Milk Thistle (PDQ®)
Cancer Information Summaries « English « Patients « M
Overview
- Milk thistle is a plant whose fruit and seeds are used to make remedies for liver and bile duct ailments (see Question 1 ).
- The active ingredient found in milk thistle is silymarin, an antioxidant that protects against cell damage (see Question 1 ).
- Milk thistle has been studied in laboratory cell lines and animal tumors for its potential to make chemotherapy less toxic and more effective, and to slow the growth of cancer cells (see Question 3 and Question 5 ).
- Milk thistle is usually taken in capsules or tablets (see Question 4 ).
- No clinical trials using milk thistle or its active compounds in patients with cancer have been published (see Question 6 ).
- Very few bad side effects from the use of milk thistle or silymarin have been reported (see Question 7 ).
- It is not known if milk thistle may make anticancer medications or other drugs more or less effective when taken with them (see Question 7 ).
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved the use of milk thistle as a treatment for cancer or any other medical condition (see Question 8 ).
- Milk thistle is available in the United States as an herbal dietary supplement (see Question 8 ).
This record was last updated on June 7th, 2007.
About the PDQ Cancer Information Summaries from the National Cancer Institute
PDQ (Physician Data Query) is a comprehensive cancer database published by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It contains peer-reviewed summaries on cancer treatment, screening, prevention, genetics, and supportive care, and complementary and alternative medicine; a registry of cancer clinical trials; and directories of physicians, professionals who provide genetics services, and organizations that provide cancer care.
The PDQ Cancer Information Summaries are peer reviewed and updated monthly by six editorial boards comprised of specialists in adult treatment, pediatric treatment, supportive care, screening and prevention, genetics, and complementary and alternative medicine. The Boards review current literature from more than 70 biomedical journals, evaluate its relevance, and synthesize it into clear summaries. Many of the summaries are also available in Spanish.
Linked medical terms appearing on this page are added by Healia to help readers find more information and are not part of the original PDQ document.