Milk thistle shows potential -- documented potential -- in helping cancer patients

Good research on herbs and supplements is hard to come by -- and small wonder. The key ingredients aren't exactly new, being the product of nature rather than hefty research-and-development budgets, and are thus unlikely to yield much in the way of patentable compounds. Without a big payoff, there can be little incentive to explore potential simply because of scientific merit.

But when it happens, such research can yield results. A new study, published online today in the journal Cancer, finds that milk thistle may help reduce the liver inflammation associated with chemotherapy. Many people may nod knowingly -- the herb has been used for centuries to treat liver problems. (More on the plant from the University of Maryland Medical Center. Of note, it can treat deathcap-mushroom poisoning.)

The new study is important because liver inflammation often leads to lowered doses of the life-saving, if grueling, drug regimens faced by cancer patients. The study was conducted in children being treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. (More on that disease from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.)

Here's the abstract and a story from MedPage Today. 

And here's additional information on milk thistle from the American Cancer Society, plus a rundown from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

Herbs are part of a greater whole when it comes to outside-the-mainstream medical treatments and their potential. For a recent look at alternative medicine in the United States, there's Alternative medicine is becoming mainstream. And for an examination of its place in the current healthcare debate, there's A broader definition of healthcare.

-- Tami Dennis

Photo: Milk thistle may not be flashy, but it's got potential in the liver-protection department.

Credit: Los Angeles Times

Comments

[pointtothemoon]

No, this is absolutely impossible... everyone knows that only the chemicals created by pharmaceutical companies are effective against human health problems.. even the FDA has decreed this. Since the FDA says that what naturally occurs in nature is useless to treat anything, they must be correct. So, all of this is automatically wrong. No investigation needed.

[Jeff Wade MD]

Another reason herbal 'medicines' have little real medical research behind them is that herbal supplements can be sold to 'treat' practically anything as long as the claims are somewhat vague. There are no requirements to prove the effectiveness or even harmlessness of any of these products. Therefore there is no motivation to spend money for research that may prove your product is worthless or worse. If herbal products are found to be truly effective they could just as easily be repackaged by pharmaceutical companies and sold profitably. Not to say there are not effective herbal products, but many, and probably the majority are not...

jeff Wade MD

[OzKid]

When I was child, growing up in a rural area, my grandmother taught me to use the sap (milk) from these plants to remove warts. These grow wild around Los Angeles in most areas. Just find one with a soft stalk and snap it off. Then apply the white sap to the wart. Do this twice daily for a few days and the wart recedes.

We are, after all, made from natural components. We come from the earth (whether you believe from a natural evolution or creation), and our best foods are those that are grown. It makes sense that the best cures can come from natural sources.

[pointtothemoon]

Herbal remedies cannot merely be "repackaged" by pharmaceutical companies in a way that would be of monetary benefit to the companies, because herbs are not patentable- therefore they are not very profitable. This profitability aspect is, in fact, the source of the problem in terms of research and acceptability. No money in it, so no one cares. Let's face it, the driving force behind the drug companies' efforts isn't exactly the betterment and overall health of humanity. The healthier human beings are, and the more able to deal with their own health issues through readily available (natural) means, the poorer the extremely powerful pharmaceutical companies would be. Of course, there are quite a few synthetic drugs, based on structures found in plants, that have been found to treat disorders highly effectively. It is quite amusing that we cannot call anything "effective" until it has been taken from nature, synthesized in a laboratory, and made into a little pill that costs $10 per dose. But on the other hand, it is not exactly surprising.

[Tom, Long Beach, California]

been using milk thistle or silymarin for years.....good for anyone to cleanse lever....

[Tom, Long Beach, California]

and the Liver :~)