid levels, including reduced total cholesterol levels, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) “bad” cholesterol levels, triglyceride levels, as well as levels of liver enzymes. These are key markers of cardiovascular disease. [11]

Further, milk thistle could help prevent diabetes by protecting pancreas cells from damage by harmful free radicals. [7]

Persons with type 2 diabetes or diabetes which is associated with liver damage have elevated levels of insulin in their blood. Now, insulin not only transports sugar into the muscles, it also causes the body to store fat. In this regard, silymarin helps diabetic patients by stimulating and improving the liver’s ability to get rid of the excess insulin circulating in the body. By doing so, silymarin helps to fight weight gain in diabetics or those with elevated insulin levels in the blood. [3]

In the case of prolonged diabetes, a condition called ketoacidosis can result. This is when the body has to use fats instead of glucose as its energy source, and this has potentially serious effects on one’s central nervous system. Research conducted on animals suggests that milk thistle can help reduce ketoacidosis. [3]

Digestion, in Particular Digestion of Fats

According to herbalists, the whole milk thistle plant is good for improving digestion and appetite. [10]

Milk thistle also helps with alleviating indigestion. [1][11]

Further, milk thistle regulates fat digestion. By stimulating increased bile production, milk thistle aids fat digestion in the body. [3][11]

Eczema

This herb has been used to help eczema sufferers. [1]

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 eczema. [11]

Gallstones and Gallbladder Disorders

Milk thistle has been used for gallbladder disorders. [4]

It has also been used to deal with gallstones. [1]

High cholesterol content in bile leads to the formation of gallstones. [11] By helping to reduce the cholesterol composition of bile, milk thistle can contribute to the prevention of gallstones. [3]

Indeed, since “gallstones form when bile components fall out of solution”, in theory, because milk thistle extract has the effect of boosting bile solubility, it may help in gallstone prevention and treatment. [9]

In one particular study whereby the subjects took 420mg of silymarin daily, the compound was found to help reduce the levels of cholesterol in bile, and this makes an important contribution toward preventing gallstones forming. [6]

Silymarin could help with gallstones 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]

Mark Stengler, ND, however, advises caution for persons who have middle to large gallstones, saying that this group of people should use milk thistle or other herbs which stimulate bile production under the supervision of a healthcare professional. [11]

Hemorrhoids and Varicose Veins

Naturopathic physicians and herbalists traditionally use milk thistle to help with hemorrhoids and varicose veins. Now, how does this link come about? Throughout the day, blood flows through one’s liver, and if the liver is “stuck” or “sluggish”, it doesn’t really process blood very well. When that happens, blood tends to back up in leg veins and the rectum. By enhancing liver health and function, sufferers of hemorrhoids and varicose veins could thus experience some relief. While Mark Stengler, ND, has not used this herb by itself for these health ailments, he does sometimes use milk thistle as part of a wider treatment regime. [11]

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