Latin Name                     Silybum marianum (L.) Gaerth

Family                          Compositae

Part of the Plant Used             Seed

Product Introduction

Milk thistle originally is from Europe, the ingredient responsible for milk thistle's medicinal qualities is called silymarin. Silymarin is a flavonolignan that has been introduced fairly recently as a hepatoprotective agent, it is the most well known compound of the flavonoids, thanks to its well defined therapeutic properties, and in reality it is a mixture of three structural components: silybin, silydianine and silychristine, studies in animals have shown that silymarin promotes the following activities:

Liver Cell Growth ------ Silymarin from milk thistle appears to promote the growth of some types of cells in the liver. Milk thistle is not used to prevent Hepatitis C Virus from causing liver disease. Rather, milk thistle is used with the hope that it would minimize the damage to the liver that HCV can cause.

Antihepatotoxic Activity ------ Studies suggest that silymarin from milk thistle can block various types of toxins from entering and injuring liver cells.

Antioxidation ------ Milk thistle Silymarin may be an effective "antioxidant," which means milk thistle may help fight a destructive chemical process in the body known as "oxidation." In oxidation, harmful substances produced in the body (called free radicals) can damage cells. Some studies suggest that milk thistle silymarin can prevent these substances from damaging liver cells.

Inflammation Inhibition ------ Milk thistle's Silymarin is thought to prevent inflammation (swelling) of the liver; this may be described as displaying anti-inflammatory properties.

Silybin is the major active constituent of silymarin, both in vitro and animal research suggest that silibinin has hepatoprotective (antihepatotoxic) properties that protect liver cells against toxins, has also demonstrated anti-cancer effects against human prostate adenocarcinoma cells, estrogen-dependent and -independent human breast carcinoma cells,etc.

Common Milk thistle extracts is alcohol soluble, but poor soluble in water. Bioavailability of silymarin led to the development of enhanced formulations all over the world. Our company’s Water-Soluble Milk Thistle Extract adopts special manufacture process, so it has good solubility in water and can safely be added either into capsule, tablet or into beverage, and it has been marketed widely in P.R.China, Korea and Europe for years.

Active Ingredients

Silymarin / Silybins / Flavonoids

Product Specification

20% ~ 40% Silymarin / 5% ~15% Silybins

Molecular Structure of Silybin

Molecular formula: C₂₅H₂₁O₁₀     

Molecular weight: 481.43

CAS No.: 22888-70-6

HPLC Chromatogram of Milk Thistle Extract (Water-Soluble Type) 40% Silymarin / 15% Silybins

Physiological Functions

- Liver Diseases, acute, chronic hepatitis
- Protect liver from toxins, heavy metals, alcohol, poisons

- Anti cancer
- Cholagogue
- Fatty degeneration of the liver
- Jaundice
- Psoriasis
- Uterine tonic, menstrual difficulties
- Spleen, kidney, gall bladder tonic
- Varicose veins

Toxicity

The acute toxicity of silymarin and silybin were investigated by oral and intravenous route in various animal species. No mortality or any signs of adverse effects were observed after silymarin at oral doses of 20 g/kg in mice and 1 g/kg in dogs. The 50% lethal dose (LD₅₀) after intravenous infusion values are 400 mg/kg in mice, 385 mg/kg in rats and 140 mg/kg in rabbits and dogs. These data demonstrate that the acute toxicity of silymarin is very low. Similarly, its subacute and chronic toxicity are very low; the compound is also devoid of embryotoxic potential.

Applications

l  Functional food and food additive

l  Herbal beverage ingredients

l  Pharmaceutical stuff