hi Can someone recommend me the best brands of milk thistle available in US and will i get it on amazon or some medical store?

[nishahathi]

How many of you have been using milk thistle and has it really helped?

[Hidden]

Hello nishahathi.

I am in the UK so cannot advise or recommend any milk thistle that is out there in the US.

I did experiment myself with milk thistle back in 2011 after 2 blood results over a 3 month period where they had gone up slightly both times. I then got a much better blood reading after taking milk thistle for a short period before a blood recheck. I then stopped taking it as wasn't sure.

Next blood check was ok. Then the next one which by this time was mid-2013 didn't have another blood reading that went down a bit, it had gone up slightly. I started back on milk thistle. By Dec 2013 I actually hadn't had a better reading, it sort of went in par with previous ones with no milk thistle.

The only explanation I can give is that the milk thistle now available in the UK is not the original strength I got in 2011. New legislation here now has in place that herbal supplements are licenced. This has bumped up the cost of manufacturing, milk thistle is one that has to be licenced and the strength is not the same due to this now. I would have to take considerably more of the milk thistle as I originally did and it was so costly last year and being a bit sceptical I decided to quit.

Now looking at my bloods from the start of diagnosis (Dec 2010) I would make a sort of wavy graph with regards to the bloods and it appears that certain times in a year the bloods drop and then another they rise slightly. They are seemingly at present looking like the norm for me here.

Whatever you decide, I don't think milk thistle can do any harm. There is widespread opinions on the use of milk thistle with a person who does have a liver condition. I'd scour for the best one you can, I did if you want to give it a go.

I am sure someone from the US will be able to fill you in regards purchasing in the US. Be interesting to know when and if you do start taking milk thistle how you feel you are getting along.

[raj621 in reply to Hidden]

Hi Peridot - which brand did you use in the UK...i'm here too. Thx.

[Hidden in reply to raj621]

Hello raj621.

Well unfortunately I don't take milk thistle, have experimented with it in the past but found it didn't really much of a difference to my bloods. I thought it did at one time but then subsequently looking at my bloods (been diagnosed nearly 5yrs now) I realised milk thistle in my case wasn't altering any readings particularly.

I think I thought it might have done at the begging for a short time but then new legislation came into being in the UK 2yrs ago and milk thistle isn't what it was when I first bought it. It is now less strength and noticed just being marketed in times of over-indulgence really. The price has rocketed and I just couldn't warrant it with thinking it wasn't really doing me any good.

It might be the case a higher strength and more mgs of the active ingredient silymarin could make a difference but don't think it is being marketed as such currently. I know that suppliers have to have licences for certain herbal products and milk thistle is one now.

I did buy some from Holland & Barratt, they were in a see through green plastic bottle and they were in capsule form. You could actually pull them apart and use the powder for making tea to drink. Not sure if H&B sell this any longer but noticed they now sell cardboard boxes of it that is pretty steep.

There is another company I did use but once the licences came into being, theirs really shrunk in quantity and mgs so I give up. That company was Nature's Best and you can find them online. they are UK based.

[GrittyReads]

Hi Nishahathi,

I do hope you get some response. I'm in the UK and posted a similar request on here recently and only got a couple of replies - which, though lovely, couldn't tell me what I needed to know.

I'm sure it's okay to take Milk Thistle, as the PBC Foundation suggests it does no harm. However, the proof of actual help isn't up there with current medically tested official drugs [although I think the current proof of medically tested drugs is that they made obscene amounts of money for Big Pharma] .

I'm currently more confused than ever, as most website posts suggest taking about 200mg 3x a day, but some for sale online said each tablet was 2000mg, with another up to 5000+!!

I've checked out 2 of my local alternative shops and I was seriously put off, as the assistants didn't really know anything: one consulted the desktop Bible, but that didn't say much about dosage, while the other read the packet instructions to me: she then got very confused because although it said it was standardised, it also said the active ingredient in each capsule could vary between over 100mg??? Another packet talked of 200mg per tablet, but then talked in figures 2000+ for a particular ingredient. None of this was very comforting.

I'm sure there is a site out there that can explain all this - the numbers probably refer to very different, values, variables or measures - but at the moment I can't find any comforting explanation, and I'm not prepared to pay large amounts of money for something, when I don't know quite what I'm buying.

I'll keep researching, as well as watching this post to see if there's more response for you. If I find out anything more in the next few days or weeks, I'll let you know.

[sistergoldenhair]

I have take it for over 15years and I do believe it helps. I like Jarrow's and Nature's Way, the main thing is to make sure it has the standardized 80% similaryian. I really like the items at Super Supplements and you can access them on the web at supersup.com. They are very helpful. The more pure the better, I don't get the one w/added herbs, I have always just stuck to the basic. Hope this is helpful, I really believe in it and my doctors know I have been on it for this long and have never said not to. thoughts and prayers, cyndy

[Pea1234]

puritan.com is a good vitamin website recommended by my general doctor.

What milligram is everyone taking in Milk Thistle???

[nishahathi]

Thanks every one.. Can you tell me what dose is safe to take every day?

[Kind_of_crazy]

Hi, nishahathi

I am in the US with you. As opposed to the UK, supplements are basically unregulated in the US. There have been many exposes in the US by the mainstream press as to the dangers of supplements because in many independent tests supplements are mislabeled as to content and the amounts claimed on the label. Please read this article if you'd like more info:

nytimes.com/2013/12/15/opin...

The article also provides you with some guidelines about how to evaluate a supplement for safety.

I am skeptical because I once worked for a call center taking inbound calls for a line of natural vitamins developed by a Christian televangelist who claimed his supplements were the best because they were 'natural' and thus made by God so they were what God wanted you to take. There were multivitamins and supplements for most ailments and priced outrageously high. Normally, orders were for the daily supplement and multiple additional supplements for whatever ailed the caller. Callers were normally elderly. Orders were commonly in the hundreds of dollars. If the supplements did contain what was claimed by the company then many people were taking way over the safe level of some vitamins. Some vitamins in excess are simply excreted, but others can build up to toxic levels. I had the opportunity to meet both the televangelist and his wife. They both seemed like nice, sincere people. I still quit the job due to my moral qualms.

Everyone should stop equating natural with good. Natural substances include: uranium, botulism, arsenic, lead, mercury, asbestos, nicotine... the list's long and no one would recommend ingesting any of them.

I have access to my own herb garden. I use herbs both for cooking and for medicinal purposes at levels deemed safe - usually just a tea of some sort depending on what ails me.

I guess the point of this long answer can be summed up in one sentence. Please do your research; shop carefully and wisely; be safe; be well.

[nanjak320]

You might look online for products associated with Dr. Sandra Cabot, who is a physician in Australia. She has products for liver health on her web site. I am not advertising her products at all, but I have looked on her site and she has a product called Livatone, which has milk thistle. Good luck!

[ReiversMrs]

My friend who has lupus and is into alternative therapies told me to take 750mg per day but can only find this dosage in US, probably due to what peridot says, You may find this useful though with some good reviews if your in US amazon.com/Life-Extension-C...