Protect Your Liver with Potent Milk Thistle Silymarin

June 24, 2010

By NIS

Liver disease is one of our nation's leading health problems and affects 30 million or 1 in 10 Americans.[1] Chronic liver disease is the 12th leading cause of death in the United States.[2] Unfortunately, liver damage may continue for years before symptoms become noticeable.

The Body's Great Detoxifier

One of the liver's primary functions is to remove toxic substances from the body. The liver also stores and processes foods and regulates vitamins and hormones. The liver is so important that it's sometimes called the "Master Chemistry Laboratory" of the body. You cannot survive without a well-functioning liver.

When a toxic or harmful substance is taken into the body, the liver converts or neutralizes it. Toxins filtered by the liver include drugs, alcohol and environmental pollutants. These substances attack us from all directions: in the food we eat, the air we breathe, in the water we drink, even by absorption through the skin.

Tough Times For The Liver

In one year alone, 2.26-billion pounds of toxic chemicals were released into the environment; 177-million pounds of them were known carcinogens. This figure refers to direct emissions from manufacturing facilities. In the body of an average middle-aged U.S. man, residues from177 different organochlorines (carbon-based substances that have chlorine as one of their constituent molecules) can be detected. Many of these residues are from known or suspected carcinogens. According to the Science and Environmental Health Network, everybody in the U.S. has detectable levels of toxic environmental pollutants in their body tissues.[3]

Prescribed drugs and over-the-counter medications can also destroy hundreds of thousands of liver cells. Acetaminophen or "Tylenol" alone is said to be responsible for tens of thousands of liver poisonings each year, with hundreds of fatalities.[4,5] However, some studies suggest that milk thistle silymarin may be an effective antidote against acetaminophen-induced liver toxicity.[6]

Normally the liver is very efficient at neutralizing or removing toxins, but in today's world it is overburdened by toxic chemicals. Just to keep up, the liver, made up of 300 billion cells, must constantly renew itself by replacing its cells every six months. In other words, the liver remains at high risk for being damaged or destroyed.

Milk Thistle Helps Restore Healthy Liver Function

Milk thistle extract (silybum marianum) contains "silymarin," one of the most potent liver-protecting substances known. Highly-controlled double-blind studies, involving well over 3,000 patients, have proven the value of this remarkable extract.[5]

Research shows that silymarin protects intact liver cells and stimulates protein synthesis. This latter action accelerates the growth of new liver cells helping to replace those which have been damaged or destroyed.

The effectiveness of a milk thistle product depends upon its silymarin content.[5] According to Daniel B. Mowrey, Ph.D., author of Guaranteed Potency Herbs - Next Generation Herbal Medicine, preferred milk thistle extracts provide 80% silymarin in 175 mg capsules. The suggested dosage is one capsule three times daily.[5]

"Spectacular" Results from Silymarin Research:

The Amanita "deathcap" mushroom, as its name implies, is a deadly poison. Even with standard treatment, 30% or more of all people suffering from Amanita poisoning die.[7]

Knowing the Amanita mushroom is far more poisonous than most environmental pollutants, researchers were elated to discover that milk thistle extract neutralizes even the Amanita's deadly effects. Dr. G. Vogel, whose works have been written up, treated 60 patients suffering from severe Amanita poisoning, by using milk thistle silymarin. In his words, "the results were spectacular!" Every single person recovered, but even more remarkable, treatment did not begin until 24-36 hours after the victims were poisoned.[8]

The effectiveness of silymarin has been confirmed by histologic, clinical, and laboratory data. This remarkable extract may also be useful in improving the solubility of the bile in the treatment of gallstones as well as in psoriasis. Follow-up research in patients with liver damage due to alcohol, diabetes, viruses, or toxic exposure yielded even more striking results. After 7 weeks of monitoring, patients' clinical findings markedly improved. Biopsy showed remarkable tissue restorative effects. Upon completion of the milk thistle therapy, restitution of normal cell structure was found even in severely damaged livers. These effects on the tissue level correlated well with improvements in blood chemistry values.[7]

In a study of chronic viral hepatitis, milk thistle was shown to result in dramatic improvement. Used for periods of 3 to 12 months, silymarin resulted in a reversal of liver cell damage (as noted on biopsy), a rise in protein level in the blood, and a lowering of liver enzyme values. Common symptoms of hepatitis, which include abdominal discomfort, decreased appetite, and fatigue were all improved.[7]

Milk thistle extract has proven effective in treating alcohol-related liver disease. There is a significant range in severity of alcohol-related liver disease, from mild to serious damage such as cirrhosis. However, even in the severe state, silymarin has shown benefit. Perhaps the most significant benefit is extending the life span of patients with these conditions.[7]

Protection Against Liver Damage

Indeed, studies have confirmed that milk thistle silymarin helps restore normal liver function in people suffering from cirrhosis, hepatitis and psoriasis. Therapeutic research suggests that milk thistle, especially the preferred 80% silymarin formula, can provide significant protection to the sick or healthy liver during the course of everyday living. If the liver becomes overburdened by extraordinary or common air, water, or food-borne pollutants it can become sick or incapable of normal recovery. Silymarin may help by encouraging the regeneration of liver cells. Researchers also believe that milk thistle is a powerful antioxidant that protects liver cells against the damaging effects of free radicals, which are cell-damaging, unstable molecules.[5,7]

References:
1.     American Liver Foundation, http://www.liverfoundation.org/hiddentruth, accessed on May 6, 2010.
2.     American Liver Foundation, http://go.liverfoundation.org/site/TR/LiverLifeWalk2010/LiverLifeWalk?team_id=17180&pg=team&fr_id=1780, accessed on May 6, 2010.
3.     Science and Environmental Health Network, http://www.sehn.org/ppfactsh.html, accessed on May 6, 2010.
4.     Acetaminophen-induced acute liver failure: results of a United States multicenter, prospective study, Larson AM, et al, Hepatology, 42(6):1364-72, Dec 2005.
5.     Mowrey, Daniel B., Ph.D. Guaranteed Potency Herbs: Next Generation Herbal Medicine. New Canaan, CT: Keats Publishing, Inc. 1990.
6.     Silymarin protects against paracetamol-induced lipid peroxidation and liver damage, Muriel P, Garciapiña T, Perez-Alvarez V, Mourelle M, J Appl Toxicol, 12(6):439-42, 12(6):439-42, Dec 1992.
7.     Silybum marianum (milk thistle), Pizzorno, Joseph E Jr; Murray Michael T, ND, Textbook of Natural Medicine, Third Edition, Vol 1, St. Louis: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier, pp 1251-1257, 2006.
8.     Hobbs, Christopher, Natural Therapy for Your Liver, Second Edition, New York: Avery, 2002.

Notice: The information herein is intended for educational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, prescribe, treat or prevent any disease or endorse any brand or product. For medical advice consult a health care professional.

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