Milk Thistle and its Toxic effects -scientific studies Dr Pramil, MD, MS, FACP

00:04:45
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nx9M4lCu564

Summary

TLDRIn this video, Dr. Pramil discusses the complications of milk thistle, an herbal medication known for its benefits to liver and gallbladder health. Despite its importance, there are notable side effects associated with its use. The presentation references multiple studies and a meta-analysis revealing complications such as gastrointestinal symptoms, headaches, and other adverse effects like impotence and allergic reactions. Milk thistle's main active ingredient, silymarin, provides antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits but may lead to elevated liver enzymes and other concerns. The speaker cautions against its use during pregnancy or lactation due to insufficient data on its safety in these populations.

Takeaways

  • 🌿 Milk thistle is recognized for its liver and gallbladder benefits.
  • ⚠️ Every medication, including herbal ones, can have complications.
  • 🧑‍⚕️ Common side effects include nausea, headaches, and impotence.
  • 🔬 Studies show elevated liver enzymes in some users of milk thistle.
  • 🤰 Not recommended for use in pregnant or lactating women.
  • 🌍 Originates from Europe and Mediterranean regions.
  • 📊 Based on extensive literature research and scientific studies.
  • 💊 Silymarin is the main active component of milk thistle.
  • ⚠️ Allergic reactions are possible and documented in case studies.
  • 🗂️ Further research is needed to clarify its safety profile.

Timeline

  • 00:00:00 - 00:04:45

    Dr. Pramil introduces the presentation on the complications of herbal medications, highlighting that while herbal remedies have benefits, they also come with potential complications. The focus for this session is on milk thistle, a herb originating from Europe and used in various health benefits including liver health. Preliminary studies suggest that milk thistle may lead to side effects such as gastrointestinal issues, headaches, and even impotence. Research from reputable sources like Cochrane and JAMA underline the importance of acknowledging these complications. Other studies indicate additional symptoms ranging from musculoskeletal issues to increased liver enzymes upon consumption. One case report discusses an allergic reaction from inhaling milk thistle, emphasizing the importance of awareness regarding its use, especially among pregnant or lactating women. The session stresses the need for caution and offers to provide further detailed insights in future presentations.

Mind Map

Video Q&A

  • What is the main component of milk thistle?

    The main component of milk thistle is silymarin, which makes up 65 to 80 percent of its extract.

  • What are some of the common side effects of milk thistle?

    Common side effects include gastrointestinal symptoms, headaches, impotence, and allergic reactions.

  • Is milk thistle safe to use during pregnancy?

    Current data is unclear, and it is not recommended to use milk thistle during pregnancy or while lactating.

  • Where does milk thistle originate from?

    Milk thistle originates from Europe and Mediterranean countries.

  • What does the Cochrane meta-analysis reveal about milk thistle?

    The Cochrane meta-analysis found side effects such as headaches, gastrointestinal symptoms, and impotence related to milk thistle.

  • Can milk thistle cause liver enzyme elevation?

    Yes, studies have reported elevated bilirubin and ALT liver enzymes in patients using milk thistle.

  • What herbal properties does milk thistle possess?

    Milk thistle possesses antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

  • What unusual complications have been reported with milk thistle use?

    Unusual complications include allergic reactions, as noted in case reports.

