Milk Thistle – Silybum marianum

Alzheimer’s disease

• Changed gene expression and reduced amyloid plaques. DARU Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences 2014, 22:24

Anti-oxidant

• Strong anti-oxidant – that is very bioavailable to various tissues of the body. Carcinogenesis. 1999 Nov;20(11):2101-8.

Anti-inflammatory

• Several effects including anti-inflammatory and “May also abolish viral replication”. J Immunol. 1999 Dec 15;163(12):6800-9.

Cancer

• Increased T cells in breast cancer mouse model, reduced tumour numbers and volumes, and increased survival rate. Interestingly, it required an intact host immune system in order to function. Cancer Medicine 2014; 3(2):215-224
• Anti-proliferative against human colon adenomatous cancer cells. Nutr Hosp. 2014;29:388-392
• In prostate cancer models silibinin showed activity in the form of mmodulating cell signaling, apoptosis,metastasis, and more. AAPS J. 2013 Jul; 15(3):70-16.
• Inhibited melanoma cell growth. Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2013 May;6(5):455-65.
• Cancer caused by UVB – in studies on mice silymarin was very protective against UVB caused cancer and its progression. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1997 Apr 16;89(8):556-66
• Breast Cancer – this study demonstrated significant inhibition of the growth of cancer cells Clin Cancer Res. 1998 Apr;4(4):1055-64.
• One negative study – There is one negative study that says Milk Thistle promotes breast cancer Carcinogenesis. 2006 Sep;27(9):1739-47.
• Prostate Cancer – significant or complete suppression of prostate cancer (cells) and their progression
  Cancer Res. 1998 May 1;58(9):1920-9.
  Cancer Res. 2002 Jun 1;62(11):3063-9.
  Clin Cancer Res. 2002 Nov;8(11):3512-9.
  Cancer Res. 2005 May 15;65(10):4448-57.
• Stage 1 Tumours – significant protection against progression. Cancer Res. 1999 Feb 1;59(3):622-32
  Reduced PSA Levels – demonstrating that silibinin (a phytochemical from Milk Thistle) can significantly reduce PSA levels in prostate cancer models Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1999 Jun 22;96(13):7490-5
• Tongue Cancer – prevented the progress of tongue cancer in rats Carcinogenesis. 2002 May;23(5):787-94
• Bladder Cancer – has demonstrated an ability to inhibit tumour cell growth and promote tumour cell death in this type of cancer. Carcinogenesis. 2004 Sep;25(9):1711-20.
• Lung Tumour – inhibits tumour growth and reduces toxicity. Clin Cancer Res. 2004 Dec 15;10(24):8641-7
• Colorectal Cancer – may be beneficial for and prevent Colorectal Cancer. Clin Cancer Res. 2006 May 1;12(9):2944-50

Cardiovascular

• Protection or organs from ischemia reperfusion injury. In other words, when a tissue or organ has been denied blood supply for a period of time (i.e. “heart attack”) injury can and often does occur when the blood supply is returned to that organ or tissue. Milk Thistle demonstrates the ability to protect cells against this. Fitoterapia vol. 97, Sept 2014, 122-132

Cholesterol

• Cholesterol Lowering – significant ability to decrease total cholesterol, LDL, and triglycerides. Phytother Res. 2006 Dec;20(12):1036-9

Diabetes

• Silymarin induced insulin resistance in a rat model. PLOS One. Jan 03, 2014. It is important to note that Silymarin is only one phytochemical from Milk Thistle and that the whole plant may not perform in the same way as only one of its phytochemicals.
• Glycaemic Control – Milk Thistle has demonstrated improved glycemic control for people with non insulin dependant (type II) diabetes. Phytother Res. 2006 Dec;20(12):1036-9
  J Ethnopharmacol. 2004 Apr;91(2-3):309-16.
• Protect Pancreas – has demonstrated an ability to protect the pancreas, making it possibly useful in the treatment of type II diabetes.  Cell Mol Life Sci. 1997 Dec;53(11-12):917-20

Drug Interactions

• Anti-cancer drugs – unlikely to interfere with anti-cancer drugs that are metabolized by the CYP3A4 and UGT1A1 enzymes. Clin Cancer Res. 2005 Nov 1;11(21):7800-6.

Hearing Loss

• Silymarin was protective against hearing loss caused by noise. IRCMJ. 2013 Nov; 15(11):e8890

Infection-Induced Preterm Birth

• In a mouse model Silibinin was protective  against brain injury and infection in pre-term birth. PLOS One. Mar 19, 2014

Influenza Virus

• May help prevent the replication of the infuenza virus, at least in mice. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2013 Sep;57(9):4433-43

Liver

• Protection of the liver. World J Hepatol 2014 March 27; 6(3): 144-149
• Hepatoprotective in those exposed chronically to hydrogen sulfide. Daru. 2013 Apr 8;21(1):28.
• Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. J Tradit Complement Med. 2013 Apr;3(2):88-94

Metabolism

• Hormone Metabolism – according to this study involving healthy premenopausal women, there may be a benefit in hormone imbalances. This study demonstrated a decrease in early-follicular phase androgens without any significant change in estrogen. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2007 Aug;16(8):1601-9

Protection from Radiation

• Sun Protection – applied topically it may prevent UV irradiation damage, having demonstrated very strong protective effects that appear to act as more than just a sunscreen. Carcinogenesis. 2004 Aug;25(8):1459-65.
  Biol Pharm Bull. 2006 Jun;29(6):1096-101.

Protection from Toxins

• Protected broiler chicks from aflatoxin B1. J Res Med Sci. 2013 Sep;18(9):786-90.
• Chemical toxins – in vitro studies show that silibinin administered before and after injury can ameliorate or prevent the toxic effects on the kidneys caused by paracetamol, cisplatin and vincristin. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1999 Sep;290(3):1375-83.
• Renal Toxicity – rats were protected from toxicity caused by cisplatin. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2005 Sep;2(3):383-6.