Why We Use Milk Thistle for Liver Health:
Milk thistle extract has been used for many decades in the treatment of liver disorders and as a standard liver detoxification herb. Approximately 80% of this extract consists of silymarin, and is believed to be responsible for most of the liver-protective activity of silymarin and milk thistle extract. Just within the last decade, scientists have learned that silibinin has considerable potential for preventing and treating cancer – mainly through stimulating liver detox pathways.
Milk thistle has also been shown to have growth inhibitory effects on a wide range of human cancer cell lines including cancers arising from the prostate, breast, colon, lung, liver, bladder, and cervix. It can suppress the proliferation of these cells, while at the same time increasing the rate at which the die. In addition, it can sensitize cancer cell lines to the killing effects of certain cytotoxic chemotherapeutic drugs. Thus, Milk thistle may have potential both for retarding the growth and spread of cancer and for boosting the response of cancers to chemotherapy.
The mechanisms responsible for these effects have been studied most intensively in human prostate cancer cells. Also note that Milk thistle, though it may retard the growth of cancers, does not influence the growth of healthy normal cells. The anti-proliferative effects of Milk thistle on prostate cancer cells have been traced to decreased function of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-R). This is a key mediator of growth signals in prostate cancer and in many other types of cancer. Milk thistle binds to this receptor and prevents it from interacting with hormones that activate it – some of which are produced by prostate cancers. Furthermore, Milk thistle induces prostate cancer cells to make more of a compound, known as IGFBP-3, that binds to and inhibits the activity of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), a key growth factor for many cancers.
Also, other studies have shown that Milk thistle may suppress the NF-kappaB signaling pathway. This effect increases the sensitivity of cancers to certain chemotherapy drugs. The impact of orally administered Milk thistle on the growth of human tumors in immune-deficient mice has been studied with three different types of tumors – prostate, lung and ovarian. In each case, it has been found to have a substantial and dose-dependent suppressive effect on tumor growth in doses that had no apparent toxicity to treated animals.
An option for detoxification & liver support:
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NOTE: All of the above statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Dr. Conners graduated with his doctorate from Northwestern Health Sciences University in 1986. He holds AMA Fellowships in Regenerative & Functional Medicine and Integrative Cancer Therapy.
He is the author of numerous books including, Stop Fighting Cancer and Start Treating the Cause, Cancer Can’t Kill You if You’re Already Dead, Help, My Body is Killing Me, Chronic Lyme, 3 Phases of Lyme, 23 Steps to Freedom, and many more you can download for FREE on our books page.
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