What is Milk Thistle?
Milk thistle (silymarin) is a flowering herb related to the daisy and ragweed family. It is native to Mediterranean countries. Some people also call it Mary thistle and holy thistle.
This prickly plant has distinctive purple flowers and white veins, which traditional stories say were caused by a drop of the Virgin Mary’s milk falling onto its leaves.
Most common benefits are:
- Milk thistle extract may help protect the liver against damage caused by disease or poisoning, though more research is needed.
- Diabetes. Milk thistle might lower blood sugar in people who have type 2 diabetes, but more studies are needed to confirm its benefits.
- Indigestion (dyspepsia). Milk thistle, in combination with other supplements, might improve the symptoms of indigestion.
- One study has shown that people taking milk thistle supplements experienced a decrease in the number of acne lesions on their body.
- By lowering LDL “bad” cholesterol levels, milk thistle may lower the chance of developing heart disease. But studies on heart benefits have only been done in people with diabetes. People with diabetes often have high cholesterol. It’s unclear if milk thistle has the same effects in people without diabetes. Milk thistle can also be taken with cholesterol-lowering medications, like statins. It can help prevent elevation of liver enzymes, which can be a side effect of the medication.
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