Milk Thistle & Cancer

Milk thistle is a popular herb used most commonly for helping with liver diseases.  In a 2009 research study, an extract from Milk Thistle, called Silibinin, was found to have significant anti-tumor actions against many types of cancers, including of the skin, breast, lung, colon, bladder, prostate and kidney. 

Milk Thistle Extract & Prevention and Natural Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

A 2011 study to appear in the medical journal Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, noted how milk thistle extract can reduce the free radical damage and insulin resistance of liver cells in existing liver disease (eg: liver cirrhosis, non-alcoholic fatty liver, steatohepatitis).  Patients with these liver diseases have an increased risk of developing primary Hepatocellular Cancer (HCC).  Milk thistle extract has been shown to reduce tumor proliferation, angiogenesis (the development of blood vessels to cancer cells), and also reduce insulin resistance, in addition to known benefits of milk thistle (regenerating healthy liver cells, and reducing liver inflammation overall).  It also has anti-atherosclerotic benefits as well.  Milk thistle extract has shown to prevent the development of HCC in laboratory research.  The study concludes in saying that milk thistle extract can also be using alongside other cancer treatments (as an “adjuvant” cancer treatment) to improve the effectiveness of standard cancer treatments.

References

Silibinin - A Promising New Treatment for Cancer. 

Anticancer Agents Med Chem. 2009 Dec 16. Cheung CW, Gibbons N, Johnson DW, Nicol DL

Silymarin in the Prevention and Treatment of Liver Diseases and Primary Liver Cancer. Curr Pharm Biotechnol. 2011 April 5. [Epub ahead of print] Feher J, Lengyel G.