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cardo lechoso
milk thistle (Silybum marianum)
Entire Monograph
Reported Uses
- NOTE: see Herb & Supplement Effectiveness Rating Definitions table
- acne [Insufficient Evidence]
- acral erythema, chemo-induced [Insufficient Evidence]
- alcoholic liver dz [Insufficient Evidence]
- allergic rhinitis [Insufficient Evidence]
- Alzheimer dz [Insufficient Evidence]
- beta-thalassemia [Insufficient Evidence]
- BPH [Insufficient Evidence]
- COVID-19 [Insufficient Evidence]
- critical illness (trauma) [Insufficient Evidence]
- diabetes mellitus [Possibly Effective]
- diabetic nephropathy [Insufficient Evidence]
- dyspepsia [Insufficient Evidence]
- endometriosis [Insufficient Evidence]
- gambling disorder [Insufficient Evidence]
- hepatic cirrhosis [Insufficient Evidence]
- hepatitis [Insufficient Evidence]
- hepatitis B [Insufficient Evidence]
- hepatitis C [Insufficient Evidence]
- hepatotoxicity, chemo-induced [Insufficient Evidence]
- hepatotoxicity, toxin-induced [Insufficient Evidence]
- hypercholesterolemia [Insufficient Evidence]
- hyperlipoproteinemia [Insufficient Evidence]
- hypoxic liver injury [Insufficient Evidence]
- infertility [Insufficient Evidence]
- lactation promotion [Insufficient Evidence]
- melasma [Insufficient Evidence]
- menopausal sx [Insufficient Evidence]
- metabolic dysfxn-assoc. steatotic liver dz [Insufficient Evidence]
- metabolic syndrome [Insufficient Evidence]
- multiple sclerosis [Insufficient Evidence]
- mushroom toxicity (Amanita phalloides) [Insufficient Evidence]
- nephropathy prophylaxis, contrast-induced [Insufficient Evidence]
- nephrotoxicity, chemo-induced [Insufficient Evidence]
- nonalcoholic fatty liver dz [Insufficient Evidence]
- nonalcoholic steatohepatitis [Insufficient Evidence]
- obesity [Insufficient Evidence]
- obsessive-compulsive disorder [Insufficient Evidence]
- Parkinson dz [Insufficient Evidence]
- peripheral neuropathy, chemo-induced [Insufficient Evidence]
- postpartum complications [Insufficient Evidence]
- prostate CA [Insufficient Evidence]
- radiation dermatitis [Insufficient Evidence]
- radiation mucositis [Insufficient Evidence]
- trichotillomania [Insufficient Evidence]
- ulcerative colitis [Insufficient Evidence]
- vitiligo [Insufficient Evidence]
Reported Doses
Safety/efficacy may not be established; reported doses may be derived from limited or potentially inadequate studies w/ variable regimens, multi-ingredient products, or where concentration of active ingredients may vary widely
Special Note
- [formulation clarification]
- Info: extracts generally stdzd to silymarin content; active constituents may incl. silybin, other flavonolignans
Effectiveness Ratings
- [see Herb & Supplement Effectiveness Rating Definitions table]
acne
- [Insufficient Evidence]
- Dose: 140 mg PO qd; Alt: apply 0.5% serum topically qd-bid; apply 25% extract cream topically bid; apply 1.4% cream topically bid
acral erythema, chemo-induced
- [Insufficient Evidence]
- Dose: apply 1% gel topically bid to palms and soles; Start: 1st day of chemo
alcoholic liver dz
- [Insufficient Evidence]
- Dose: 420 mg PO qd
