If you are active on social media, you are surely familiar with the term milk thistle. It is the phenomenon of 2024, with advertisements for this "miracle herb" everywhere you look. Unlike other dietary supplements, no one questions the effects of this plant. Opinions differ only on individual products and methods of processing. What is so miraculous about this thistle?
Yes in fact it is a type of thistle that I have known for centuries (it was used by the Romans) and that you can theoretically grow in your garden. What makes this thistle a miracle herb that can detoxify and restore liver cells is the substance silymarin. The latter is found in the seeds of this plant.
Milk thistle has traditionally been used for flatulence (bloating) and heartburn. I help with pain and various allergies. Silymarin is found in the seeds. Its main component is the substance sillibinin (also known as silybin). This substance shows a strong protective effect for liver cells. The liver is the only organ in the human body that can grow back if you lose part of it (hence the fable of Prometheus, whose eagle ate a piece of liver every day and it always grew back). In order for the liver to regenerate well, it needs the aforementioned silybin from silymarin, which is in the seeds of the aforementioned thistle. The circle has come full circle.
Various studies have examined the effects of silibinin on various cancers such as prostate cancer, colon cancer, and lung cancer. It is therefore truly one of the most interesting plants in recent times. It is a common thistle that is commonly found. Interestingly, the modified form Legalon SIL can help with fungi such as the green toadstool. Recent studies have shown that silibinin silymarin could even help patients with diabetes.
So we have a plant whose effects no one doubts, it is widely grown in the fields, its flowers are processed and the aforementioned medicinal substances are extracted from them. And here comes the stumbling block! Proponents of natural medicine will swear that the only proper silymarin is found in the crushed and dried plant, which you are supposed to consume daily (during detox) - this is the only way to get results. Those who have bought and used the Driven Milk Thistle will confirm to you that everyone has gotten it (and mixing it into meals, yogurts, oatmeal) isn't exactly easy. Plus, you really have no idea how much of that dried and crushed mixture is milk thistle seeds, and how much other stuff is in there. If you buy different packets from different manufacturers, each tastes different.
All these are reasons why it is probably safer to choose capsules with an extract that directly states the silymarin content in milligrams per capsule. This way, you can measure your daily dose precisely and be sure that you are not just consuming expensive dried parts of the plant with a minimum of active ingredient. Of course, it is important to choose a supplier that meets European standards and not to buy uncertified American capsules from Bazoš. In the EU, we have such strict standards for medicines and nutritional supplements that you can be really sure of the active ingredient in such a product.
