milk thistle

[bunny111]

if you have cirrhosis of the liver does milk thistle help to regenarate the liver and if so to what degree?I also have an enlarged spleen and suffer with stomache and back ache which my doctor say,s is associated with this and prescribes me paracetamol which i thought was bad for the liver.can anyone advice me on this  thanx*

[CalGal]

It may help, but I'm not sure all the 'data' in convincing at this point. See this: http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/epcsums/milktsum.htm

There are also other research information that suggests it could be helpful, but like every other type of 'medication' it has it's downside, too.

And I'm not sure how the milk thistle would interact with what the doctor has suggested. You need to discuss this with your doc, and I know that can be difficult. But if the doc poo-poo's the idea, but doesn't think it would cause and harm, and if it doesn't interact with any meds you're taking, you may want to consider trying it if YOU feel it's of benefit.

But you've got to understand that all meds - and that includes things that most people would consider to be herbs, twigs, bark, leaves or the fruit of a tree - ALL are meds. Just because something is labeled an herb, or it's called natural does not mean that it's not a medication - it IS a medication. Most of the basis of our medications are nuts, twigs, bark and the fruit of trees and plants of many sorts. Western scientists have just distilled them down to their basic components and then isolated individual ingredients. So if you take herbals or twigs, they're still meds.

[reddawg]

My girlfriend pushed me to take Milk Thistle 18 years ago when first Dx. with hepC. Wish I would have taken her advise. But Dr's scoffed at the idea and really didn't know what it was.
I have had Cirrhosis for 8 years and tried taking Milk Thistle, but it made me sick. Probably because it was working.
I would think that it's never too late. But obviously the earlier the better. Milk Thistle is one of the few Chinese herbs that is generally accepted even by the Medical Community to be beneficial.
I'm not aware of any long term trials that indicate if there comes a time when it's too late to start.
Bunny is partially correct, medicines do have herbs in them. But we are talking about a herb Milk Thistle (usually 80% Silymarin) not mixed with other medicines.

[reddawg]

Sorry, I submitted my response to CalGal, who seems to be very knowledgable.

[bunny111]

thanx both of you for your responses,both of which have been very helpfull
ta bunny*******