When you are thinking of milk thistle, what come to your brain first? Nothing! Right, you are not alone. You may not recognize this name. However, this small hairy reddish purple flowers you may have seen it. It’s not hard to find them in wild.

Milk thistle is a kind of medicine herb which is also called mary thistle and holy thistle. It’s a annual or biennial plant related to the daisy and ragweed family. It is widely distributed in Europe, Mediterranean region, North Africa and central Asia. Its plant is about 30 to 200 centimeter tall with small hairy reddish purple flowers.

Milk thistle can be extracted with silibinin and silymarin. Silybin is a kind of flavonoids extracted from Silybum marianum fruit. It has many benefits:

l Protection and stability of liver cell membrane.

l Improve liver function, produce enzyme lowering effect,

l Stabilize the liver cell membrane and maintain its integrity,

l Promote the ultrastructural recovery of liver cells,

l Promote the division and growth of normal liver cells,

l Improve the ability of synthesis of RNA and protein of liver cells,

l Improve the ability of the reticuloendothelial system to make macrophages, Enhance the activity of macrophages and accelerate the clearance of viruses. Promote fat transfer and antioxidant effect,

l Prevent excessive oxidation and infiltration of fat,

l Reduce liver steatosis;

l Promote the metabolic function of liver,

l Enhance its detoxification effect and reduce the damage of poison to liver cells.

Therefore, silybin has the effect of protecting normal liver cells and promoting the recovery of damaged cell membrane.

When we learn about silibinin, you will find another Milk thistle extract silymarin. Then, what’s the difference?

First, those are two different ingredients. Second, they have different function. Different from silibinin, silymarin has anti-peroxidation activity which can limit the penetration of some hepatotoxic substances into the interior of cells to improve the stable effect of the liver cell membrane. Silymarin can also prevents the loss of dissolved cellular components, and enhances the repair and regeneration ability of liver cells.

Everything is not perfect. Milk thistle Extract also have side effects. When you found that you got mild diarrhea and nausea, even some people also have allergic, you should stop to use it now. Then those symptoms will absent.