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Beneficial for maintenance of the liver, the main detoxifying organ of the body*.
Supports glutathione, one of the primary antioxidants found in the body*.
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An Ancient Herb
The Greek herbalist Dioscorides catalogued milk thistle in his list of healing plants for liver conditions, improving bile flow and stimulating digestion.* The Roman author Pliny was of a similar opinion. Indeed, milk thistle (Silybum marianum) extracts have been used as traditional herbal remedies for almost 2000 years and milk thistle is now extensively cultivated as a healing herb. This is especially true in Germany, where milk thistle is quite popular. Despite its distinctive prickly leaves and milky sap, milk thistle is sometimes confused with a different plant known as blessed or holy thistle (Cnicus benedictus).
Today, milk thistle extracts are among the most popular and the best researched of all herbs. Yet, this herb had largely become forgotten by the mid-20th Century. It was barely mentioned in the United States Dispensatory of 1947, and the most common folk use outside of Central Europe was to improve lactation.
Modern research has focused on bile production and liver function. German scientists have produced an extract called silymarin, which has a variety of liver-protectant properties.* The active principles normally constitute only 1-4 percent of the total plant, so it is necessary to concentrate the extract extensively to provide benefits. Jarrow Formulas Milk Thistle provides just such a potent concentrate.
Special Antioxidant Benefits
Silymarin refers to three active flavonoid components of milk thistle: primarily silybin with smaller amounts of silydianin and silychristin. This trio neutralizes toxins and improves liver function.* Its action rests primarily upon the ability to inhibit production and activity of hepatotoxic (liver toxic) compounds.* More recent evidence indicates that it benefits the health of several other organs as well.*
The liver is the primary organ for detoxification. Many toxins are either free radicals, or encourage free radical production and may subsequently interfere with the liver's defenses against free radicals. As a potent antioxidant, silymarin intervenes in free radical generation and protects against many reactive oxygen species.* In some measurement systems, silymarin is ten times more effective than vitamin E in preventing unwanted oxidation. The extract also increases the liver's content of the antioxidant enzyme glutathione (GSH) by ~35 percent, and increases the levels of the body's major antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase (SOD).* Silymarin also modulates the actions of lipoxygenase in the liver.* Lipoxygenase acts upon polyunsaturated fatty acids to produce pro-inflammatory compounds called leukotrienes, which cause damage to liver cell membranes.
Silymarin is active against all of these assaults upon liver cell integrity and function. It therefore has direct and indirect antioxidant benefits by elevating the body's own defenses. Research has shown that milk thistle extracts also significantly enhance cellular immune biomarkers.*
Supporting Liver Regeneration, Bile Solubility
The liver is capable of extensive self-regeneration, but silymarin can even markedly increase this ability to replace damaged cells.* There is also some suggestion that silymarin stimulates protein synthesis in the liver.* Nevertheless, silymarin does not encourage malignant liver cell growth.* Growing evidence suggests that silymarin has protective properties to the kidneys that mirror those in the liver.*
Classically, milk thistle is associated with improved digestion and bile production.* These are important functions of the liver and their impairment can lead to undesirable outcomes in the body. Clinical trials have supported this traditional employment of the herb. The extract can increase bile solubility and possibly help guard against stone formation.*
Bioavailability
Silymarin exhibits poor solubility in water. Delivery in the form of teas provides less than 10 percent of total activity. Older studies demonstrating silymarin as a bile flow-inducer used alcoholic tinctures rather than the water-based preparations commonly sold today.
Only 20-50 percent of silymarin is assimilated from the gastrointestinal tract at any given time. Thus, an effective milk thistle supplement needs to be highly concentrated, like Jarrow Formulas Milk Thistle, to provide a physiologically significant amount. According to the German monograph covering milk thistle, 12-15 grams of the crude herbal extract provides 200-400 mg silymarin. This is equivalent to the amount delivered by only 3 capsules of Jarrow Formulas Milk Thistle.
About Jarrow Formulas
Jarrow Formulas' complete line of over 350 nutritional products includes vitamins, minerals, probiotics, standardized herbal concentrates, amino acids, enzymes and enteral nutrition products. Customers can be assured of purity, value and potency when choosing these products.
