The Powerful Milk Thistle Benefits For Next-Level Liver Support, Blood Sugar Balance + More

Walk down the supplement aisle of any grocery store and you’ll likely find milk thistle. While its benefits might not be as obvious as other supplements like a probiotic for example, this herb has quietly earned its reputation over the years as one of nature’s most well-researched botanical remedies.

While it is best known for supporting liver health, studies also show it can help with everything from balancing blood sugar, enhancing cognitive function, supporting bone health, and even fighting acne for more vibrant, glowing skin.

But are these claims about the milk thistle benefits actually backed science or a hyped up wellness trend? After years of working with patients in my telehealth functional medicine clinic, it is one of the supplements I frequently recommend due to its genuine effectiveness. I even formulated some of my own supplements specifically with milk thistle. But don’t just take my word for it. Here’s a deeper look at why you should consider adding this medicinal plant into your routine.

What is milk thistle?

Milk thistle, formally named Silybum marianum and sometimes referred to as Mary thistle, is a flowering plant found near the Mediterranean. A member of the daisy family, milk thistle stands apart from its cousin due to its beautiful purple flowers and leaves. But what makes milk thistle particularly unique, and how it got its name, is the white veins that run throughout its green leaves.

Beyond its striking appearance, milk thistle has been widely used in traditional herbal medicine for thousands of years to support liver and gallbladder health — the two main benefits it is still known for today. However, the benefits of this plant don’t come from its petals or leaves, they actually come from its seeds.

Silymarin is a collection of next-level flavonoids and flavonolignans found inside milk thistle’s seeds. While silymarin contains many active compounds, silibinin is the main one that researchers believe provides the majority of milk thistle’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that benefit your liver and gallbladder.

Milk thistle benefits

For as long as milk thistle has been around, the research is surprisingly new with much of it coming from animal studies. However, the mechanisms behind milk thistle’s positive effects, specifically its ability to combat oxidative stress, continue to show just how versatile this supplement is and why it could become a significant tool for addressing a multitude of health problems.

1. Supports liver health

This is easily the most well-known, and the most researched, of all milk thistle benefits. Its liver-boosting benefits are so powerful in fact, that it is often used as treatment in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Studies have found that it can significantly reduce elevated liver enzymes like ALT and liver steatosis, as well as insulin levels and fasting glucose, in cases of NAFLD. (1) Another study published in The World Journal of Hepatology even linked milk thistle to an increased survival rate in individuals with cirrhosis from alcoholic liver disease. (2)

You don’t have to have a liver disease though to benefit from milk thistle. This herbal supplement can support overall liver health by restoring damaged liver cells, boosting detoxification, and reducing liver inflammation. Early studies have also found that milk thistle has a positive effect on free radicals that can lead to long-term liver damage, like in the case of viral hepatitis or acetaminophen toxicity. (3) This is especially important considering the fact that when your liver is overloaded with toxins, this creates a cascade of free-radical damage and systemic chronic inflammation in your body, which further affects your liver’s ability to rid itself of these toxins. It becomes a vicious cycle: toxins build up, the body becomes more inflamed, detoxification is inhibited, more toxins build up, inflammation increases, and on and on.

If you want to take a more proactive approach to fighting toxins, look no further than my supplement, Protect. Formulated with alpha-lipoic acid, methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), B Vitamins, and Milk Thistle, each ingredient in Protect comes together to support critical steps in the complex process of detoxification. By supporting your body’s natural ability to detox through enhancing function of both phase I and phase II of the detoxification process, Protect is designed to mitigate the risk of toxin exposure that has been linked to hormone dysfunction and disruption of neurotransmitter balance, glucose homeostasis, and healthy metabolism.

2. Balances blood sugar

Through its role in the metabolism of fat, protein, and carbohydrates, your liver works to ensure that blood glucose levels stay stable, preventing blood sugar imbalances and other metabolic problems. (4) So it makes sense that supporting optimal liver function with milk thistle would result in more balanced blood sugar. And the research supports this theory with some of the most exciting research surrounding milk thistle benefits are on its ability to help improve blood sugar levels, specifically in those with Type 2 diabetes. 

In a 2021 study published in Obesity Medicine, researchers found that silymarin acted similarly to conventional diabetes medications by lowering blood sugar levels and improving insulin sensitivity. (5) What’s even cooler? Milk thistle doesn’t have the same negative side effects like weight gain as these medications. That’s a win-win.

3. Aids in chemotherapy

Due to its next-level antioxidant properties, milk thistle has been linked to improved outcomes and fewer side effects for those going through chemotherapy treatment for cancers like breast cancer. (6) Milk thistle can even help protect non-cancerous cells during chemotherapy as these healthy cells can often be damaged in the process of getting rid of the cancerous cells during cancer treatment. (7)

4. Clears acne

Due to its powerful anti-inflammatory abilities, milk thistle has also been shown to improve inflammatory skin conditions like acne. In fact, one study found that people who took milk thistle for eight weeks had 53% less acne! (8)

READ MORE: What Is Inflammatory Acne? A Functional Medicine Guide To Treating This Skin Problem Naturally

5. Enhances neuroprotection

One of the most exciting potential benefits of milk thistle is its neuroprotective effects. Although the current research is limited to animal studies, the results give a lot of hope for how it could also benefit humans. As we age, amyloid plaques (a type of protein) can begin to build up in our brains and contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers found that by giving animals with Alzheimer’s milk thistle, the amount of amyloid plaques in their brains significantly decreased. (9) Plus, by helping defend against free radical damage and oxidative stress, researchers believe milk thistle may offer similar protection for brain cells to help mitigate age-related cognitive decline. (10)

6. Supports bone health

This is another promising benefit of milk thistle supported from early animal studies. By fighting oxidative stress to encourage bone mineralization — a biological process that strengthens and hardens bone tissue — milk thistle was able to protect against bone loss that often happens with age. (11) Again, there are no human studies currently, but these initial findings have led researchers to speculate that milk thistle could be a next-level natural tool for protecting postmenopausal women against bone loss from age-related osteoporosis. (12)

What happens if you take milk thistle every day?

