01What kind of plant is Silybum marianum?
Silybum marianum is a 1-2 year old herb of the Asteraceae family, native to Southern Europe and North Africa. Silybum marianum has been widely used abroad as a herbal medicine for a long time.
It was successfully introduced from Germany in 1972, and is more common in the north of China because it is very hardy. The stems are erect and 30 to 200 centimeters tall. Its flowers are beautiful and have a long flowering period, and it is often used as an ornamental plant.
milk thistle Image from pixabay.com
02 Silymarin Active Ingredients
With advances in the extraction process, the bioactive substance of silymarin has been identified as silymarin.
Silymarin is a general term for a large group of flavonoid lignans, the main pharmacological effects of which are Silibinin, Isosilibinin, silichristin and Silidianin, with a ratio of 3:1:1:1, of which Silybin has the highest content and activity.
03 How does silymarin work as a liver protector?
The main reason for the therapeutic effects of silymarin is the presence of a flavonoid, silymarin, in its seeds. Silymarin mainly consists of silybin, isosilybin, silydianin and silychristin, of which silymarin is the most abundant.
Silymarin maintains the membrane integrity of liver cell membranes and acts as an antitoxin by blocking the binding of toxins to receptors on liver cell membranes so that the toxins cannot penetrate the liver cells.
blood glucose
Silymarin can also improve fat metabolism in the body, reduce hepatic fat synthesis, lower plasma triglyceride concentration, increase hepatic clearance of very low-density lipoprotein, thus reducing lipid ectasia and lipid deposition throughout the body. It can also improve the sensitivity of human body to insulin, which is the only hormone in the human body that can lower blood glucose.
With the improvement of insulin sensitivity and normalization of glucose metabolism, there will be no excess glucose converted into fat, and the occurrence of liver disease and related metabolic diseases can be avoided.
In addition, silymarin significantly restores the level of the antioxidant glutathione and significantly reduces hepatocyte necrosis and lipid peroxidation bilirubin levels. In addition, silymarin contains phenolic substances that stabilize free radicals produced during liver metabolism, thus reducing free radical damage to liver cells.
04 Does Silymarin have side effects?
Silymarin has minor side effects and may occasionally cause adverse reactions in the digestive tract such as nausea, diarrhea, indigestion and loss of appetite after taking it. However, it is safe for most healthy adults. There are few studies on the adverse effects of silymarin in pregnant or breastfeeding women, so it is not recommended for these individuals.
indigestion
As a natural herb, silymarin has a wide range of pharmacological effects, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, hepatocyte membrane protection, liver cell repair and regeneration, and low toxicity, making it a preferred choice for long-term liver protection.