What's in the Box
Jarrow Formulas Milk Thistle, 150mg, 200 Capsules.
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Customer Reviews
Below are 2 articles; one from the American Cancer Society and one from a Hep C website, both stating scientific studies that show milk thistle is beneficial to one's liver. The bottom article is from NPI center, an organization I am not familiar with, but it talks about how [...] found that the Jarrow brand was the best milk thistle brand. It is possible I am believing a complicated marketing scheme, but I do believe in milk thistle and I do believe in Jarrow Products. My experience in medicine is that often the liver goes before the heart when people are hit with medical problems and that is why I take care of my liver with nutrition, such as not drinking alcohol, but also taking milk thistle daily.
This is from the Hep C website, I thankfully don't have Hep C, but they do care about liver protection; I have the entire article below but this is the important part:
"Two of the ten milk thistle products were disqualified for failure to meet the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) labeling requirements. Additionally, one of these products had different dosing information from jar to jar, all from the same lot number.
Seven of the remaining eight products did not provide the standardized amount of silymarin although they all claimed to have 80%. Actual amounts were between 47 and 67%. The only product to pass was Jarrow Formulas Milk Thistle. Although the amount of silymarin was not specified on the label, the manufacturer declared that the milk thistle extract contained 80% flavonoids. The actual testing confirmed that Jarrow Formulas Milk Thistle met the minimum industry standard of 70% silymarin."
And from the American Cancer Society:
[...]
Milk Thistle Protects Cancer Patients from Chemotherapy-Associated Liver Toxicity
A new study finds that the herb milk thistle may help treat liver inflammation in cancer patients who receive chemotherapy.
Atlanta 2009/12/15 -A new study finds that the herb milk thistle may help treat liver inflammation in cancer patients who receive chemotherapy. Published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study indicates that the herb could allow patients to take potent doses of chemotherapy without damaging their liver.
Chemotherapy drugs frequently cause inflammation in the liver, and when they do, doctors must often lower patients' doses or stop administering the therapies altogether. Clinical studies have investigated using milk thistle to treat liver damage from cirrhosis (from alcohol) or toxins (such as mushroom poisoning). Despite limited study data, the herb is often used for the treatment of chemotherapy associated liver problems. To test whether milk thistle could help treat chemotherapy associated liver problems, Kara Kelly, MD, of the New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center's Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center in New York City and colleagues conducted a randomized, controlled, double blind study in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), who commonly experience this side effect.
Fifty children with ALL were enrolled in the study and were randomized to receive milk thistle or placebo for 28 days. At the start of the study, all of the children had evidence of liver inflammation as measured by elevations in blood levels of the liver enzymes, aspartate amino transferase (AST) and amino alanine transferase (ALT). When the investigators performed liver function tests on the children at day 56 (28 days after receiving the herb or placebo), children receiving milk thistle had improvements in their liver enzymes compared with children receiving a placebo. Specifically, the group that took milk thistle had significantly lower levels of AST and a trend towards significantly lower levels of ALT. Taking milk thistle also seemed to help keep fewer patients from having to lower the dose of their medications: chemotherapy doses were reduced in 61 percent of the group receiving milk thistle, compared with 72 percent of the placebo group. In addition, milk thistle appeared to be safe for consumption.
The researchers also studied the effects of combining milk thistle with chemotherapy on leukemia cells grown in the laboratory. They found that milk thistle does not interfere with the cancer-fighting properties of chemotherapy. "Milk thistle needs to be studied further, to see how effective it is for a longer course of treatment, and whether it works well in reducing liver inflammation in other types of cancers and with other types of chemotherapy, said Dr. Kelly. "However, our results are promising as there are no substitute medications for treating liver toxicity."
Article: "A randomized, controlled, double blind pilot study of milk thistle for the treatment of hepatotoxicity in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)." Elena Ladas, David Kroll, Nick Oberlies, Bin Cheng, Deborah Hughes, Susan Rheingold, and Kara Kelly. CANCER; Published Online: December 14, 2009 (DOI: 10.1002/cncr.24723).
