NEWS: Milk Thistle for Hepatitis C

[Upbeat]

Milk Thistle for Hepatitis C
Many patients use alternative and complementary therapies to manage
hepatitis C and resulting liver fibrosis, but most such agents have not
been studied in Western clinical trials. Again in the May 2007 issue of
Gastroenterology, S.J. Polyak and colleagues reported data from a
laboratory study of the anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties of a
standardized milk thistle (Silybum marianum) silymarin extract known as
MK-001. They found that MK-001 inhibited expression of tumor necrosis
factor-alpha in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells and inhibited
nuclear factor kappa B-dependent transcription in human hepatoma cells.
MK-001 also demonstrated both preventive and therapeutic effects against
HCV infection of cells. When combined with interferon alpha, MK-001
inhibited HCV replication more than interferon alone. The compounds
silybin A, silybin B, isosilybin A, and isosilybin B produced the
strongest anti-HCV activity. These antiviral effects were found to be
independent of MK-001-induced cytotoxicity. The authors concluded that,
“The data indicate that silymarin exerts anti-inflammatory and antiviral
effects, and suggest that complementary and alternative medicine-based
approaches may assist in the management of patients with chronic
hepatitis C.”


http://www.hcvadvocate.org/news/newsRev/2007/HJR-4.11.html#3

[GrandmaA]

Lots of people take their shot on Fri. so they don't get online.

[Forseegood]

hey, thanks for this...just waitin around strumming my fingers waitin for the hoopla, just kidding, but really, very interesting...

[JackABCD]

Do you know what is the optimal dosage we should take Milk Thistle ?
I take 2-3 pills per day, usually 1 with each meal, each capsule is 500 mg.

[Upbeat]

Are you aware of maximum milk Thistle?  From what I understand it is absorbed much better.
                                                                                                       Ron
                                                                                                          

[JackABCD]

No, I am not aware of maximum milk Thistle. Could you please tell me how much is it better and how can I buy by the web ?

What I can definitely say  is that since I have started to use milk Thistle I feel much better, it is for the last 2 months, but still I didn't do any blood test since then.

I would be glad to get any additional info about maximum milk Thistle.

[dlr2007]

Hi- I took milk thistle for a couple months and found that my alt/ast's came down lower than they had been since I got hep c- my ast was high end of normal and alt was only about 60. My liver doc said it could've been the milk thistle! Of course for some perverse reason I stopped taking it- I just keep forgetting. So it'll be interesting to see if my levels are back up. I was wondering, are the regular capsules good enough or is there a stronger, purer form? By the way, when I  take milk thistle I also take selenium, zinc and alpha lapoic acid. Thanks! -Dee

[Upbeat]

just google maximum milk thistle; lots of info
                                                                                                 Ron

[Tater_ToT]

I have a moment so I'll chime in:

Be Careful With Milk Thistle!

I guess it would have it's benefits before or after TX... but certainly NOT a replacement for TX... I was also told NOT to take Milk Thistle while on TX... & the reason might be because of interactions with the other treatment drugs..

See Below.. (Also Published at the same HCV Advocate Site:)

A Warning about Milk Thistle and Drug Interactions

The seeds of the milk thistle plant are commonly used to protect the liver from damage caused by hepatitis viruses as well as alcohol and other substances. Compounds found in milk thistle - sylibin, sylimarin - act as antioxidants and also stimulate the repair of the liver. But now it appears that these and possibly other compounds in milk thistle can have other effects.

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have suspected that milk thistle can slow down or reduce the activity of enzymes in the liver. What does this have to do with HIV? you might ask. Well, enzymes in the liver break down many of the substances that we eat and drink, including medications. If the activity of these enzymes are reduced, then drugs remain in the blood longer than they otherwise might. This could lead to having higher-than-expected levels of drugs in the body, causing side effects or intensifying already-existing side effects. Indeed, in recent experiments using milk thistle and human liver cells, the researchers found that relatively small concentrations of milk thistle did significantly slow down the activity of the liver enzyme CYP3A4 by 50% to 100%.

Many medications taken by people with HIV/AIDS (PHAs) - such as protease inhibitors and non-nukes - are processed by this liver enzyme. If milk thistle is taken by someone using protease inhibitors or non-nukes, it has the potential to raise levels of these drugs, causing unpleasant or even dangerous side effects. Below is a short list of some other medications that are processed through the CYP3A4 enzyme. Levels of these medications may increase if taken by people who are also using milk thistle. This list is not exhaustive:

methadone
heart drugs - Tambocor (flecainide), Rythmol (propafenone)
antibiotics - erythromycin, rifampin
anti-seizure drugs - carbamazepine (Tegretol)
antidepressants - St. John's wort, Zyban/Wellbutrin (bupropion), Paxil (paroxetine), Prozac (fluoxetine), Luvox (fluvoxetine) Serzone (nefazodone), Zoloft (sertraline), Effexor (venlafaxine)
antihistamines - Hismanal (astemizole), Seldane (terfenadine)
antifungals - itraconazole (Sporanox), Ketoconazole (Nizoral)
gastrointestinal motility agents - Prepulsid (Cisapride)
ergot drugs - Ergonovine, Ergomar (ergotamine)
anti-psychotics - Clozaril (clozapine), Orap (pimozide)
sedatives/sleeping pills - Ambien (zolpidem), Halcion (triazolam), Versed (midazolam)
lipid-lowering drugs (statins) - Lescol (fluvastatin), Mevacor (lovastatin), Pravachol (pravastatin) and Zocor (simvastatin), Baycol (cerivastatin)
transplant drugs - cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune), ProGraf (tacrolimus)

Milk thistle also has the potential to lower levels of the following drugs:

anti-parasite drugs - Mepron (atovaquone)
sedatives/sleeping pills - Ativan (lorazepam)
hormones - estrogen

The research by the scientists in Pittsburgh should emphasize to readers that simply because a product is "natural" it does not mean it is safe when taken with other substances. This research also shows the need to conduct further research on herb-drug interactions on liver cells as well as in people. Such studies may find combinations of herbs and drugs that can be safely used together.

The Pittsburgh researchers noted that "patients and health care professionals must be encouraged to discuss the use of herbs and be educated about the potential interactions between herbs and drugs." This cannot be stressed enough.

REFERENCE

Venkataramanan R, Ramachandran V, Komoroski BJ, et al. Milk thistle, a herbal supplement, decreases the activity of CYP3A4 and uridine diphosphoglucuronosyl transferase in human hepatocyte cultures. Drug Metabolism and Disposition 2000;28(11):1270-1273.

This information was provided by the Community AIDS Treatment Information Exchange (CATIE). For more information, contact CATIE at 1-800-263-1638.

For more information chekc out our Herbal Glossary , and also check out our CAM information (Complementary and Alternative Medicine) on our FactSheet page

http://www.hcvadvocate.org/hepatitis/hepC/mthistle.html

:)