allergic rhinitis
- [Insufficient Evidence]
- Dose: 140 mg PO tid; Info: used w/ cetirizine
Alzheimer dz
- [Insufficient Evidence]
- Dose: 150 mg PO bid; Alt: 450 mg PO qd
beta-thalassemia
- [Insufficient Evidence]
- Dose: 140 mg PO tid; Info: used w/ conventional tx
BPH
- [Insufficient Evidence]
- Dose: 190 mg PO tid; Info: used w/ selenium
critical illness (trauma)
- [Insufficient Evidence]
- Dose: 140 mg PO tid; Info: for pts w/ trauma-induced hepatotoxicity
diabetes mellitus
- [Possibly Effective]
- Dose: 140-200 mg PO tid; Alt: 105-600 mg PO qd
diabetic nephropathy
- [Insufficient Evidence]
- Dose: 140 mg PO tid; Info: used w/ conventional tx
dyspepsia
- [Insufficient Evidence]
- Dose: 33.3 mg/1 mL milk thistle fruit extract PO tid
endometriosis
- [Insufficient Evidence]
- Dose: 140 mg PO bid
hepatic cirrhosis
- [Insufficient Evidence]
- Dose: 140 mg PO tid; Alt: 150 mg PO bid-tid
hepatitis
- [Insufficient Evidence]
- Dose: 140 mg PO tid; Alt: 160-360 mg PO qd
hepatitis B
- [Insufficient Evidence]
- Dose: 140 mg PO tid; Alt: 240 mg PO bid
hepatitis C
- [Insufficient Evidence]
- Dose: 140 mg PO tid; Alt: 240-303 mg PO bid
hepatotoxicity, chemo-induced, adult pts
- [Insufficient Evidence]
- Dose: 150-900 mg PO qd; Info: doses >300 mg/day rarely more effective
hepatotoxicity, chemo-induced, peds pts
- [Insufficient Evidence]
- Dose: 70 mg PO bid; Alt: 50 mg syrup PO tid; Info: for pts 5-14 yo
hepatotoxicity, toxin-induced
- [Insufficient Evidence]
- Dose: 140-450 mg PO qd; Alt: 70 mg silibinin extract PO tid; 150 mg PO bid; Info: silibinin extract containing 1:1 silybin A:silybin B ratio
hypercholesterolemia
- [Insufficient Evidence]
- Dose: 105 mg PO qd-bid
hypoxic liver injury
- [Insufficient Evidence]
- Dose: 280 mg PO tid
infertility
- [Insufficient Evidence]
- Dose: 70 mg PO tid
melasma
- [Insufficient Evidence]
- Dose: apply 1.4% cream topically bid
menopausal sx
- [Insufficient Evidence]
- Dose: 200 mg PO bid
metabolic syndrome
- [Insufficient Evidence]
- Dose: 140-2100 mg PO qd
multiple sclerosis
- [Insufficient Evidence]
- Dose: 150 mg PO bid
nonalcoholic fatty liver dz
- [Insufficient Evidence]
- Dose: 140-2100 mg/day PO divided bid-tid; Alt: 140 mg PO qid
nonalcoholic steatohepatitis
- [Insufficient Evidence]
- Dose: 420-700 mg PO tid
obesity
- [Insufficient Evidence]
- Dose: 151.5 mg PO bid
obsessive-compulsive disorder
- [Insufficient Evidence]
- Dose: 200 mg PO tid
Parkinson dz
- [Insufficient Evidence]
- Dose: 150 mg PO bid
peripheral neuropathy, chemo-induced
- [Insufficient Evidence]
- Dose: 140 mg PO tid
postpartum complications
- [Insufficient Evidence]
- Dose: apply 3% ointment topically to suture site bid
prostate CA
- [Insufficient Evidence]
- Dose: 160 mg PO qd
radiation dermatitis
- [Insufficient Evidence]
- Dose: apply cream or gel topically; Info: used throughout XRT tx course
radiation mucositis
- [Insufficient Evidence]
- Dose: 140 mg PO tid; Start: 1st day of XRT; Info: cont. x6wk after tx D/C
ulcerative colitis
- [Insufficient Evidence]
- Dose: 140 mg PO qd; Info: for pts 16 yo and older; used w/ standard tx
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