Milk thistle

Milk thistle is known among natural medicine enthusiasts as the liver plant. The close relative of dandelion and sunflowers not only looks great with its purple thistle flower but can potentially save your life. 

 

Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) is a Carduoideae species used as a medicinal plant since antiquity. According to legend, some milk dripped onto a thistle when the Virgin Mary was nursing her child. This is said to be how the plant got its name. Depending on the region, milk thistle is also known by the following names:

• Christ's crown
• Savior thistle
• Milk thistle
• Thunder thistle
• Feather thistle
• Milk thistle
• Thistle

Milk thistle is widespread around the Mediterranean and in the Middle East. Its range extends to southern Russia, Iran, and Central Europe. It also grows on the Canary Islands, the Azores, and Madeira. It has been naturalized in America and southern Australia.

The biennial plant places few demands on the soil, so it thrives on dry, rocky grounds as well as rubble sites and along paths.

Milk thistle is a close relative of dandelion and sunflowers. Consequently, it belongs to the family of composites. Like the dandelion, it disperses its seeds through the air.

 

Milk thistle has been used as a remedy since ancient times, although today its beneficial health properties are less well known. However, there are now numerous products made from milk thistle available for purchase.

Its main area of application is strengthening the liver. The positive effects on the liver were (re)discovered in the 19th century by the doctor Johann Gottfried Rademacher.

The active ingredients of milk thistle are said to prevent toxins from entering the liver. And even after damage to the organ, they are supposed to contribute to its regeneration. However, before you buy milk thistle for liver treatment, you should definitely consult your treating doctors. The most effective are ready-made medicines made from milk thistle extract available at the pharmacy.

The active ingredient complex silymarin is largely responsible for this. According to studies, it can stabilize the cell membrane of liver cells, making it harder for toxins to penetrate the liver cells. Furthermore, important substances such as enzymes are less likely to leak out. There is also justified suspicion that silymarin helps the liver regenerate better. There is some evidence that fatty liver disease may progress more slowly with milk thistle extracts. 

Please note that in this case, tea does not help because the important components are not or barely water-soluble. Therefore, ready-made medicines for liver complaints are recommended, but be sure to consult a doctor.

Tea prepared from milk thistle, on the other hand, has a positive effect on digestive complaints. It gently relieves feelings of fullness, heartburn, and bloating.

In cases of mushroom poisoning, conventional medicine often uses the herb as an antidote. The green death cap mushroom is responsible for most fatal mushroom poisonings. This mushroom looks suspiciously similar to common champignons, which is why people regularly confuse the two types. Eating a green death cap mushroom causes its toxins to destroy the liver. Today, people with such mushroom poisoning are given certain milk thistle extracts (silibinin) intravenously to save their lives. Silymarin also appears to help with liver diseases such as hepatitis or cirrhosis.

In the past, the medicinal plant was used, among other things, for relieving cramps and stimulating milk flow. Hildegard von Bingen prescribed milk thistle for inflammatory lung or pleura conditions.

 

The liver-strengthening effect of milk thistle comes from the active ingredient complex silymarin, which is extracted from the seeds of the plant. The leaves are not used in naturopathy. Additionally, the thistle contains bitter substances, tannins, and mucilages.

In fact, silymarin is a flavonoid complex. Flavonoids are secondary plant compounds, mostly flower pigments. Flavonoids are also polyphenols and are derived from the chemical base structure of flavans. Silymarin consists, among others, of the following flavonoids:

• Silybin A and B (Silibinins)
• Silychristin
• Silydianin

Milk thistle seeds consist of up to 3% of the flavonoid complex silymarin. About 30% is fat and another 30% protein. The flavonoids are excreted quite quickly, which is why regular intake is recommended. Furthermore, silymarin is hardly soluble in water, so highly dosed finished preparations are the first choice.

 

Unfortunately, many low-quality and poor milk thistle preparations are on the market, so you should be clear about how to recognize good quality. An ideally highly dosed flavonoid complex (silymarin) is important. Additional additives are undesirable and unnecessary. If you see terms like magnesium stearate, talc, titanium dioxide, lactose, colorants, or fats in the ingredient list, you should avoid the preparation.

There are now preparations that contain only milk thistle extracts besides the capsule material (cellulose).

 

Unfortunately, very high overdoses can cause side effects such as headaches or a mild laxative effect. Interactions with other medications can also occur because milk thistle affects the liver, where medications are metabolized. Diabetes patients should also exercise caution, as milk thistle may have a blood sugar-lowering effect.

 

The dosage recommendations suggested here are not binding. Please consult a doctor before use, who can provide a recommendation based on your individual situation.

Ideally, take preparations with the flavonoid complex several times a day to maintain the most balanced level of flavonoids possible. If intake can only be once daily, it should be in the evening. 

Effective doses are considered to be daily intake amounts of 200 - 400 mg of silymarin. Make sure not to buy underdosed products. For severe liver stress or liver damage, up to 800 mg of silymarin daily is recommended. This is the case with liver damage caused by drugs or liver cirrhosis. If poisoned by the green death cap mushroom, silibinin is injected every six hours from the first day.

 

Reaching up to 1.5 meters in height, the stem of the milk thistle branches out and carries the shiny green leaves with white spots, which have thorns at their ends. During its flowering period, the plant stands out with its purple flowers. These develop into brown-spotted fruits, commonly called seeds. The white stripes or spots on the leaves are said to be the remnants of the Virgin Mary’s breast milk.

 

If you want to plant milk thistle in your garden for personal use, the seeds are planted in spring between March and April. If you don’t use a cold frame or let the seeds grow on the windowsill, sowing outdoors takes place from early May. Milk thistles sown from late July bloom only the following year. The distance between planted seeds should be at least 40 cm. Milk thistles only need watering in extreme drought.

The harvest takes place in early summer, when the thistles still have hair crowns and are not yet purple. Then you can knock out the seeds and, for example, prepare a delicious tea from them. To do this, simply grind the seeds with a mortar and pestle before pouring boiling water over the powder.

 

Milk thistles belong to the aster family. If you have known allergic reactions, you should avoid using it.

 

Yes, the milk thistle has earned the title of “Medicinal Plant of the Year 2021” in Austria. Since 2017, the Herbal Medicinal Products Platform Austria has chosen a medicinal plant as the Medicinal Plant of the Year each year. The reason for this was that a lot of milk thistle is cultivated in Austria and more and more evidence of its positive effects is being found.

Yes, you can. The important thing is to remove the thorns from the leaves beforehand. Of course, you can also enjoy the leaves cooked. The milk thistle buds can also be used in cooking; they are culinarily similar to artichokes.

In principle, you should always consult a doctor before taking any medication during pregnancy and breastfeeding. There is not enough research on milk thistle to recommend its use during these times. 

Milk thistles can enhance the effect of blood sugar-lowering medications. They can also affect medications used to treat HIV infections. Therefore, it is advisable to consult a doctor before use.

There is no conclusive evidence for an effect on the course of cancer from milk thistle. However, individual studies that only examined simple cell cultures offer initial hope. A study by Dr. Agarwal and colleagues showed, for example, that in simple cell cultures, silymarin can influence cell signals associated with cancer. [1]

Another study on mice showed that metastasis formation and the growth potential of cancer tumors could be inhibited by silymarin.[2] As mentioned, these studies are by no means conclusive evidence and only provide initial indications.

Sources

[1] https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10555-010-9237-0

[2] https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/04/150420144350.htm