Silymarin Milk Thistle Can Stop Skin Cancer

Silymarin milk thistle is thought to be a weed by most people and most people do not look for health benefits in their weed patch. Researching dermatologists just recently went to the weed patch to do just that. For years science has known that extract of milk thistle is very effective in the treatment of almost all kinds of liver problems. This research found that the effects of excessive sunlight exposure can be altered, which may prevent cancer of the skin.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Dermatologists conducted the study . They studied methods other than sunscreens to protect us from overexposure to the sun They checked all of the available literature regarding skin cancer prevention and silymarin, which is a powerful milk thistle extract won the award.

The research showed that silymarin milk thistle protects us from skin cancer caused by sun over exposure but it also has benefits of protecting us against skin cancers caused by chemicals. In research silymarin milk thistle has been found to help after chemotherapy to cleanse the body of the after effects.

There review found just how effective silymarin stops skin cancer. They reviewed experiments where animals were exposed to various chemicals that cause skin cancer. These include the use of 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene, mezerein, benzoyal peroxide, and okadaic acid. All of these chemicals failed to produce cancer when they applied silymarin topically to the skin. The same thing happened with solar-induced cancers.

Silymarin is an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immune-protective nutrient. It has similar properties as other cancer-fighting nutrients like Resveratrol and Pycnogenol. “Silymarin may favorably supplement sunscreen protection and provide additional anti-photocarcinogenic protection,” wrote Dr. Katiyar, in the International Journal of Oncology in a study of the antioxidant and inflammatory effects of silymarin milk thistle.

You may not have to put it on topically. Researchers from the University of Colorado Cancer Center have studied the anti-cancer effects of silymarin extracts for years. They found that the major active anti-cancer and detoxification chemical in silymarin is a nutrient called silibinin.

The researchers did many studies to find how efficiently tissues absorb silibinin when fed to mice. When the mice took a dose of 50 mg/kg, they had amounts of silibinin in their skin within one hour. And the levels were significant — 1.4 micrograms of silibinin per gram of skin. That would be the same as a 3500mg dose for a 150 pound person.

These research findings show you would have the same skin amounts if you took a dose of 3,500 mg of silibinin one hour before sun exposure. And at best this dosage level would last about three hours.

In other silymarin research at the University of Michigan they stated recently, “Melanoma is one of the few tumors that have increased in incidence over the last few decades.”They suggested that silymarin and green tea are among “several promising agents” that could be harnessed to “significantly decrease the morbidity and mortality from this deadly cancer.”

It yet another study “Silymarin possesses exceptionally high protective effects against [skin] tumor promotion,” concluded scientists at Case Western Reserve University.

If you have a history of skin cancers, you may think about adding the use of a silymarin cream . Dr Al Sears MD has developed a Sunsreen in a capsule which he has found quite effective.

n accordance with the FDA these products are not intended to treat, cure, mitigate, or prevent any diseases. Information on this site is given for educational purposes only and is not to replace the advice of your health care professional.

Svobodova A, Zdarilova A, Maliskova J, et al. Attenuation of UVA-induced damage to human keratinocytes by silymarin. J Dermatol Sci. 2007 Apr;46(1):21-30.

Lahiri-Chatterjee M, Katiyar SK, Mohan RR, Agarwal R. A flavonoid antioxidant, silymarin, affords exceptionally high protection against tumor promotion in the SENCAR mouse skin tumorigenesis model. Cancer Res. 1999 Feb 1;59(3):622-32.

Katiyar SK. Silymarin and skin cancer prevention: anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and immunomodulatory effects (Review). Int J Oncol. 2005 Jan;26(1):169-76.

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