milk thristle?

[Jackman]

my friend claims he heared milk thristle can break down the juice in the liver..... any truth to this?

[ichabodcrane]

In a round about way, yes! The active ing. of MT is sylmarin and is thought to work by several mechanisms. It reportedly alters the composition of hepatocytes which limits the entry of hepato-toxins, it also stimulates protein synth. as well as hepatic regeneration. It also increases glutathione stores by >35%. Glutathione is super important in the metabolism of many drugs (AAS included), and when we deplete our natural stores, we begin to damage the liver if it can't metabolize these drugs properly. So this is where your friends statement is true. Glutathione donates sulfhydryl groups needed for metabolism of drugs. More glutathione means more adequate metabolism. The best example I can think of where w/o glutathione and sulfhydryl groups leads to a serious and acute toxicity is massive ingestion of acetaminophen. The main reason apap becomes so toxic is because it uses up all the glutathione and the donating sulfhydryl groups needed for its metabolism. The antidote is to supply the liver with more sulfhydryl groups. Milk thistle is also reported to inhibit inflammatory effects of leukotrienes which can lead to hepatic damage. So it does seem that Milk thistle is an excellent prophylactic, and I include it in my oral cycles. You can find liver detox supplements which contain MT in combo with N-acetylcycteine (also provides sulfhydryl groups for better and complete metabolism) and in combo with other anti-oxidants. Dose is 80-200mg 1-3x/d standardized to contain 80% silymarin per dose.