My mom is planning on starting to take this. She has end stage cancer that is affecting her liver and has just started immunotherapy after having had chemo. I’ve been looking it up to be sure it’s not just a placebo snake oil - though actually - that wouldn’t bother me - I mainly wanted to make sure it wouldn’t do harm… and it seems like a rather valuable little gem that is currently being tested in “real” tests to see just how effective it is.
Does anyone just plain take this with no particular need? It’s tempting. It’s certainly not expensive. I have noted that one has to be careful of the supplier since many brands tested didn’t contain what they were supposed to - and passed that info on to her.
Sounds interesting. How can you find a reliable supplier?
Consumer Labs did testing back in 2016. I’m assuming those that passed then would also pass now. I suppose one never knows, but when one has to make a best guess…
^^^ Yes, that is what I saw when I was looking it up for my mom and focusing on this (layman) page of the grouping:
https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam/patient/milk-thistle-pdq#section/_2
It seems to show promise, but has not yet been totally tested. She, of course, can’t wait for the results of trials so needs to make her own decision based upon her “best guess” now. I think she’s correct to try it, but it’s her decision.
My question was more thinking of myself - an average person who doesn’t think they have cancer (I don’t think a benign tumor is considered cancer) and who very much prefers preventative diet, etc, to try to avoid future issues along with keeping “today” feeling as good as possible. I currently take absolutely nothing in supplements or medications, but… this one sounds intriguing and more promising than most I hear about. It has me contemplating adding it since I don’t think I can get it via adding any particular food to my diet and there appear to be some decent potential pros coupled with very few (if any) cons.
I’m guessing you’ve read this but here is Mayo’s page on Milk Thistle
https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-milk-thistle/art-20362885
ADAM has a similar statement:
http://aia5.adam.com/content.aspx?productId=107&isArticleLink=false&pid=33&gid=000266
Just let her physician’s know if she starts taking something other than prescribed meds.
My friends in the UK swear by it to prevent hangovers.
I know someone who was taking it to improve her liver numbers. And someone else who was taking it to get her estrogen levels down. I don’t know if it worked in either case.
@momofthreeboys Thanks for that ADAM link. I hadn’t looked at it and it’s definitely informative enough to use. I’d seen Mayo’s and also like that one.
@emilybee Interesting on the hangovers. We don’t drink enough to have to worry about them ourselves, but I’d have thought I’d have heard of this from various students if it works for that!
The things that intrigue me about it is the potential to lower blood sugar levels since mine are always borderline on the fasting test 100<mine<125, though fine with the Ha1c, and of course, with my mom getting a totally unexpected cancer I definitely like the possibly preventative part.
@Creekland
“Milk Thistle is a popular herbal remedy for a hangover due to its long history of having been taken to help protect the liver from damage. It can be taken as tablets both before and after your night out.”
https://www.schwabepharma.co.uk/ailment/milk-thistle-as-a-hangover-cure/
My vet has my dog on it for liver disease plus a cocktail of other drugs… her numbers are stable right now. Don’t know which of the pills are keeping everything in check.
I’m 47 and I drink a cup of milk thistle tea every day. My nutritionist recommended it, along with Dandelion Root, to support good liver function. I think the brand is called Alvita.
My vet also prescribed for my elderly dog to help w liver #s - dont know yet if it’s helped.
@emilybee Thanks for that link. I sense it’s a bit more like chicken soup being good for colds from what it’s saying.
Now, of course, I’m wondering if I should share that link with kids at school when appropriate. We talk about the effects of various drugs on our body (bio knowledge) including what alcohol does. I’ve never specifically detailed out what causes hangovers or how to try to prevent them… should I share? Interesting thought.
In general, I think I am going to give it a try. The only elevated numbers I have are cholesterol and fasting blood sugar. By Sept I ought to know if it might be making a difference or not. It’s intriguing enough to try. My mom has decided to try it too. I reminded her to tell her doctor since it was a friend who recommended it (a friend whose doctor suggested it to her).
I have been using milk thistle on and off since childhood. It was part of the herbal pharmacy of many Europeans. We also used valerian, ginseng, ginger and a variety of other herbs for specific issues. For at least the last 10 years H and I have taken a dose of milk thistle every day. The manufacturer/product has varied based on availability, but the last few years we have been using the one from Costco.
My adult children will got thru phases of using it. They used to to address an acne, for feeling less than optimal after too much fun and for helping with digestive issues which can happen when you travel.
Milk thistle has been studied and approved for medical use by the European Commission. It is known as an adaptogenic herb. This is the best definition of the term adaptogenic I can find.
The term “adaptogen” was given a formal definition in 1968, by Lazarevs colleagues Israel Brekhman and I.V. Dardymov and was defined as follows:
An adaptogen is nontoxic to the recipient.
An adaptogen produces a nonspecific response in the body an increase in the power of resistance against multiple stressors including physical, chemical, or biological agents
An adaptogen has a normalizing influence on physiology, irrespective of the direction of change from physiological norms caused by the stressor.
The definition is from this article. https://runningonrealfood.com/adaptogens/. Although not a ‘scientific paper’ it does have some great insights.
It is gaining more recognition in the US - especially for things like mushroom poisoning.
http://www.bayareamushrooms.org/poisonings/silymarin.html