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  • 00:00:00
    hi everyone welcome to researchmd.com my
  • 00:00:03
    name is Dr pramil
  • 00:00:05
    I am a practicing business physician in
  • 00:00:08
    the United States also a chief medical
  • 00:00:09
    officer associate prose for medicine one
  • 00:00:12
    of the large medical schools we going to
  • 00:00:14
    continue our series of presentations
  • 00:00:15
    about the complications of herbal
  • 00:00:18
    medications you know when we talk about
  • 00:00:20
    herbal medication always come to our
  • 00:00:22
    mind it's not like no complications we
  • 00:00:25
    don't have to worry but every drug has
  • 00:00:26
    its own complication again this
  • 00:00:29
    presentation is not to put down the
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    herbal medication they're being
  • 00:00:33
    recognizers tremendous benefit for a
  • 00:00:36
    herbal medication but it's also
  • 00:00:37
    important for the public and the
  • 00:00:39
    patients to know what kind of
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    complications it can produce and it can
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    stop taking the medication if you notice
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    those kind of complications okay so
  • 00:00:49
    let's start our presentation today our
  • 00:00:51
    presentation is about milk thistle
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    arable medication and let's look at like
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    all our complications we did extensive
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    literature research and horrible
  • 00:01:00
    presentations are based on scientific
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    research okay so the first study we
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    looked at it
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    you know before I go into the first
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    study let's talk a little bit about
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    milter so this actually is from Europe
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    or Mediterranean countries and the
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    Colonials introduced in the United
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    States okay and when you talk about milk
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    thistle when we I mean the first thing
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    comes in everybody's mind people are
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    taking for like clear disease and
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    gallbladder diseases in God's
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    antioxidant properties and
  • 00:01:29
    anti-inflammatory properties also
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    present in them okay and um it actually
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    comes from the seed and the main
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    component we need to know it is xylem or
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    it contains like four to six percent
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    those are the main uh main product
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    healthy for the helpful effects okay
  • 00:01:46
    when you talk about an extract a lot of
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    people use the help the extract from the
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    seed any contain like 65 to 80 percent
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    of their component called silimaran
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    ended up the rest of them is like fatty
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    acid okay
  • 00:02:00
    and so let's look at our question he was
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    done Cochrane meta-analysis when he
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    caught when you when we talk about uh
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    um any type of research you know when
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    you come to Cochrane that's the last
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    word and they did some studies and they
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    found out some side effects so what did
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    they find about the side effects they
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    found their uh side effects include
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    impotence fluoride is headache
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    gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea
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    and abdominal pain okay the next uh
  • 00:02:29
    study we looked at Jama had a
  • 00:02:31
    publication about the about this drug
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    myth and let's see what they find out
  • 00:02:36
    they found out there is again
  • 00:02:38
    gastrointestinal like abdominal symptoms
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    you have like a musculoskeletal symptoms
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    Dermatological symptoms and infections
  • 00:02:45
    and it also powders on physical injury
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    from it okay and we continued our
  • 00:02:51
    research and we looked at that there was
  • 00:02:53
    another uh good article published in the
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    phytotherapy research and they found out
  • 00:02:57
    these are the complications of being on
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    the list so again can I allow energy a
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    headache flushing weight loss
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    irritability increased glucose muscle
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    pain um they can have like heat
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    sensation halitosis fluoride is weakness
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    and a couple of labs I think is kind of
  • 00:03:14
    important when they looked at your
  • 00:03:15
    gladness gone up and calcium also have
  • 00:03:18
    gone up
  • 00:03:19
    so the next study was published
  • 00:03:21
    integrative cancer therapy about this
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    drug and their complications include
  • 00:03:26
    allergy headache designers pruritis and
  • 00:03:30
    when they looked at the liver enzymes it
  • 00:03:31
    has bilirubin has gone up alt enzymes
  • 00:03:34
    have gone up and again of course it does
  • 00:03:36
    have like a gastrointestinal symptoms
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    also present and then we what we did was
  • 00:03:42
    like after that we did like an extensive
  • 00:03:44
    literature search to find out any uh
  • 00:03:47
    unusual complications most of them
  • 00:03:49
    usually reported as a case impersonation
  • 00:03:52
    or somebody write a case report so only
  • 00:03:54
    case report we found is an allergic
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    reaction so 39 year old gentleman it was
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    I think inhaling this milk tassel and
  • 00:04:02
    you had like a weasing of um
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    allergic syndromes so the main thing I
  • 00:04:09
    mean in this case report they were
  • 00:04:10
    talking about allergic symptoms you can
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    download from taking the inhaled product
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    of mixed also and lastly in when we look
  • 00:04:18
    I mean there is not enough
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    um report about how to use in the
  • 00:04:22
    pregnancy at this point it's not a good
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    idea to use it in pregnancy or in
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    lactating
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    um you know women okay so please do
  • 00:04:31
    notice in pregnancy or lactating women
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    uh the data is not very clear thank you
  • 00:04:35
    so much for watching we'll be back with
  • 00:04:37
    another presentation please subscribe to
  • 00:04:39
    our Channel because they take a lot of
  • 00:04:40
    effort to make resonation like this God
  • 00:04:43
    bless thank you
Tags
  • Milk Thistle
  • