Silymarin extract 80% | Silybum marianum

Properties: In recent years milk thistle’s popularity as a “liver supplement” has visibly grown. But how does this plant protect such an important organ like the liver? Are there any other health benefits that come from supplementing it?

If our goal is to improve liver functions or simply to take better care of this important “detoxification center”, milk thistle is really the best supplement to choose. The extract of this plant has anti-inflammatory properties and it prevents toxins from entering the cells of the liver, thereby protecting them from damage. However, if some cells are already damaged, milk thistle also strengthens their regeneration and prevents the development of fibrosis or other health-threatening changes. So, regardless of the current condition of the liver, it makes sense to support it from time to time with milk thistle. But these are not all the benefits that come along with its supplementation!

The extract of milk thistle has an influence on our fat metabolism. It stimulates the production of bile, thereby facilitating the digestion of fat. This also reduces the feeling of heaviness that often is an “aftertaste” of a fatty meal. Moreover, it downregulates the production of cholesterol, which leads to the drop in its blood level. On top of that, supplementation with milk thistle might improve the skin condition. Although this might seem counter intuitive, this feature is also related to the ability of S.marianum to regulate how the organism deals with fat. This is because sebum is synthesized from fat cells by special skin glands. Its composition and the health of skin glands both play a crucial role in the general health of our skin as well as its external appearance. As mentioned – the extract of milk thistle regulates the entire lipid metabolism, including the secretion of sebum. Thus, by improving the condition of sebaceous glands, it benefits our looks too. 

Generally speaking, all the secretions produced by our body are in a way pretty important. Some of them, like sebum, have protective and nurturing properties. Others, like tears, can carry a huge emotional value. Yet, there is only one of them that easily leads to awkward situations – those gaseous, “aromatic” byproducts of the digestive process. Multiple experiments proved that milk thistle supplementation successfully diminishes their production, which helps to take care about the atmosphere at home, at work, and virtually everywhere else.

Last but not least, active compounds found in S.marianum can block the proliferation of flu viruses and other pathogenic microorganisms. This plant also has the ability to inhibit excessive activation of the immune system (such as in case of allergies). The research in this direction continues. Another line of studies targets the question whether milk thistle can support the process of losing weight. Thus, there are multiple reasons to include it in our daily diet – not just for the liver.

Occurrence: Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) is an annual plant that belongs to the Asteraceae family. It is native to the Mediterranean Basin, but since it has high endurance it grows all over the world. By looks it resembles the thistle plant, however it can reach even 2 meters in height, so it is often called a “magnificent thistle”. Milk thistle has distinctive leaves with very thorny edges covered with white spots. Thanks to this pattern that resembles spots of milk spitted on the leaves – that’s why it is named “milk” thistle. The leaves grow on a thick, straight stem, which is topped with a purple flower placed in a basket. When the plants mature, the whole baskets are manually harvested, dried and then the seeds (achenes) are extracted. They are the raw herbal material used to produce the supplement. 

The seeds of milk thistle have been popular already in the Antique times, mostly thanks to their ability to relieve liver ailments. They were first mentioned in the book “Historia Plantarum”, written between 350 BC and 287 BC by a Greek philosopher Theofrast Of Eresos. However, milk thistle gained its peak popularity only in the Middle Ages. The healer Hildegard of Bingen has written about it in her epos “Physica” published around 1151–1158. The inhabitants of the Middle East were also aware of the milk thistle’s health benefits. This plant is still being used both in Ayurveda (Indian folk medicine) and in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

Biochemistry: The milk thistle seeds owe their beneficial properties mainly to silymarin. This term describes the complex of flavonolignans (derivatives of flavonoids), which include: the most active silybin, silychristin and silidiamine. Apart from them, the seeds also contain: essential oil, quercetin, proteins, sugars, fats, mucilages, flavones, phenolic glycosides, phytosterols, micro- and macroelements (copper, selenium and zinc) and vitamins (B2, D, C, K, and E). Milk thistle has also been shown to be a source of histamine.

Fun fact: Milk thistle used to be treated as a common vegetable. Its leaves were often added to salads, similarly to spinach. The flowers of the plant, in turn, are similar to small artichokes. These days however, milk thistle is mostly available in the form of powder, and thus can be easily used as a spice.