Stormy said:
Thanks phoenixphyre, I will pick some up today I Just started this morning.
Stormy
Good girl; it's always best to be on the safe side...I take about 150 mg 3x a day....
*************************************************
WHAT IS SILYMARIN?
Silymarin refers to the extract from the seeds of the plant Silybum marianum, also called "milk thistle". It has been used for over 2,000 years. During the Middle Ages the seed of the milk thistle was commonly used to treat liver diseases.
The active ingredients of milk thistle are chemicals called flavonoids. The flavonoids in milk thistle are silybin, silydianin, and silychristin. Together, they are called silymarin.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF SILYMARIN?
Silymarin protects the liver by acting as an antioxidant and by promoting the growth of new liver cells. Silymarin also helps with the digestion of fats. It appears to help keep harmful substances out of liver cells.
Milk thistle can help prevent or reverse liver damage caused by alcohol, recreational drugs, pesticides, some poisons, or hepatitis.
Silymarin has been used (especially in Europe) to treat hepatitis, liver damage due to alcoholism, and poisoning by certain types of mushrooms.
There is no evidence that silymarin acts directly against HIV.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOW IS SILYMARIN USED?
Silymarin is an extract of the seeds of the milk thistle plant. A standardized extract should be 80% silymarin (the active ingredient).
The usual dosage of milk thistle extract is between 300 milligrams (mg) and 600 mg daily.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHAT ARE THE SIDE EFFECTS?
There are no documented side effects of milk thistle. Even very high doses do not seem to have any negative effects. However, some people get an upset stomach or have more gas when they start using silymarin. If this happens, cut back on your dosage and then increase it slowly.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOW DOES IT INTERACT WITH OTHER THERAPIES?
There are no documented interactions of milk thistle with other therapies.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOW DO WE KNOW IT WORKS?
Milk thistle has been used for over 2,000 years, so a lot has been written about its health effects. There have been over 300 scientific studies of silymarin that document:
Antioxidant effects
Treatment of cirrhosis of the liver caused by alcoholism
Treatment of chronic hepatitis
Treatment of poisoning due to eating wild mushrooms
Helping the liver repair itself
Most of the scientific studies of silymarin were published in Europe.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE BOTTOM LINE
Silymarin is an extract of the seeds of the milk thistle plant. It has been used for over 2,000 years to treat liver problems. No side effects or dangerous interactions have been noted.
