Milk Thistle

[Peteshine]

Hi all,

I am a newcomer to this forum but have had great pleasure in reading about other people's experience with Hep B (i am also a chronic carrier from birth). Just knowing there are others out there really gives me strength to continually deal with my illness every day. I am, however, very unfamiliar with most of the results given but will be posting my own stats when i can. I would like more information on this milk thistle everyone keeps talking about along with what is classified as a 'heatlhy diet'..... From vegetables, fruit, drinks, meat etc.....

[zellyf]

Please read through this thread...it might help you out:

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/show/495061

[Ann8]

milk thistle extracts - the active ingredient is in here. After the antiviral treatment, what is your VL vs original? Any resistance issue w/ LAM+ADV since you have taken them for a couple of years alr?

[Peteshine]

In regards to milk thisle i have looked at the ingredients for the particular ones i have recently purchased and i can't see this silymarin you keep mentioning. The ingredients are as follows: Maltodextrin, milk thistle extracts, caspule shell (Gelatine), Anti-caking agents (magnesium silicate), magnesium stearate, silicon dioxide....

[zellyf]

I'm not sure about UK...I know we have a representative of Singapore.

Actually, you have to be careful about taking antifibrotics/anti-inflammatories during treatment.  It can interfere with the effectiveness.  I'll try to find the relevant post on that.

[Peteshine]

Zelly,

Thanks for the advice. I will be purchasing some of these milk thistle capsules on the weekend. I'm guessing they can't hurt regardless of whether the liver gets better thru them or not right? Is anyone in this forum taking any other types of tablets (besides the specific medication they are prescribed) that they have found beneficial? Finally i'm guessing most of you lot on this forum are American..... Are there any UK sufferers or am i the only one? Lol

[zellyf]

I have to note that the part about studies not comparing milk thistle with interferon cracked me up a little.  One is a chemo drug and the other one is a dandelion...I don't think that's a fair fight.

[zellyf]

Hi, Peteshine, nice to meet you.  Sorry it has to be under these conditions but onward and upward, right?

Following your standard healthy diet that's high in vegetables and whole grains and low in processed foods, red meats  and sugars is a good bet.  It can get more specific.  Certain whole grains may be better than others, for example.

gauf, from the Hep C board has a journal entry under his profile that discusses a liver friendly diet.  He has another that discusses herbal remedies/supplements that purport to be beneficial for liver health.  Most important and perhaps most studied among these is milk thistle.  Here's a link to another source of info:

http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/milk-thistle-000266.htm

I'll cut and paste some of it here:

Milk thistle ( Silybum marianum ) has been used since Greco-Roman times as an herbal remedy for a variety of ailments, particularly liver problems. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries physicians in the United States used milk thistle seeds to relieve congestion of the liver, spleen, and kidneys. Today, several scientific studies suggest that active substances in milk thistle (particularly silymarin) protect the liver from damage caused by viruses, toxins, alcohol, and certain drugs such as acetaminophen (a common over the counter medication used for headaches and pain; acetaminophen, also called paracetamol, can cause liver damage if taken in large quantities or by people who drink alcohol regularly.)

Many professional herbalists recommend milk thistle extract for the prevention and/or treatment of various liver disorders including viral hepatitis, fatty liver associated with long term alcohol use, and liver damage from drugs and industrial toxins such as carbon tetrachloride.

Viral hepatitis: Despite the fact that milk thistle is widely used in the treatment of hepatitis (particularly hepatitis C), results from four viral hepatitis studies were contradictory. Some found improvements in liver enzyme activity while others failed to detect these benefits. None of the studies compared milk thistle with interferon or other medications for viral hepatitis.

What's It Made Of?

The active ingredient, or liver-protecting compound in milk thistle is known as silymarin. This substance, which actually consists of a group of compounds called flavonolignands, helps repair liver cells damaged by alcohol and other toxic substances. Silymarin also keeps new liver cells from being destroyed by these same substances, reduces inflammation (important for people with liver inflammation or hepatitis), and has potent antioxidant effects.

Go and read the whole thing if its piqued your interest.  Also, being on treatment changes everything when it comes to supplements.  I'm not sure what the protocol is so its something you definitely want to look into.