There is currently no recommended dosage for milk thistle, but researchers agree that daily supplementation is safe. However, this supplement can cause mild symptoms of digestive distress in some people like bloating, nausea, and diarrhea. While that can subside with a lower dosage, talk with your doctor for more insight into whether you just need to adjust the dosage or take a break to work on more targeted gut healing.

You can find milk thistle in capsules, tablets, liquid extracts, and even tea, which is one of my personal favorite ways to incorporate this herb into my routine. It’s important to note though that not all supplements are created equal.

That’s why I personally formulated my Liver Guard supplement with milk thistle extract containing at least 30% silybins for enhanced bioavailability and liver support. It also contains the amino acid N-acetyl-L-cysteine, a key component of glutathione — a tripeptide that plays a significant role in detoxification and antioxidant support to further promote healthy liver function.

Who should not take milk thistle?

In general, milk thistle is considered safe for most people, but there are still a few things to take into consideration:

• Allergies: If you have allergies to certain flowers like chrysanthemums, marigolds, ragweed, and daisies, and even certain vegetables like artichoke, you may also experience allergic reactions to milk thistle since it is part of the same family.
• Pharmaceutical interactions: Diabetes medications and ones that are metabolized by the liver can possibly lead to drug interactions with milk thistle.
• Pregnancy or breastfeeding: If you are pregnant or breastfeeding it is always good practice to talk with your doctor before taking any new supplements to determine if it is the best choice for your specific case.

LISTEN: Liver Flush Myths & Truths & Detox Do’s & Don’t’s | Dr. Joshua Levitt

The takeaway

From balancing blood sugar, clearing acne, enhancing cognitive function, and supporting bone health, milk thistle shows extreme promise as a multi-purpose supplement beyond its role as a superstar liver supporter. But regardless of what the studies say, it’s important to evaluate what is best for your specific health case as what works for one person may not always work for you — even if you have the same diagnosis. In my telehealth functional medicine clinic we specialize in identifying what supplements will help move the needle in your health journey so you aren’t stuck spending more time and money on things that don’t truly address the root cause of what you are going through.

As one of the first functional medicine telehealth clinics in the world, we provide webcam health consultations for people around the globe. 

Photo: Unsplash.com

Sources

• Cicero, A. F. G., Colletti, A., & Bellentani, S. (2018). Nutraceutical Approach to Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD): The Available Clinical Evidence. Nutrients, 10(9), 1153. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10091153
• Vargas-Mendoza, N., Madrigal-Santillán, E., Morales-González, A., Esquivel-Soto, J., Esquivel-Chirino, C., García-Luna Y González-Rubio, M., Gayosso-de-Lucio, J. A., & Morales-González, J. A. (2014). Hepatoprotective effect of silymarin. World journal of hepatology, 6(3), 144–149. https://doi.org/10.4254/wjh.v6.i3.144
• Fanoudi, S., Alavi, M. S., Karimi, G., & Hosseinzadeh, H. (2020). Milk thistle (Silybum Marianum) as an antidote or a protective agent against natural or chemical toxicities: a review. Drug and chemical toxicology, 43(3), 240–254. https://doi.org/10.1080/01480545.2018.1485687
• InformedHealth.org [Internet]. Cologne, Germany: Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG); 2006-. In brief: How does the liver work? [Updated 2023 Feb 28]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279393/
• Ravari, S. S., Talaei, B., & Gharib, Z. (2021). The effects of silymarin on type 2 diabetes mellitus: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Obesity Medicine, 26, Article 100368. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obmed.2021.100368
• Liao, C. Y., Lee, C. C., Tsai, C. C., Hsueh, C. W., Wang, C. C., Chen, I. H., Tsai, M. K., Liu, M. Y., Hsieh, A. T., Su, K. J., Wu, H. M., Huang, S. C., Wang, Y. C., Wang, C. Y., Huang, S. F., Yeh, Y. C., Ben, R. J., Chien, S. T., Hsu, C. W., & Kuo, W. H. (2015). Novel Investigations of Flavonoids as Chemopreventive Agents for Hepatocellular Carcinoma. BioMed research international, 2015, 840542. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/840542
• Wang, Y., Yuan, A.-J., Wu, Y.-J., Wu, L.-M., & Zhang, L. (2023). Silymarin in cancer therapy: Mechanisms of action, protective roles in chemotherapy-induced toxicity, and nanoformulations. Journal of Functional Foods, 100, 105384. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jff.2022.105384
• Sahib, A. S., Al-Anbari, H. H., Salih, M., & Abdullah, F. (2012). Effects of oral antioxidants on lesion counts associated with oxidative stress and inflammation in patients with papulopustular acne. Journal of Clinical & Experimental Dermatology Research, 3(5), 163. https://doi.org/10.4172/2155-9554.1000163
• Neha, Kumar, A., Jaggi, A. S., Sodhi, R. K., & Singh, N. (2014). Silymarin ameliorates memory deficits and neuropathological changes in mouse model of high-fat-diet-induced experimental dementia. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg’s archives of pharmacology, 387(8), 777–787. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00210-014-0990-4
• Galhardi, F., Mesquita, K., Monserrat, J. M., & Barros, D. M. (2009). Effect of silymarin on biochemical parameters of oxidative stress in aged and young rat brain. Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association, 47(10), 2655–2660. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fct.2009.07.030
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