Latin name:Silybum marianus Specification:80% Silymarin UV Description:Milk thistle is a plant that grows from 4-10 feet in height and is recognizable by its thick thistle, reddish-purple flowers, large prickly leaves, and tube-like pointy flowers. Milk thistle grows wild in many regions, and is typically found along roadsides and upon cultivated ground around the world. Milk thistle is an edible plant, and its leaves (minus the pricklies) can be eaten like artichokes. The seeds can be roasted and brewed like coffee. Silybum marianum has been used for over 2,000 years as a traditional medicine specifically for liver ailments. Milk thistle is rumored to have received its name because of its ability to stimulate milk production in women (don? worry, guys). Claims: Protects liver tissue Aids in the regeneration of damaged liver tissue Decreases liver and bile cholesterol Alleviates inflammation Limits liver damage resulting from a disrupted oxygen supply Theory:Milk thistle contains a compound called silymarin, which is an antioxidant that scavenges damaging free radicals. Silymarin, as well as an isolated form of flavonolignan called silybin, has a particular effect in the liver where it can prevent or counteract damage to the liver caused by toxins such as alcohol, acetaminophen (Tylenol) and other therapeutics, as well as environmental and bacterial toxins, and poisons such as those found in the lethal Deathcap mushroom. Scientific Support:There is a very large and impressive body of scientific evidence to support the therapeutic utility of milk thistle for various indications related to the liver. The name silymarin is a general term for the active chemicals, known as flavonolignans, which are found only in the seeds of milk thistle plant. Heavy metals and many drug poisons cause liver toxicity through the production of free radicals, and more specifically, lipid peroxidation. Silymarin has been shown to combat lipid peroxidation in the liver of rats. Likewise, it has been demonstrated that silymarin may hasten the restoration of liver cells in damaged liver tissue. For all of you beer-guzzlers out there, ethyl alcohol (the good kind) causes liver damage through its nasty little habit of depleting glutathione levels. Silymarin and silybin actually elevated glutathione levels in rats given alcohol (DISCLAIMER: these rats were not allowed to drive after drinking). Furthermore, in rabbits with liver damage, animals given silymarin had increased survival times relative to those that did not receive the extract. The results of animal studies have been repeated in large, well-controlled human trials. Subjects with liver damage caused by chronic alcoholism, cirrhosis, hepatitis, or other toxicities were significantly benefited by treatment with silymarin. However, silymarin appears to have its most profound effect in those with less severe liver damage. As a liver cholesterol-lowering agent, rats that were given silybin had significantly lower cholesterol levels in their bile relative to rats given placebo. It is hypothesized that silybin exerts this effect via reduced cholesterol synthesis by the liver. Regarding its less publicized claims, topical silymarin applied to the ears of mice with dermatitis caused a decrease in inflammation. Silymarin has also been shown to decrease histamine release from cells. Furthermore, following oxygen supply depletion to the liver, administration of silybin to rats decreased the severity of