‘Liver health’ is a term tossed around quite often in the supplement industry, oftentimes with no description or characterization.

But what exactly does liver health or liver support refer to?

Most commonly, improvements in liver health refer to protection and/or treatment of the most common liver diseases in the modern day.

These diseases include (1):

Liver illnesses are caused by numerous issues - inflammation, elevated levels of dietary cholesterol or fats, viruses, drug-induced injuries, and more.

The prevalence of NAFLD alone in western countries ranges from an astounding 20-30% (2).

And while some therapies and medications are effective in mediating these diseases and their symptoms, other avenues are being explored and tested to enhance protection, treatment, and overall liver health.

This is where Milk Thistle comes in, a herbal remedy which has been used for hundreds of years by naturopaths, herbalists, and physicians to treat liver diseases and prevent from environmental toxins.

Milk thistle is native to Europe and was introduced in North America by colonists.

Now, it is found in the eastern USA, California, South America, Africa, Australia, and Asia.

Derived from the milk thistle plant, Milk Thistle is also known as Silybum marianum.

Silybum marianum is a prickly plant, characterized by distinct purple flowers and white veins – a feature legends say was caused by a drop of the Virgin Mary’s milk falling onto its leaves.

The major active compounds responsible for Milk Thistle’s beneficial effects (we’ll get to those, don’t worry!) are silymarin and silybin, two flavonolignans extracted from the plant itself (3).

‘Milk Thistle’ and silymarin are used interchangeably in the literature.

Since the discovery of these two natural bioactive compounds, major pre-clinical and clinical research studies have tested their efficacy in treating liver-related diseases.

While not approved or recommended by the US Food and Drug Administration at this time, millions of people consume Milk Thistle today (4).

Studies since the early 1990’s indicate that Milk Thistle may improve liver function and provide liver support in a variety of ways, such as (4):

Although somewhat modest and variable, side effects have been reported by individuals taking Milk Thistle or silymarin compound, including:

While somewhat controversial due to the lack of robust clinical studies on the effect of Milk Thistle in humans, the herbal supplement seemingly has numerous benefits with respect to liver health and support with little side effects.

The compound has proven antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects in the body, both of which are involved in preventing and/or treating a bevy of liver diseases.

Altogether, this provides some context for the benefits of Milk Thistle for improved liver health.

While more scientific studies need to be done to understand it’s efficacy, it does appear to have a valuable role in the liver- if you suspect you may be at risk for liver damage or liver diseases, Milk Thistle may be one potential therapy to mitigate these pathologies.