Milk Thistle

Milk Thistle is unique in its ability to protect the liver and has no equivalent in the pharmaceutical drug world. Milk thistle acts in a similar fashion to detoxify other synthetic chemicals that find their way into our bodies, from acetaminophen and alcohol to heavy metals and radiation. Milk thistle was approved as a treatment for liver disease and it is widely used to treat alcoholic hepatitis, alcoholic fatty liver, cirrhosis, liver poisening and viral hepatitis. It has also been shown to protect the liver against medications such as acetaminophen, a non-aspirin pain reliever. Although it may not show any effect once you have been diagnosed with Cirrhosis.

Milk thistle has some estrogen-like effects that may stimulate the flow of breast milk in women who are breast-feeding infants. It may also be used to start late menstrual periods. Milk thistle’s estrogen-like effect may also have some usefulness for men with prostate cancer.

Milk thistle can cause:

• Gastrointestinal issues, such as diarrhea, constipation, nausea, vomiting and abdominal bloating

• Itchiness

• Headache

If you have diabetes, use milk thistle with caution, since the supplement might lower blood sugar.

Milk thistle can cause an allergic reaction, including a severe, potentially life-threatening allergic reaction. An allergic reaction is more common in people who are allergic to other plants such as ragweed, daisies, marigolds and chrysanthemums.