Milk Thistle Capsules

BestVite.com sells Milk Thistle (Silymarin) which is a high yield of 80% Silymarin Flavonoids. According to their bottle, milk thistle can protect the liver from the toxic effects from smoking, harmful chemicals, pollution, alcohol. BestVite sells this milk thistle capsule in bottles of 120 capsules and 240 capsules. The capsules are 300mg at 80% standardized yield, which gives you generally 240mg of Silymarin Flavonoids. These are the least expensive of milk thistle capsules that I have come across in my career.

Himalaya makes a Milk Thistle capsule with an assortment of other added herbs. It is a specifically formulated capsule with additional beneficial herbal extracts. This particular milk thistle capsule has caper extract, carrot extract, arjuna lipids, black nightshade alkaloids, and constituents of yarrow and tamarisk as well. Himalaya's "LiverCare" is top of the line, though I cannot bring myself to justify the buying this expensive product, even though there are many more herbal extracts in it. All of the additional herbs help detoxify and support healthy liver function, though I have not researched the validity of these statements. Capsules are 450mg of the listed blend. Comes in 180 and 360 capsule jars.

Natrol makes Milk Thistle Advantage, which is usually a dollar or so more expensive that BestVite. Natrol's milk thistle comes in jars of 60 capsules at 525mg of 80% standardized Silymarin. This is the breakdown of the ingredients in Milk Thistle Advantage Silymarin 420 mg, Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) (root) 85 mg, Black Radish (Raphanum sativus) (root) 60 mg, Burdock (Arctium lappa) (root) 60 mg, Ginger Extract (Zingiber officinale) (rhizome) 60 mg, Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) (root) 35 mg. These additional ingredients are very similar to those of the Himalaya Milk Thistle capsules, all are designed to assist in healthy liver function.

GNC sells a milk thistle capsule as well. Obviously, it will be more expensive than most capsules because GNC is a giant in the supplement/health world and can get away with charging more. Their product is not, in my opinion, on par with the other milk thistle capsules. GNC's product has 100 capsules with 80% standardized Silymarin, and the capsules are 200mg. There are no additional ingredients, no bonus herbal extracts. This product will run at least 12$ a bottle for 200 capsules, which is much more expensive than any of the other listed milk thistle capsules.

I understand there are hundreds of different milk thistle capsules out there, and I will likely add more reviews of them to the blog. My goal is to inform you, and keep your hard earned dollars in your wallet. You do not want to pay Big Brand Name twice as much for the same product that you would pay for a generic, same composition milk thistle capsule. Most of these herbal supplements are standardized, so don't overpay for these products.

Milk Thistle Liver Supplement

Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) is a widely used supplement amongst weight lifters, heavy drinkers, and athletes in general. While there is speculation on how effective milk thistle is, many people swear by it. I am in that category. According to a study done in 2000 by AHRQ (Agency for Healthcare and Research Quality), milk thistle's effectiveness has not been established as relevant. BestVite has a very solid product, and you get get a very fair deal on multiple bottles.

Milk thistle as liver care is the most widespread and common use. The FDA has yet to evaluate the effectiveness or safety in the use of milk thistle. There are no standardized regulations for the manufacturing of milk thistle, and milk thistle extract. A few cases have surfaced in which the milk thistle product was contanimated by toxic metals. This event is rare, but milk thistle should be purchased without fear of toxic metal poisoning.

Milk thistle is used as a complementary treatment for liver problems such as cirrhosis, inflammation, and specifically hepatitis. It is suggest that milk thistle can help the liver recover from damages caused by a wide range of toxins. These toxins can include industrial byproducts like xylene, toluene, and many generic cleaning agents.

Most doctors claim that more research and studies need to be conducted before they can affirmatively say that milk thistle does directly benefit the health of one's liver. Milk thistle may protect the liver from inflammation, but will not help fight viral infections of the liver.

Silymarin is the extract of the milk thistle plant, which is effectively what you are buying. Supposedly, it can help the liver to break down and fight side affects from cell-damaging free radicals. Silymarin also has the potential to interfere with the effects of liver damaging toxins.

Though science has much more work and studying to do regarding the benefits of milk thistle on liver cells, most people can find a legitimate reason to take Silymarin as a daily supplement. Since most body building/weight lifting supplements have serious chemicals in them, adding milk thistle will help your liver to recover from breaking down and metabolizing these compounds.

As a generic rule, milk thistle extract should be taken with a meal 2-3 times a day to benefit the liver and help counter-act the damages caused by alcohol, industrial toxins, and powerful lifting supplements.