Product Description
MILK THISTLE SEED - For more detailed information, please click on the link...
Silybum marianum - Certified Organic, grain alcohol 60%, spring water. Strength 1:5.
Supporting liver detoxification & health.*
Summary: There is a tendency among herbalists to think of milk thistle seed and silymarin as synonymous. For instance, The Expanded German Commission E Monographs notes the historical uses of the whole herb for treating "Congestion of the liver, spleen, and kidneys" and in the very next paragraph states, "Milk thistle is an example of a preparation that is required to be in the standardized, concentrated form in order to fully convey the desired, in this case, hepatoprotectant, effects." This isn't necessarily so. There's no doubt that silymarin extract delivers more silymarin than the same amount of milk thistle. This is because only about 10% of the silymarin in the seed can be absorbed by the digestive tract, and the seed is only up to 3% silymarin. However, since the customary dose of the whole herb is 12 to 15 grams (up to 3% silymarin) and the customary daily dose of silymarin extract amounts to 200 to 400 milligrams of silymarin, you actually get an effective dose of silymarin by taking whole milk thistle seed three times a day. There are other reasons to use the milk thistle seed (whole or ground) rather than silymarin extract. Even when an herb is used to treat a serious health condition, the whole herb often has a more balanced effect. The milk thistle extract silymarin, for instance, has proven usefulness in treating liver disease. The drawback to using silymarin is that, if the doctor prescribes other drugs, such as steroids, silymarin can interfere with the liver's ability to detoxify them. Milk thistle seed has the same healing effect on the liver without interfering with the organ's ability to detoxify drugs or environmental chemicals, and a side benefit of normalizing blood lipids as the liver heals.
Precautions: Like silymarin extract, milk thistle seed can cause mild diarrhea by stimulating the release of bile. This effect is most notable if there is a high-fat diet.
*This statement not evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
