The Good Stuff Nutrition Series: Got Milk Thistle in the Hizzle?
- TheGoodStuffHippieBus
- Sep 10, 2023
- 2 min read
Your liver called and asked you to bring home some Milk Thistle.
Truly, with as much as your liver continually does, it’s a reasonable request and is also the perfect way to show your appreciation and support!
Just think about it... your liver has the job of detoxifying your body in the most toxic time in history... environmentally, socially, and if we’re not careful, emotionally, too! Its job is never-ending and imperative to not only health, but survival! Sure, your body makes some pretty great antioxidants that provide support but they can quickly become depleted without backup.
Enter Milk Thistle. This bad boy is a free-radical scavenger and actually increases the production of the master antioxidant (and your liver’s BFF), glutathione!
The magic is found in the seeds from which silymarin is extracted. It’s quite fascinating how multifaceted its functions are. Not only does it assist in detoxification, but it also helps repair damage that occurs in the process. It does this by increasing the synthesis of DNA and RNA which supports regeneration of the liver cells.
Silymarin also sets up guard in the external membrane of the hepatocyte (liver cell) so that foreign bodies can... not... enter the cell. This is huge! Especially if you’ve accidentally ingested some death cap mushroom or been bitten by a snake!
Along with all these great antioxidant properties, silymarin is also anti-inflammatory, immunomodulating, antifibrotic, antiviral and antiproliferative! You can imagine how numerous the applications must be. There are too many processes to outline here, but here are a few of the end-game assists:
· Alcoholic liver disease
· Acute and viral hepatitis
· Liver toxicity
· Some cancers
· Lowering high cholesterol
· Diabetes (helps decrease blood sugar levels)
· Gallstone prevention (due to Milk Thistle’s ability to increase bile)
· Anti-aging
· Neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and ALS – by way of preventing lipid peroxidation
· Acne
· Increasing milk production for breast-feeding mommas
I bet you’re starting to see why your liver called, yeah?
Before you go grab some, let’s talk about supplements and dosing... and review a few reasons why you might need to proceed with caution. (I know... I dangled the carrot. Sorry about that.)
If you’re already on some type of medication, that’s where the caution lies. Your liver is where those get metabolized and there are some that use the same enzymes, potentially causing interference. Here’s the short list:
a. Allergy drugs like Allegra
b. High cholesterol drugs including statins
c. Blood thinners
d. Some cancer drugs including Raloxifene
Also worth noting: if you’re allergic to sunflowers or daisies, proceed with caution, as they are in the same family as Milk Thistle.
Okay, if you’re in the clear from the aforementioned, let’s talk dosing! Depending on what you’re trying to accomplish between 300mg – 1200mg daily is recommended. Silymarin’s half-life is short, so it’s best to spread it out over 3 doses per day. For ongoing support, stay on the lower end with 150mg 3x per day. For livers emitting an SOS, increase the dosage to 400mg 3x per day. Taking it alongside phosphatidylcholine (sunflower lecithin is an example) will improve absorption.
So there ya have it... go show that liver some love with the gift of silymarin support!
Peace, love and health, friends!
Research links:
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