The flavonoid complex silymarin in preclinical studies has been found to increase serotonin and dopamine levels in the cortex.
Improves Brain Function
The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of milk thistle could help protect your brain from age-related diseases like Alzheimer's, Dementia and Parkinsons. Amyloid plaques are a common characteristic in a brain affected by Alzheimer's.
As a result, it may lead to enhanced serotonin re-uptake inhibition and increased serotonin activity. Discussion: Milk thistle is widely used and recommended for detoxification, but it may have serious and life threatening interactions with psychotropic drugs and psychoactive substances when used in high doses.
Improves cognition
A 2015 study in worms found that milk thistle increased resistance to oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is a potential cause of Alzheimer's disease. In this way, milk thistle may help improve cognition and treat degenerative conditions that affect the mind.
What Is Milk Thistle and How Does It Work? Milk Thistle is used to treat alcoholic liver disease, gallbladder problems, hepatic cirrhosis, hepatitis (chronic), hepatotoxicity (chemical/drug-induced), jaundice, pleurisy, prostate cancer, and spleen diseases, and used as an appetite stimulant.
Animal studies suggest that milk thistle may help lower cortisol levels in the blood (16). Cortisol helps regulate stress, metabolism, and other vital functions (17).
Some people have reported nausea, gas, diarrhea, or loss of appetite. Other people have reported a headache or itchiness after they take it. Milk thistle can cause an allergic reaction, especially if you're allergic to other plants in the same family. These include ragweed, daisies, marigolds, and chrysanthemums.
"Any excess hormones we have in our body are detoxified and excreted via the liver and gut, which makes milk thistle an excellent herb to help support hormonal balance," she adds. One of the most common symptoms of the menopause is low mood and self-esteem and irritability, thanks to hormonal fluctuations.
Hormone-sensitive conditions such as breast cancer, uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, endometriosis, or uterine fibroids: Milk thistle extracts might act like estrogen. If you have any condition that might be made worse by exposure to estrogen, don't use these extracts.
Milk thistle can cause: Gastrointestinal issues, such as diarrhea, constipation, nausea, vomiting and abdominal bloating. Itchiness.
Research also suggests that the sylimarin in milk thistle could be used to relieve symptoms of occasional depression, anxiety, OCD, and PTSD. Brain health - For over 2000 years, milk thistle has been used to guard against brain decline.
Milk Thistle Promotes Brain and Liver Health, Detoxification & More*
Sleep quality also improves. The effect of taking milk thistle by itself is not known. Multiple sclerosis. Early research suggests that taking a combination supplement containing silymarin, a chemical found in milk thistle, can improve mental function and promote disease stabilization in people with multiple sclerosis.
Preliminary studies have shown that it does have beneficial effects on the kidneys, nerves and retinas. Silymarin may even have anti-cancer properties, but this needs to be studied further in humans. As for the side effects of silymarin, they include abdominal discomfort, headache, muscle aches and fatigue.
As it's well tolerated by your body, you can really take milk thistle oil at any time of day. It won't keep you up at night, and you can even take it on an empty stomach if you like.
Even though milk thistle is slightly estrogenic, studies have found it helps speed up estrogen metabolism. While a bit counterintuitive, in this case, it looks like the benefits outweigh the addition of estrogen to your system! Another reason people take milk thistle is to improve hormone metabolization by the liver.
Uses of Milk Thistle
These are mostly used by the bodybuilders as they lose essential nutrients during heavy workouts that may lead to a weaker liver health. Thus, milk thistle helps replenish the liver cells and promotes liver detox to remove free radicals and toxins.
By reducing psoriasis on the scalp, and the dandruff it produces, milk thistle provides an optimal environment in which strong follicles and hair can thrive. All of these benefits of milk thistle extract serve to strengthen and protect hair follicles, resulting in reduced hair fall and stronger hair growth.
“Studies show that exercise increases cortisol with peak levels observed at 15-30 minutes after exercise. In this study, horses supplemented with milk thistle had significantly lower increases in cortisol 15 minutes after exercise,” Whitehouse said.
Balanced Hormones
Dong Quai is used in TCM to help balance women's hormone levels by moderating the body's production of estrogen. It may help ease menstrual and menopausal symptoms, including cramps, migraines, mood swings, night sweats, and hot flashes.
Milk thistle can be helpful for those experiencing acne, eczema and psoriasis. Supports thyroid function and metabolism via its action on the liver. The liver plays a role in converting the thyroid hormone (T4) to its active form T3, and also transporting thyroid hormones around the body.
How long does milk thistle take to work? Milk thistle extract of around 200mg should be taken daily for at least four months to note a significant difference.
Early research shows that taking milk thistle extract by mouth for up to one year, or taking a product containing the milk thistle constituent silybin plus phosphatidylcholine by mouth for 1 week, improves liver function tests.
While milk thistle is used for other conditions, most human trials that show effectiveness run for several weeks (5) and most need more human data. While effects on some parameters may be seen in weeks, more than likely, chronic conditions will need to be treated for several months to achieve the best outcome.