Milk thistle is highly valued in folk medicine: it is an important source of silymarin, a flavonoid capable of healing damage in the liver and gallbladder. A special product is also made from milk thistle fruits – vegetable oil. It is considered a very beneficial food supplement.

Why silymarin is so valued and how to use it at home - you will learn about all this in this article.

Silymarin: biologically active component of milk thistle.

Silymarin is a mixture of active ingredients that have a high concentration in a standard milk thistle extract. Milk thistle seeds contain the active ingredient silymarin together with other compounds such as:

• Silymarin in 1.5-3% of dry weight.
• Silyhermin and both Neosilyhermin A and B.
• Quercetin and dihydroquercetin, known as Taxifolin.
• Protein and mucus (occupy 25-30% of the dry weight of the grass).
• Kaempferol, Dihydrokaempferol, and 7-glucoside and 3-sulfate kaempferol.
• 5,7-Dihydroxychromon.
• Vitamin E (tocopherol 0.038% of dry weight).
• Sterols (cholesterol, campesterine, stigmasterine and sitosterol - 0.63%).

Silymarin consists of up to 1.5-3% of the weight of seeds, while extracts can contain up to 80% of this substance. During the processing of the herb, an alcohol extract is produced, which is sold under the name "milk thistle extract" (most often in the form of a biological additive).

• 65-80% silymarin.
• 20-35% fatty acids (linoleic 60%, oleic 30%, palmitic 9%).

The component (Silymarin) includes:

• Silybin (Silybinin), of which silymarin consists of 50-70% and, accordingly, 39-56% “milk thistle extract”.
• Isosilibin, which occupies about 5% of silymarin.
• Silychristine and Isosilychristine – about 20% silymarin.
• Silidianin – about 10% silymarin.
• Taxifolin (quercetin conjugate, known as dihydroquercetin), usually in almost undetectable levels.

Since silybin is the main active component of this mixture of flavonoids, biological additives from milk thistle are evaluated by the content of silymarin or silybin.

The highest concentration of silymarin (silybin) in various preparations is in extracts of 50-70%, and in biological additives (without extract) - about 20-40%.

Benefits for the human liver.

The liver is a real hard worker, it can be called, without exaggeration, the main filter of our body. However, the more we indulge in bad habits, the more difficult it is for the liver, the situation is aggravated by poor ecology, and the need to resort to antibiotics and other medicines now and then.

Silymarin, which the milk thistle oil product is famous for, has a hepatoprotective property: reduces the aggressiveness of radicals, renews tissue cells, improves microcirculation in them. Therefore, the remedy is indicated for hepatic pathologies (including hepatitis and cirrhosis) and bile ducts, and gallbladder.

Benefits for the gastrointestinal tract.

The soft enveloping property of natural oil containing silymarin allows you to safely use as the remedy for stomach and intestine issues. Active ingredients contribute to the healing of wounds and microcracks of the mucosa. With regular use, digestion is normalized, constipation disappears, pain in the esophagus ceases to torment.

Milk thistle oil contains about 0,13 – 0,34 oz/lb of silymarin. Thus, a teaspoon of milk thistle oil contains 0,01 lb of oil and 0,0001 lb of silymarin when using oil with the highest content of this substance.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

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