In recent years, various health products such as antioxidants, liver protection, and detoxification have been frequently seen on platforms like Amazon and in social commerce circles. Due to my frequent overtime-work, I am particularly interested in liver protection products. There is a component called milk thistle that is said to be effective in liver protection. I would like to ask the experts whether milk thistle really has a liver-protecting effect. If there are reliable brands, please recommend them.
Around me, many colleagues have been diagnosed with abnormal liver function during health examinations, and quite a few young men have been found to have fatty liver. I’ve heard that milk thistle is effective in liver protection, so I have purchased various related health products.
However, after using milk thistle for a period and going back to the hospital for reexamination, some people showed improvement in liver function indicators and fatty liver, while others did not see much improvement. Some even experienced occasional stomach pain after taking it, and the most troublesome issue was the appearance of eczema on the skin.
Does milk thistle really work? Why is the effect so “random”?
Who should not take it? Is there a solution?
Before answering these questions, we need to understand what milk thistle is.
What is Milk Thistle?
Milk thistle (Silybum marianum), also known as water thistle, is a plant of the Asteraceae family that can be both consumed as food and used as medicine. It was originally mainly distributed in the Mediterranean region, and it also grew in parts of Russia, North Africa, and Asia Minor. Due to extensive cultivation, it is now widespread worldwide.
In the heyday of the Roman Empire, Greek doctors and philosophers, including Galen, praised milk thistle as a beneficial herb for liver health. As people’s understanding of it has deepened through research, milk thistle is not only used for treating liver diseases but is also widely used for various other conditions.
The liver-protecting effects of milk thistle (silymarin) can be summarized in three aspects:
- Promoting the regeneration of liver cells. Liver cells have the opportunity to regenerate after damage.
- Stabilizing the cell membranes of liver cells. Silymarin can act as an antioxidant, clearing oxidative metabolites in the body, thereby stabilizing cell membranes and protecting liver cells.
- Reducing cell inflammation reactions, alleviating inflammatory damage to liver cells, and preventing fibrosis of liver cells.
As mentioned at the beginning, the efficacy of milk thistle itself varies, so many people claim that it does not have much effect for them. Especially many women hesitate to use milk thistle, mainly due to concerns about hormone-related issues.
With the development of technology, besides milk thistle liver protection tablets, there are actually more advanced and safer liver protection products on the market. Many innovative cellular-level ingredients, such as inositol, PQQ, are more scientific, safer, have identified mechanisms of medicine, and their combined effects are more powerful.
In our irregular daily lives, with overtime and late nights, colleagues in the office often exchange health experiences and recommend various dietary and health products.
Not long ago, a colleague mentioned a new brand in the past two years, a dietary nutritional supplement brand called ESTHELIV from US. She has already tested its effectiveness, which was quite good, so recommended it to us.
ESTHELIV Research Power – LIVER – Liver Cleansing Pills
One thing noteworthy is the combination of PQQ and inositol. I carefully researched them, and they seem really awesome.
PQQ’s formal name is pyrroloquinoline quinone. Like the well-known niacinamide, PQQ is also a coenzyme, widely present in microorganisms, plants, animals, and humans. It is crucial for the growth, development, and reproduction of various organisms.
Mitochondria are important sites for our body’s aerobic respiration and energy production. PQQ’s effectiveness is mainly due to its intricate connection with mitochondrial metabolism, participating in the “life” of mitochondria: from generation, reproduction, growth to aging. PQQ is an essential nutrient for the human body, and breast milk also contains rich PQQ.
PQQ is well-known for its liver-protecting effects. It can effectively inhibit the oxidation reactions of free radicals, protect mitochondria from oxidative stress-induced lipid peroxidation, protein carbonylation, and inactivation of the respiratory chain. At the same time, it brings new life to mitochondria, promoting the generation of new members and giving liver cells more vitality. Moreover, PQQ not only protects the liver but also purifies it, deeply eliminating the ‘culprit’ of liver damage, free radicals. It can emulsify fat, reduce the burden on the liver, and relieve anxiety, reduce fatigue, and help improve energy.
Here, I have to mention inositol, which, in combination with PQQ, can achieve a synergistic effect of 1+1>2.
Inositol’s structure is similar to glucose and is present in various tissues of animals and plants, playing important roles in cell membrane composition, cell signal transduction, phospholipid synthesis, and energy consumption.
Inositol has various isomers. The inositol commonly encountered in nutritional supplements is generally D-chiro-inositol and myo-inositol. Research has shown that inositol can regulate blood pressure, reduce systolic and diastolic pressure, benefiting hypertensive patients. At the same time, inositol can accelerate cellular metabolism in the body, allowing the liver to metabolize excess fat more quickly and regulate lipid levels.
ESTHELIV Liver Detox Capsules is beneficial to the liver because it contains both PQQ and inositol. It also improves energy, making it a good choice for middle-aged men with fatty liver, those who often need to socialize and consume alcohol, or those who often stay up late, order takeout, and have a high-fat diet of fried chicken, beer, and barbecue.
From a brand perspective, it is an cellular-level anti-aging brand origin from the United States,
The research team it is also very strong, collaborating with top research teams both domestically and internationally, and their several studies have already obtained invention patents.
Due to the requirement of my work, I often work long hours, reversing my day and night. When busy, I naturally don’t pay much attention to my diet and often resort to takeout. Especially in the past two years, I frequently felt fatigued and had insufficient sleep; later I was diagnosed with mild fatty liver. However, I wasn’t too worried about it because the reason and solution of it were clear.
Later, I took some measures to control my diet, reduce social obligations, engage in exercises, and found a suitable supplement, namely ESTHELIV. Subsequently, various indicators gradually returned to normal.
Liver protection is a long-term commitment. Choosing a liver protection product that suits oneself is crucial, and relying solely on product is definitely not enough. It requires a combination with healthy lifestyle habits. Even the best health supplements won’t be effective if one stays up late every day, consumes oily food, and has an imbalanced diet. It’s essential for us to develop good habits, such as avoiding staying up late and participating in exercise on a regular basis.
Note:
- ^Abenavoli L, Izzo AA, Milić N, Cicala C, Santini A, Capasso R. Milk thistle (Silybum marianum): A concise overview on its chemistry, pharmacological, and nutraceutical uses in liver diseases. Phytother Res. 2018 Nov;32(11):2202-2213.
- ^Wen H, He Y, Zhang K, Yang X, Hao D, Jiang Y, He B. Mini-review: Functions and Action Mechanisms of PQQ in Osteoporosis and Neuro Injury. Curr Stem Cell Res Ther. 2020;15(1):32-36.
- ^Jonscher KR, Chowanadisai W, Rucker RB. Pyrroloquinoline-Quinone Is More Than an Antioxidant: A Vitamin-like Accessory Factor Important in Health and Disease Prevention. Biomolecules. 2021 Sep 30;11(10).
- ^He K, Nukada H, Urakami T, Murphy MP. Antioxidant and pro-oxidant properties of pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ): implications for its function in biological systems. Biochem Pharmacol. 2003 Jan 1;65(1):67-74.
- ^Hashemi Tari S, Sohouli MH, Lari A, Fatahi S, Rahideh ST. The effect of inositol supplementation on blood pressure: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized-controlled trials. Clin Nutr ESPEN. 2021 Aug;44:78-84.