Where to Buy Milk Thistle Supplements, Teas or Tinctures

Milk thistle extract products come in several different format, including capsules, tinctures, teas and drink mixes.

This supplement may be sold in a single ingredient format or stacked with other complementary nutrients and herbs.

Consumers can buy milk thistle supplements online or in local retail stores. A prescription is not necessary in most countries.

However, the active extract in milk thistle extract – silymarin – may be sold as pharmaceutical drug in some locations. In the U. S., silymarin and milk thistle extract are available as dietary supplements.

Milk thistle products sold in stores or online may vary in terms of quality and potency. Most products provide between 70 – 80 % silymarin extract. Dosages are primarily determined based on the content of silymarin. For this reason, dosing recommendations may vary from product to product.

Milk Thistle

Herbal Supplement

Liver Health

Detox

Longevity

How It Works:

• Supports liver health & detox
• Anti-oxidant & anti-inflammatory properties
• Improves insulin sensitivity & cholesterol

Dosage:

Between 140 - 800 mg per day

Safety:

Rated Likely Safe

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Milk Thistle Buyer’s Guide

Milk thistle extract is one of the most commonly consumed herbal supplements.

This natural heath product has long been used for its renoprotective (kidney protecting) and hepatoprotective (liver protecting) properties.

Researchers are now interested in the plant for its potential anticancer, chemopreventive, cardioprotective, anti-diabetic and antioxidant effects.

Ancient cultures used milk thistle as both a food and medicine. In its medicinal capacity it was primarily used for disorders of the liver and gallbladder. Current uses still target the liver and gallbladder, but have also expanded to include heart disease, type II diabetes and obesity.

A combination of historical use and contemporary investigation indicates milk thistle is generally well tolerated. Despite its history of use as a medicinal agent, the FDA has not approved this compound as a drug for the treatment of any medical conditions.

While it is widely used by alternative health practitioners, milk thistle has not been incorporated into conventional Western medicine.

Milk Thistle Effects

Milk thistle is often purchased because of the supplement’s purported impact on the liver. This supplement is reported to have beneficial effects on the kidneys and liver function. These benefits are said to arise from the silymarin flavonolignans found in milk thistle seeds

Silymarin is a flavonoid that is considered to be the biologically active component of this supplement. Milk thistle supplements are often standardized based on their silymarin content (which usually ranges between 70 – 80 percent).

Silymarin has been observed to:

• Increase the synthesis of repair proteins inside the liver, helping the organ replace damaged cells and restore its efficacy;
• Stimulate bile production and allow the bile to flow more freely, which may enhance the liver’s capacity to detoxify the body;
• Affect the activity in the cytochrome p450 liver enzyme pathway, supporting the liver’s detoxification capacity;
• Reduce scarring (cirrhosis) of liver tissue.

The ability of milk thistle extracts to support liver health has been well documented and accepted. Supplementation may also help prevent gallstones and provide relief from gallstone pain. It is also used for viral hepatitis and hepatic inflammation.

Milk Thistle and Cholesterol

Silymarin compounds in milk thistle seeds may also improve factors related to cardiovascular health.

Consumers may purchase milk thistle extract supplements for the following health goals:

• Lower low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and total cholesterol levels. LDL is considered the “bad” form of cholesterol;
• Elevate high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels;
• Decrease triglyceride concentrations in the blood;
• Induce vasodilation (the widening of blood vessels), which may help improve circulation;
• Improve cardiac cellular signaling via increased antioxidant activity;
• Lower the risks for arterial plaque deposits and atherosclerosis.

To the extent that milk thistle extract improves cardiovascular health, it may reduce risk factors for hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, peripheral artery disease, coronary artery disease, heart disease, type II diabetes mellitus, obesity and other conditions and diseases.

The cardioprotective and anti-diabetic properties of silymarin are currently being studied. There is insufficient clinical data regarding the use of milk thistle for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. More research is needed before any definitive statements of efficacy can be made.

Recent Milk Thistle Research

Recently, there has been an increase in research looking at the effects of milk thistle extract and cancer. This supplement should not be seen as a treatment for cancer, but there is some initial evidence of anti-cancer effects.

Silymarin extracts have been observed to act against a number of cancer cell lines including breast, prostate, cervical, skin, lung, colon, kidney and other cancer cell lines. In both animal and laboratory experiments, milk thistle has been observed to:

• Reduce free radical damage by scavenging for reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as those resulting from steroids, food additives, pharmaceuticals, illicit drugs, alcohol, environmental pollutants and other oxidizing agents;
• Increase the levels of the antioxidant superoxide dismutase (SOD).
• Promote apoptosis (natural death) in cancerous cells;
• Increase the activity and production of natural killer cells, immune cells that target tumor cells;
• Inhibit the development of new blood vessels in tumor cells (antiangiogenic properties), thereby starving the tumors of blood and nutrients;
• Stabilize the structure of tumor cells, making mutation, progression and metastasis more difficult.

Although laboratory and animal tests have yielded some positive results, research is in the early stages. It is not clear what, if any, effect milk thistle or silymarin will have on the development and progression of cancer in humans.

Where to Buy Milk Thistle

Milk thistle supplements are sold by a variety of online retailers as well as in many local health food stores. Supplements may be of varying qualities and degrees of potency. Not all products will contain the same percentage of active ingredients and inferior products do exist both online and in stores.

Before purchasing a milk thistle extract product, ensure that the company you are buying from provides a COA (Certificate of Authenticity) that shows the product contains silymarin and is free of impurities or contaminants.

Low quality manufacturers may promote their products on sites such as Amazon or eBay. Be sure to check consumer reviews before purchasing to ensure you are buying a legitimate product and not one that could be damaging to your health.

Milk thistle is generally well tolerated, but the supplement may interact with a number of prescription and over-the-counter medications. Speak with your doctor before buying milk thistle supplements, especially if you are taking other medications.

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