Ailment: Gilbert's syndrome

Remedy: Milk thistle

Milk thistles (silybum marianum, silybum eburneum, cardo mari or St. Mary's Thistle) are flowering plants of the daisy family (asteraceae). They are native to the Mediterranean regions of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. The mottled leaves contain a milky sap. The roots, leaves, flowers and seeds can all be eaten.

The seeds of milk thistle have been used by herbalists for centuries to treat liver diseases and to assist the liver with detoxification. Milk thistle is regarded as a liver tonic; it has a protective effect on the liver and improves its function. It is used to treat liver cirrhosis, chronic hepatitis (liver inflammation), toxin-induced liver damage (including the prevention of severe liver damage mushroom poisoning), and gallbladder disorders.

Milk thistle is available as pills, capsules or as a tincture. A tincture is the result of soaking milk thistle in alcohol. It is higher quantity and better absorbed than capsules or tablets. The tincture contains so little alcohol that when taken in a glass of water or however recommended, it is not enough to affect most people in any way.

Milk Thistle can be taken for long periods of time with safety, except for women who are / want to be pregnant or those with complex immune disorders such as HIV. As with most herbs and other supplements, do not take it indefinitely. Take a break every couple of weeks or months, say three weeks / months on and then one off it.

Comment posted by Kelt of Bratislava, Slovakia, Slovakia on 23 February 2011 at 4:36       446

NO
how can anybody recommend milk thistle for gilbert's syndrome?!!! Milk thistle slow down phase 2 detoxification and makes rise of bilirubin in blood! Milk thistle is good for liver, but not for gilbert's syndrome....

Remedy (new) posted by David Niven Miller of Perth, WA, Australia on 18 May 2010 at 13:49       212

YES
Milk thistle is one of those traditonal herbs that strengthens the liver and helps it to perform optimally. If you have been out drinking alcohol, more than your liver can process so you're expecting a hangover, then milk thistle is a great remedy to take before going to bed, and again in the morning. Being a general liver tonic, it has been used by many people with Gilbert's Syndrome, sometimes with a high degree of success in preventing the symptoms.