Milk Thistle

Milk thistle is often promoted for its liver-protecting effects. It’s regularly used as a complementary therapy by people who have liver damage due to conditions like alcoholic liver disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, hepatitis and even liver cancer (1Trusted Source, 5Trusted Source, 6Trusted Source). It’s also used to protect the liver against toxins like amatoxin, which is produced by the death cap mushroom and is deadly if ingested (7Trusted Source, 8Trusted Source). Studies have shown improvements in liver function in people with liver diseases who have taken a milk thistle supplement, suggesting it could help reduce liver inflammation and liver damage (9Trusted Source). Although more research is needed on how it works, milk thistle is thought to reduce damage to the liver caused by free radicals, which are produced when your liver metabolizes toxic substances. One study also found that it may slightly extend the life expectancy of people with cirrhosis of the liver due to alcoholic liver disease (10Trusted Source). However, the results from studies have been mixed, and not all have found milk thistle extract to have a beneficial effect on liver disease. Thus, more studies are needed to determine what dose and length of treatment are needed for specific liver conditions (2Trusted Source, 11Trusted Source, 12Trusted Source). And although milk thistle extract is commonly used as a complementary therapy for people with liver diseases, there’s currently no evidence that it can prevent you from getting these conditions, especially if you have an unhealthy lifestyle.