Beyond Liver Support: Milk Thistle Shows Promise as Cancer Therapy

Milk thistle has been used successfully for a wide range of liver ailments for centuries. Hepatitis B and C, fatty liver, and sclerosis of the liver have often been well contained with daily milk thistle use. Going even further, milk thistle has been shown to be an effective cancer therapy. A recent study found in the University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy journal report has produced evidence of milk thistle halting the spread of and reversing lung cancer.

Recent Study Demonstrates Milk Thistle’s Ability to Curb Lung Cancer

An inflammatory response leads to a chain of cellular events that can eventually result in tumor growth. The study authors discovered that targeting a certain pair of enzymes part of the way into that chain of events eliminates the creation of the final pair of enzymes that produce tumors.

In other words, milk thistle’s silibinin (aka silybin) eliminates those enzymes that continue a chain of events resulting in the enzymes that produce tumors.

What’s noteworthy is how study author Dr. Alpna Tyagi compared her study of silibinin (aka silybin) to what Big Pharma is currently testing for similar lung cancer afflictions (using millions of dollars to create a patentable pharmaceutical).

She bluntly pointed out that “… naturally-derived products like silibinin may be as effective as today’s best [pharmaceutical] treatments.”

Although other studies have since been performed with similar results on other cancers since the Colorado study, all of them tend to assume a subservient role of using milk thistle as an adjunct to their normal chemo and radiation torture. Some recommend using milk thistle to help the liver eliminate toxins from chemotherapy.

However, many alternative cancer treatment experts recommend using three natural protocols if going at it alone. This study is good news for anyone looking to include another natural inexpensive, safe weapon for one’s personal war on cancer.

The study was published in the summer 2011 journal Molecular Carcinogenesis.

Read: Milk Thistle Prevents Cancer, Photoaging

Milk Thistle and Liver Health

In addition to utilizing milk thistle for cancer prevention, anyone living in our toxic environment may want to use it for optimum liver function. It is available in capsules or tinctures.

Milk thistle is part of Germany’s medical mainstream. where MDs prescribe pharmaceutical grade milk thistle for patients with liver problems. You can make your own large quantities of milk thistle tincture inexpensively. Here are general home made tincture instructions.

Additional Sources:

AltMedicine.About