• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Science / Is milk thistle tea, Silybum marianum, good for the liver?

Is milk thistle tea, Silybum marianum, good for the liver?

April 21, 2020 by Karen Hill

Milk thistle does contain chemicals called flavones that appear to benefit the liver, but these compounds are not very soluble in water, and the tea has only about one-tenth the strength of the original plant material.

In fact, the chemicals are poorly absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract and would probably be medically effective only if concentrated and injected.

Toxic effects have apparently not been reported from consumption of milk thistle. As with many herbal remedies, the concentration of active ingredients varies as much as fourfold from sample to sample, so dosage would be hard to control.

Milk thistle is a Mediterranean plant, a tall herb with prickly leaves and a milky sap. It has become naturalized in California and the eastern United States. It has small, hard fruits resembling seeds. While it was long used for liver complaints, it was virtually ignored in the first half of this century.

A few decades ago, however, German scientists isolated a crude mixture of chemicals from the fruits that appeared to have liver-protectant properties and called the extract silymarin.

Silymarin was subsequently found to contain a large number of flavones, some of which protect against a variety of toxins, even the poison of the death cap mushroom. There have even been human trials for conditions like hepatitis and cirrhosis, with some encouraging results.

Silymarin not only protects intact liver cells by blocking the entry of toxic substances, it also appears to stimulate protein synthesis and thus accelerate regeneration of liver cells.

Related Facts

  • What is the Difference between Whole Milk, Skim Milk, 2 Percent Milk, and 1 Percent Milk?
  • How is Goat's Milk Different From Cow's Milk and Are Goats Harder to Milk than Cows?
  • How did tea get its name and Where does the word "tea" come from?
  • What is the Difference Between Black Tea and Green Tea and How Many Different Types are there?
  • Why Does Tea Made With a Kettle Taste Better Than Tea Made In the Microwave?
  • Where does Soy Milk come from and Why does Soy Milk boil over so easily?

Filed Under: Science

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « If I eat a lot of yogurt will the bacteria in it make me sick?
Next Post: What is kaolin and where does it come from? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2021 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy