The following article by Leslee Dru Browning was transcribed verbatim from:
http://www.naturalnews.com/022724_milk_thistle_cancer_liver_cancer.html
Scientific Evidence Proves Significant Anti-Cancer Effect of Milk Thistle
Tuesday, February 26, 2008 by: Leslee Dru Browning, citizen journalist
(NaturalNews) Milk Thistle has been used in the treatment of liver diseases including liver cancer for years. It heals the liver by lowering enzyme levels and assisting the liver in its process of detoxifying the body. Herbalists and Chinese Physicians have prescribed milk thistle for all types of liver disorders including cirrhosis, inflammation, high liver enzymes, jaundice, hardening of the liver, hepatitis and liver cancer. Herbalists recommend milk thistle for any type of cancer as it is vital in aiding detoxification of the blood.
According to a recent report in the World Journal of Gastroenterology, scientists have now demonstrated the anti-cancer effects of silibinin, a major biologically active compound of milk thistle. Being widely used as a folk remedy for liver diseases, milk thistle is safe and well-tolerated, and it protects the liver from drug or alcohol-related injury. Silibinin is highly purified from milk thistle, with a defined chemical structure and molecular weight (C25H22O10, MW: 482.44).
The study was carried out by Dr. Ke-Qin Hu and his research team at the University of California, Irvine. Dr. Hu is a well-experienced research scientist and physician in the field of hepatology. He has published over 70 scientific articles in various medical professional journals. Many of his scientific research publications are focused on viral hepatitis B and C, cirrhosis, and liver cancer, all of which have significantly contributed to our better understanding of common liver diseases.
Dr. Hu and his colleagues' discovery of silibilin's anti-liver cancer effects was recently published.*
The researchers found that silibilin can significantly reduce the growth of several human hepatoma cell lines. In addition, they demonstrated that silibinin mediates anti-liver cancer effects by:
1. reduced cancer cell proliferation and cell cycle progression;
2. enhanced programmed death of cancer cells; and
3. altered chromatin structure of the cancer cells.
Their research results indicate that silibinin can be used to prevent the development of liver cancer, one of the most common cancers worldwide. The results have also opened our minds to the possibility of testing other herbal supplements for possible treatment of human cancers.
Milk Thistle From an Herbal Perspective
Milk thistle has been observed in the reversal in symptoms of both acute and chronic liver problems. There is significant antioxidant and free radical scavenger action properties in milk thistle.
Milk thistle is beneficial for the liver in both protecting and regenerating it and is one of the best examples of preventative medicine that we have today as it not only protects each cell of the liver, kidneys, gall bladder, skin, brain and other tissues from incoming toxins, but at the same time encourages the liver to cleanse itself of damaging substances, such as alcohol, drugs, medications, mercury and heavy metals, pesticides, anesthesia, and even the most poisonous of mushrooms, the Amanita or Death-cap mushroom.
Additional Benefits of Milk Thistle
Milk thistle accelerates protein synthesis by the liver cells. It stimulates the liver to produce SOD, a potent free radical scavenger. It prevents depletion of glutathione in the liver.
Researchers have shown that milk thistle stimulates the synthesis of RNA (an important molecule that helps carry out and control protein synthesis)
Milk thistle protects the kidneys and is beneficial to those with skin problems like psoriasis.
Milk thistle blocks allergic and inflammatory reactions.
Milk thistle in mucilaginous and increases immune response, eradicates infection and soothes inflamed tissue.
Milk thistle has been found to maintain the basic function of the liver, thereby keeping the blood vascular system clean, which has an overall effect of maintaining health in the entire body.
This is an excellent herb for anyone who is under stress, uses alcohol, recreational drugs, prescription medications, or lives in today's modern times of pesticides, environmental toxins, and pollution.
Sources:
*Journal reference: Lah JJ, Cui W, Hu KQ. Effects and mechanisms of silibinin on human hepatoma cell lines. World J Gastroenterol 2007; 13(40): 5299-5305
The Little Herb Encyclopedia by Jack Ritchason: N.D. Page 146
Milk Thistle - Silybum Marianum: (http://www.skyeherbals.com/materia_...)
Replies
http://hsibaltimore.com/2006/07/27/ketek-2/
Liver Failure Linked to Prescription Antibiotic KETEK
Wake Up, Joe
Let’s say you’re a drug company executive. That’s right – you’ve got piles of money that would make Donald Trump blush like a smitten schoolgirl.
Now let’s say you devote millions to the development of a drug that starts to get a reputation for safety problems even before it’s submitted to the FDA for approval.
And let’s say that further down the line the FDA discovers instances of fraud in a major safety study of your drug. In fact, you turn on NPR one morning to hear that the doctor who enrolled the largest number of study subjects was sent to prison for fabricating false data about the study!
That would seem to be plenty enough to doom a new drug right there. But the bad news isn’t over yet. Let’s say on another morning you open up the New York Times to read this: An FDA report concludes that when representatives of your company became aware of safety problems they didn’t inform the FDA, but the agency later discovered that little indiscretion on its own.
With all these revelations flying, you’ve got to figure your drug will never see the light of day, correct?
Well not exactly.
As an e-Alert reader, you actually do have something in common with a drug company executive: Unlike the Average Joe who still believes the FDA rigorously protects consumers from unsafe medications, you have a good idea how this outrageous story will play out.
Who could have predicted?
The drug company is Sanofi-Aventis and the drug is telithromycin, better known by its brand name: Ketek.
Ketek is an antibiotic that treats bacterial infections associated with sinusitis, bronchitis and pneumonia. After the safety concerns and outright fraud described above, was it approved by the FDA? Of course it was! And now – two years after approval – some ugly chickens have come home to roost.
Here’s the latest box score for Ketek adverse effects, according to a 6/29/06 Reuters report:
The FDA has received 12 reports of acute liver failure linked to Ketek. Four of those patients died. One patient required a liver transplant
So, of course, the FDA response was swift and the drug was immediately taken off the market. I mean, getting rid of a sinus infection isn’t worth risking acute liver failure, right? It’s not like this is the cure for cancer, after all.
Well, that’s the response the Average Joe might expect. Actually, the FDA simply announced that Sanofi-Aventis decided to add a new warning to the drug’s information flyer.
Don’t you feel safer already?
Loss of consciousness
Last week, the antibiotics hit the fan.
Sanofi-Aventis execs and FDA officials may have thought this scandal was going to quietly go away, but a 7/18 New York Times report exposed a heated Ketek debate going on behind the scenes at the FDA.
The Times states that liver failure has occurred in 14 patients, and 23 others experienced serious liver injury. The Times also notes that Ketek may cause blurred vision and loss of consciousness. So it’s no surprise really that SOMEONE at the FDA is up in arms about this drug.
That someone is Dr. David Graham, associate science director of the FDA’s Office of Drug Safety. As I’ve noted in previous e-Alerts, Dr. Graham’s opinions have frequently run contrary to official positions of the agency, and the Ketek problem is a perfect example.
The Times piece quotes from e-mails written by Dr. Graham: "We don’t really know if the drug work sand we’re flying blind as far as safety goes." He also notes that FDA adverse drug reaction data on Ketek suggests that the drug is "uniquely more toxic" than most other drugs.
Yikes! Not just toxic, and not just more toxic, but UNIQUELY more toxic! That’s got to be a new low in characterizing a drug.
So why is Ketek even on the market? Dr. Graham: "It’s as if every principle governing the review and approval of new drugs was abandoned or suspended where telithromycin is concerned."
After reading that, if there’s an Average Joe out there who still believes the FDA is a guardian of safety, he can at least take a tiny shred of comfort in this news: The Times reports that when an FDA safety official called on Sanofi-Aventis to stop testing Ketek on children with ear infections, the company announced a "pause" in pediatric clinical trials.
A pause! Obviously they’re going all out to insure (the appearance of) safety.
Sources:
"US Cites 12 Liver Damage Reports in Ketek Patients" Reuters, 6/29/06, reuters.com
"Approval of Antibiotic Worried Safety Officials" Gardiner Harris, The New York Times, 7/18/06, nytimes.com
"Questions Surround Safety of FDA-Approved Drug" Morning Edition, National Public Radio, 7/19/06, npr.org
http://www.cancertutor.com/Other/Liver_Cancer.html
LIVER CANCER
Notice:
If the liver itself is damaged almost beyond repair, there is an electromedicine protocol which may help. It has reversed damaged livers which no other protocol I know of has reversed.
The electromedicine product is called the MRS-2000. It is a special magnetic pulser. Be sure to ask the vendor for the protocol for protecting the liver. Here is a vendor:
Essense of Life
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Recommended Primary Treatment - Cellect-Budwig
The Cellect-Budwig Protocol is recommended for liver cancer because it is a good detox protocol. However, being a good detox protocol actually places a burden on the liver (which cannot be avoided if you want to detox the liver), thus it is necessary, indeed it is critical, to use a coffee enema to stimulate the liver to help flush the toxins from the liver.
(Note: Colonic Hydrotherapy might not be as effective at stimulating the liver as a coffee enema.)
This protocol includes extensive juicing, especially carrot juicing. Here are some comments about vegetable juicing, with carrot juice as the main ingredient:
•"The effects of carotenoids - alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lycopene, beta-cryptoxanthin, zeaxanthin, lutein, canthaxanthin, astaxanthin - on the invasion from rat liver tumor cells were investigated. All the carotenoids examined inhibited the invasion in a dose-dependent manner. Cancer cells previously cultured with hypoxanthine (HX) and xanthine oxidase (XO) showed a highly invasive activity. However, the carotenoids, 5 mu M of beta-carotene and astaxanthin, suppressed this free radical invasive capacity. The results suggest that the anti-invasive action toward the tumors be a result of the antioxidant properties of these carotenoids."
Raw beet juice is another vegetable juice which is good at protecting the liver. This juice should be part of the vegetable juice which has carrot juice as its base.
WARNING: Do not drink beet juice by itself, always mix it with carrot juice!
In fact, all aspects of the Cellect-Budwig are critical for treating liver cancer.
Water - If a medical professional agrees it is safe, a person treating liver cancer should drink between 1/2 gallon and 1 gallon of natural water per day to help flush the liver. See:
http://www.curezone.com/foods/waterpage.asp
Here is an article on the Cellect-Budwig protocol:
The Cellect-Budwig Protocol
Key Additional Protocol: Essaic Tea
Two of the four herbs in Essiac Tea are designed to detoxify the liver. Rene Caisse, who designed the protocol, understood the importance of protecting the liver while treating cancer. This protocol is in addition to the coffee enema in the Cellect-Budwig Protocol.
"[Rene] did little with the Essiac formula until 1924 when her aunt developed stomach and liver cancer. The doctors had given her aunt six months to live. Rene obtained permission from her aunt's physician, Dr. R. O. Fisher, to administer the herbal tea treatment. Rene later said, 'My aunt lived for twenty-one years after being given up by the medical profession. There was no recurrence of cancer.'"
"Rene Caisse's mother was diagnosed with liver cancer in 1935. An internationally known doctor, Roscoe Graham, informed her that her mother had just "days to live." Rene never told her mother of the cancer, but treated her with Essiac for ten days, slowly reducing the dosage. Her mother recovered completely and lived another eighteen years until her death at age ninety of heart failure."
"Although the focus on Essiac has been as a cancer treatment, it alleviated and sometimes cured many chronic and degenerative conditions because it cleanses the blood, the liver and strengthens the immune system."
With any herbal treatment the closer you get to the grower (in terms of time), the more effective the protocol will be. As time passes after the herbs are cut, the herbs lose their bioavailability.
It should be remembered that Rene grew her own herbs and usually used them within 24 hours of cutting them. If fresh herbs are available, and can be used within a couple of days of cutting, for mild cases of liver cancer (e.g. six months to live or more), this treatment may be all that is needed. For advanced cases of liver cancer it is a supplemental treatment.
But even if you cannot get fresh herbs, the liver protecting capabilities of this tea will always help.
See this article:
Essiac Tea
Required Supplement: Quantum Liver Complex
Another product to protect the liver is Quantum Liver Complex. It is a superb combination of products which will help protect the liver.
Other Protocols to Consider
Ellagic Acid
"Ellagic acid promotes carcinogen detoxification by stimulating the activity of various isoforms of the enzyme glutathione-S-transferase in hepatoma (liver cancer)(Barch and Rundhaugen, 1992). Another mechanism by which ellagic acid could inhibit tumor initiation is through its potential role as scavenger of the reactive metabolites of carcinogens." "Ellagic acid reduced the number of altered foci and the incidence of hepatocellular neoplasms in rats with liver cancer induced by N-2-fluorenylacetamide (Tanaka)."
Coenzyme Q10 - CoQ10
"Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is an excellent antioxidant that is protective for a liver that has been damaged by ischemia (reduced blood flow). CoQ10 is also an important component of healthy metabolism. It protects the mitochondria and cell membrane from oxidative damage and helps generate ATP, the energy source for cells. CoQ10 is absorbed by the lymphatic system and distributed throughout the body." "It is important to take CoQ10 with some kind of oil such as fish or flaxseed because dry powder CoQ10 is not readily absorbed without it." The oil this quote refers to is part of the Budwig diet.
Vitamin D3
"Additionally, vitamin D3 has demonstrated the ability to inhibit liver cancer cell growth (Majewski et al. 1996). Cancer patients should take 4000-6000 IU of vitamin D3 every day on an empty stomach."
IP-6 or IP6 (Inositol hexaphosphate)
"Vucenik I, Tantivejkul K, Zhang ZS, Cole KE, Saied I, Shamsuddin AM. IP6 in treatment of liver cancer. I. IP6 inhibits growth and reverses transformed phenotype in HepG2 human liver cancer cell line. Anticancer Res.1998;18(6A):4083-4090." "Vucenik I, Zhang ZS, Shamsuddin AM. IP6 in treatment of liver cancer. II. Intra-tumoral injection of IP6 regresses pre-existing human liver cancer xenotransplanted in nude mice. Anticancer Res. 1998;18:4091-4096." "IP -6 has been used against a wide variety of cancers. Blood based cancers such as leukemia are the most sensitive, with solid tumors needing a larger dose. Most studies at this point have used either animals or human cancer cells in vitro, i.e. in a test tube. As an example, adding IP -6 to human liver cancer cells resulted in complete inhibition of tumors. Human liver cancer cells injected into mice resulted in 71% tumors. Cells pretreated with IP -6 resulted in no tumors. Pre-existing liver cancers regressed. In another study with Rhabdomyosarcoma, tumors were suppressed from 25 to 49 fold!" "AbulKalam M. Shamsuddin, MD, PhD., a professor of pathology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, has written a book (Nature's Revolutionary Cancer-Fighter, Kensington Publishing Corp.) about his studies of IP-6. His research has shown that it can slow or stop the growth of liver cancer cells in the laboratory and in mice. Dr. Shamsuddin has reported that while IP-6 doesn't actually kill cancer cells, it makes them behave like normal cells, thus eliminating the danger they pose. A number of laboratory studies have confirmed his findings. Research suggests that IP-6 can boost immune function, help lower cholesterol, prevent formation of kidney stones, reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, and prevent the complications of diabetes."
Here is a vendor of the recommended brand:
IP6 Vendor
Glutathione
"Glutathione is a small protein composed of three amino acids: cysteine, glutamic acid and glycine. It is involved in detoxification of the liver and the body. Glutathione [binds] to toxins, such as heavy metals, solvents, and pesticides, and transforms them into a form that can be excreted in urine or bile. Glutathione is also an important antioxidant, counteracting the effects of free radicals produced in the body by oxidation reactions."
Article Last Updated: May 8, 2009
http://www.naturalnews.com/027379_green_tea_cancer_blood.html
New research from Japan: Green tea fights blood and liver cancer, as well as pneumonia
Monday, November 02, 2009 by: S. L. Baker, features writer
(NaturalNews) Three new studies by Japanese scientists add even more evidence to what already is an astounding mountain of data showing green tea protects and heals the human body. All of the research is based on findings from the huge Ohsaki National Health Insurance Cohort Study in Japan which involved 41,761 Japanese adults between 40 and 79 years of age. None of the research subjects had a history of cancer when the study started and their diets, along with other lifestyle factors and any health problems they developed, were followed for about ten years.
In a study published in the September issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology, Dr. Toru Naganuma of Tohoku University School of Medicine in Senda and colleagues reported that drinking at least five daily cups of green tea was found to slash the risk of blood cancers by 42% and lymph system cancers by 48%. What's more, these enormous reductions in cancer were consistent in both men and women and in people with various body mass sizes.
While Dr. Naganuma was looking at blood and lymph cancer rates, another research team in the Division of Epidemiology in Tohoku University's Department of Public Health and Forensic Medicine was also searching the Ohsaki National Health Insurance Cohort Study and they discovered yet another link between green tea and cancer prevention. Their study, published in the September issue of the journal Cancer Causes and Control found that green tea consumption was inversely associated with the incidence of liver cancer. The study documented that the more green tea consumed, the more the risk plummeted -- five cups or more offered the most protection from liver malignancies.
Yet another study of the Ohsaki data by scientists at the Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, published in the September edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found a strong link between drinking green tea and protection against pneumonia in women. The researchers noted in their paper that experimental and animal studies have previously shown that catechins, antioxidant phytochemicals found abundantly in green tea, are active against infectious agents -- so that could be a possible explanation for green tea's apparent pneumonia-fighting ability.
They excluded any research participants who were missing information on their green tea consumption or who had reported a history of cancer, heart attack or stroke. In all, the scientists followed the research subjects' health for over 12 years. The results showed, at least for women, a dramatic reduction in the risk of pneumonia for green tea drinkers. Once again, drinking five or more cups a day appeared to offer the most benefit.
NaturalNews has consistently reported on research demonstrating how green tea can help prevent and heal a spectrum of diseases and conditions. For example, green tea appears to prevent leukemia (http://www.naturalnews.com/026911_g...) and prostate cancer (http://www.naturalnews.com/026872_P...). Recently, scientists have found that green tea may help prevent and treat the bone-robbing condition known as osteoporosis, too (http://www.naturalnews.com/027194_g...).
For more information:
http://www.naturalnews.com/green_te...
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/...
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abs...
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/...
http://www.naturalnews.com/020395_liver_cancer_oranges_mandarin_ora...
Mandarin oranges found to significantly prevent liver cancer due to their natural medicine
Tuesday, September 12, 2006 by: NaturalNews, citizen journalist
(NaturalNews) Two studies in Japan have found that eating mandarin oranges significantly reduces the risk of liver cancer. The protective effect may be due in part to vitamin A compounds known as carotenoids, which give mandarin oranges their color.
Researchers at the National Institute of Fruit Tree Science surveyed 1,073 people in the Japanese town of Mikkabi, in Shizuoka, where mandarin orange consumption is high. Chemical markers found in the blood of the Mikkabi residents were linked to a lower risk of liver disease, hardened arteries and insulin resistance.
A separate study conducted by scientists at Kyoto Prefuctural University of Medicine studied 75 patients with viral hepatitis and found that the group of 30 that drank mandarin orange juice for a year had no liver cancer. The disease was found in 8.9 percent of the 45 not drinking the juice.
"Mandarin oranges contain potent medicine," said Mike Adams, a holistic nutritionist and author of The Seven Laws of Nutrition. "Liver cancer is only one of many diseases that mandarin oranges help prevent and even reverse," he said. "Nature has provided us with the best medicines in the world, but as consumers, we have to be wise enough to recognize these gifts and take action to benefit from them. That means eating and drinking multiple servings of fresh, unprocessed fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds on a daily basis."
The Kyoto researchers admitted more work was needed and announced their plan to continue the study for five years.
Cathy Ross, a cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, felt the studies underlined the influence on fruits and vegetables on health.
"This research appears to support the BHF recommendation of eating at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, to help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease," she said. "Different colored fruit and vegetables contain different vitamins and minerals, so the more types of fruit and vegetables you can include in your diet the better."
http://www.naturalnews.com/025940_L-carnitine_cancer_liver_cancer.html
L-Carnitine may Prevent and Treat Liver Cancer
Thursday, March 26, 2009 by: Sherry Baker, Health Sciences Editor
(NaturalNews) According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), liver cancer is often fatal. In fact, about 21,000 Americans were diagnosed with liver cancer last year and over 18,000 deaths were attributed to the disease. The Mayo Clinic web site points out that not only is primary liver cancer rarely discovered at an early stage, but it also doesn't respond to current treatments. However, a new study offers hope that a viable therapy could be on the horizon. For the first time, scientists have found evidence that a natural substance may be able to prevent, slow or even reverse the occurrence of liver cancer.
L-carnitine, a naturally occurring amino acid, is synthesized in the liver and kidneys and is also derived from dietary sources, including avocados, tempeh, dairy products and red meat. A team of researchers at King Saud University in Saudi Arabia investigated the role of L-carnitine in the development of liver malignancies and, in their study just published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology, these scientists concluded that a deficiency of L-carnitine is a risk factor for liver cancer. What's more, they found long-term L-carnitine supplementation may prevent the development of liver cancer.
The research team, headed by Professor Sayed-Ahmed of King Saud University's College of Pharmacy, used an animal model of liver cancer to study how cancer develops when there is a lack of L-carnitine. They also studied what happened to liver cancers when the animals received supplementation with the amino acid. When the laboratory rats had their L-carnitine levels depleted, there was a progressive increase in the activities of liver enzymes along with massive degenerative changes in the liver and evidence of pre-malignant lesions in liver tissues. However, supplementation with L-carnitine resulted in a 100 percent reversal of the increase in liver enzymes compared to normal values and the pre-cancerous liver lesions went away, too.
This is not the first research to show L-carnitine may protect the liver. Noting that liver cancer is usually preceded by chronic inflammation, Japanese scientists published research in the International Journal of Cancer (vol. 113, 2005) showing that L-carnitine effectively protects livers from the production of free radicals caused by inflammation. Earlier research published in the journal Diabetes Care by scientists at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, Michigan, also found that L-carnitine supplements helped with pain, nerve regeneration, and vibratory perception in patients with chronic diabetic neuropathy (nerve pain).
For more information:
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/...
http://www.wjgnet.com/1007-9327/15/...
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/li...
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/...
http://www.naturalnews.com/025005_milk_thistle_traffic_chemicals.html
Milk Thistle for Liver Repair
Friday, December 05, 2008 by: Jo Hartley, citizen journalist
(NaturalNews) There may be disagreement from gardeners and landscapers about the positive aspects of milk thistle, but as far as its herbal benefits, milk thistle is a very beneficial plant. When mature, it can be several feet tall and it boasts a pretty purplish full bloom on top. It is best admired carefully, however, because its stem and leaves have sharp thorns. You will discover that navigating these thorns is worth it when you learn all of the benefits that can be derived from this powerful plant.
•The stem can be peeled to remove the thorns and then can be consumed like celery.
•The leaves can be steamed similar to spinach.
•The roots can either be boiled or even eaten raw.
•The seeds are edible as well (however these are potent and this should only be done under the supervision and guidance of an expert).
The interesting thing about this herb (and many others) is that the way most of us consume our herbs is to automatically purchase the prepared (and often) synthetic version of the herb. Milk thistle is a great example of an edible herb that when eaten in its natural state can be not only delicious, but beneficial for our bodies. Milk thistle has long been a recognized beneficial herb by herbalists and is also very popular in Europe.
Milk thistle contains flavonoids that have direct beneficial effects on the liver. There are even recent studies that have concluded that the flavonoids contained in milk thistle can help treat acute and chronic hepatitis, jaundice, and may even counter the ill effects of alcohol consumption and some drug consumption. In short, milk thistle can repair the liver and even promote the development of new liver cells.
The liver is the second largest organ and the proper function of the liver is paramount to humans' overall good health. The liver produces bile, which is needed for fat breakdown. The liver also detoxifies the pollutants that enter the bloodstream. These detoxification abilities include alcohol, nicotine, and toxins from the air around us (including carbon monoxide). As our environment becomes more and more toxic our livers must work ever harder to keep up. People who work with chemicals, who are exposed to second-hand smoke, or who regularly drive in rush-hour traffic should seriously consider helping their liver out by supplementing with milk thistle.
Milk thistle is not one of the new miracle supplements that are being promoted among the supplement manufacturers. It is a powerful herb with a specific purpose and function that can benefit a large segment of our population. Almost everyone comes into contact with chemicals on a regular basis. Unfortunately, many of us are exposed to second-hand smoke all too often. Additionally, a large percentage of us spend time every day in rush-hour traffic. For these reasons, everyone could benefit from supplementing their diets with natural milk thistle.