[...]
HEALTHWISE: Milk Thistle
--Lucinda K. Porter, RN
People with chronic hepatitis C virus infection (HCV) who are interested in alternative medicine generally consider milk thistle (silybum marianum). This popular herb is a common ingredient in supplement blends that promote liver health. Researchers have investigated the efficacy of milk thistle and its components for a variety of conditions, including viral hepatitis, type II diabetes, cancer and toxin-removal from the liver.
The Basics
Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) is a plant from the aster family. Silymarin is the active ingredient in milk thistle that is likely responsible for its medicinal qualities. Silymarin is actually a group of flavanoids, with silybin (aka silibinin) being the most powerful. Typically, milk thistle is sold in standardized amounts of 70 to 80% silymarin.
The February 2008 issue of Hepatology looked at milk thistle use among 1145 participants in the HALT-C study, sponsored by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease, headed by Leonard Seeff. In this HCV study, 44% of the subjects had used herbs at some point, with 23% using them at the time of enrollment. Among all participants, milk thistle was used by 33%, 17% upon enrollment. Although milk thistle users showed similar ALT levels and HCV viral loads to non-users, they showed fewer liver-related symptoms and improved quality of life. Researchers observed that this aspect of the study was uncontrolled and that milk thistle use was self-motivated. They concluded that "a well-designed prospective study can determine whether silymarin provides benefit to persons with chronic hepatitis C."1
Continue reading before you run out and buy milk thistle. All milk thistle is not alike and what is in the bottle may not match what is promised on the label. In a startling report published by [...] (CL), only one of 10 products passed the necessary tests in order to carry the CL seal of approval.
CL is an independent organization that provides information and testing of nutritional products. They have been around for about ten years. Some information is free, but product reports are available only to subscribers. A one year subscription is $30 and worth every penny. [...]
What caught my attention about the milk thistle testing is that most supplements win CL's approval. It's a voluntary program, so presumably manufacturers feel confident enough to submit to testing. The failure of nine out of ten products is extraordinary. One can only imagine the quality of products that don't agree to testing.
The Results
Two of the ten milk thistle products were disqualified for failure to meet the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) labeling requirements. Additionally, one of these products had different dosing information from jar to jar, all from the same lot number.
Seven of the remaining eight products did not provide the standardized amount of silymarin although they all claimed to have 80%. Actual amounts were between 47 and 67%. The only product to pass was Jarrow Formulas Milk Thistle. Although the amount of silymarin was not specified on the label, the manufacturer declared that the milk thistle extract contained 80% flavonoids. The actual testing confirmed that Jarrow Formulas Milk Thistle met the minimum industry standard of 70% silymarin.
The HCV Advocate and I do not endorse particular products or treatments. However, it seemed cruel to reveal that only one in ten milk thistle products passed muster without mentioning the name of the product. However, before you run out and buy milk thistle, there are other issues.
First, why didn't the products pass? ConsumerLabs suggested it was likely due to substandard milk thistle extract, often purchased from Chinese suppliers. Unfortunately, since herbs are not strictly regulated by the FDA, it is virtually impossible to know what is safe and effective.
Second, what is the scientific evidence for or against milk thistle? Why take milk thistle? Is it because you read about it in an article? Did you hear about a study, and if so, what do you know about the research? Read more ›
Milk thistle is a core piece of my health prevention routine. I also take TUDCA, FREE Milk Thistle Powder 25 Grams + TUDCA Powder (Tauroursodeoxycholic) 5 Grams which is a lesser known yet more powerful version of milk thistle. The Jarrows Formula is excellent and I still have a bottle in my cabinet, although I've been more turned onto powder supplements in general just because their ability to more fully absorb into the bloodstream.
I for one, will not wait for something terrible to happen before I start taking a pro-active approach to my health although I know this is the case for many people. TUDCA has actually been shown to reverse liver damage although there is nothing better than prevention of course. No matter where your health is, do your research, talk to your doctor and look into such supplements as TUDCA and Milk thistle. Best of luck!
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