Love Your Liver!

During my recent visit to a nearby pharmacy, I ventured into buying some supplements for my liver. It's known that liver is the biggest gland of our body and also plays an important role as DETOXIFICATION AGENT. Despite those explaination, i've observed that i have been eating unhealthily throughout my life. French fries, ice cream, fried chicken are examples of my favourite food which i can munch on it whenever i like. I don't need a good appetite to munch on those food! yes! A visit to McDonalds and KFC is like a visit to heaven to me.



Fatty liver??



Thus, i put on so much weight, in comparison with my friends of the same age! I then decided to push to a healthier diet, rather spending my pennies on dietary supplements such as multivitamins, and etc. I then got a recommendation from a friend of mine to consider taking Milk Thistle. What is Milk Thistle?



not just the bottle that matters! It is what the bottle contains, it is what each CAPSULE contains!

Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) has been used for over 2,000 years as an herbal remedy for a variety of ailments, particularly liver and gall bladder problems. Several scientific studies suggest that substances in milk thistle (especially a flavonoid called silymarin) protect the liver from toxins, including certain drugs such as acetaminophen (Tylenol), which can cause liver damage in high doses. Acetaminophen is one of the ingredients which you can find in a tablet of Excedrin, a kind of painkiller which most pain sufferers rely on! Silymarin has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and it may help the liver repair itself by growing new cells. Milk thistle doesnt mean it originates from milky products! It is a kind of flower as the picture says below.


According to Wikipedia, the milk thistle is a thistle of the genus Silybum Adans., a flowering plant of the daisy family (Asteraceae). They are native to the Mediterranean regions of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. The name "milk thistle" derives from two features of the leaves: they are mottled with splashes of white and they contain a milky sap.

My uncle takes Milk Thistle too! He's an alcoholic and a heavy smoker. Recently he was prescribed Milk Thistle by his consultant physician. To our knowledge, Milk thistle is often suggested as a treatment for alcoholic hepatitis and alcoholic cirrhosis. But scientific studies show mixed results. Most studies show milk thistle improves liver function and increases survival in people with cirrhosis or chronic hepatitis. But problems in the design of the studies (such as small numbers of participants and differences in dosing and duration of milk thistle therapy) make it hard to draw any real conclusions.

Early laboratory studies also suggest that silymarin and other active substances in milk thistle may have anti-cancer effects. These substances appear to stop cancer cells from dividing and reproducing, shorten their life span, and reduce blood supple to tumors.

So, what is it made of?



The active ingredient, the one that protects the liver, in milk thistle is known as silymarin. Silymarin is actually a group of flavonoids (silibinin, silidianin, and silicristin), which are thought to help repair liver cells damaged by alcohol and other toxic substances. It has the chemical structure as below:




Silymarin also keeps new liver cells from being destroyed by these same toxins. It reduces inflammation (which is why it is often suggested for people with liver inflammation or hepatitis), and is a strong antioxidant.

Most milk thistle products are standardized preparations made from the seeds of the plant. Most preparations are standardized to contain 70 - 80% of silymarin.

Moreover, it is available in :-

•Capsules of standardized dried herb (each capsule contains about 120 - 140 mg silymarin)
•Liquid extract
•Tincture
•Silymarin phosphatidylcholine complex

Phosphatidylcholine??? What's that???

A few studies show that a silymarin-phosphatidylcholine complex may be absorbed more easily than regular standardized milk thistle. Phosphatidylcholine is a key element in cell membranes. It helps silymarin attach easily to cell membranes, which may keep toxins from getting inside liver cells. Alcohol extracts should be avoided by anyone with alcohol-related liver disease.It has the following chemical structure :



Phosphatidylcholine (derived from lecithin), a primary dietary source of choline, is composed of a phosphate group, 2 fatty acids, and choline. The composition of essential fatty acids in phosphatidylcholine determines its value in promoting health. When phosphatidylcholine is ingested, most of it is broken down into choline, glycerol free fatty acids, and the phosphate group, rather than being incorporated intact into cellular membranes.

Choline is required for the proper metabolism of fats; it facilitates the movement of fats in and out of cells. Like Vitamin B12, 5-adenosylmethionine, and Folic Acid, choline acts in the human body as a methyl donor. As such, choline is essential for proper liver function due to its key role in the lipotropic effect, i.e., the export of fat from the liver. In the absence of adequate choline, fats become trapped in the liver, where they block metabolism. Stagnation of fat and bile eventually leads to the development of more serious liver disorders such as cirrhosis.

Recommended dose

280 - 450 mg per day in divided doses or silymarin-phosphatidylcholine complex 100 - 200 mg two times per day.

So, what are you all waiting for? A healthy body comes from a healthy liver! Love your liver, Love your life!!!

Park Seo Jin, September 2010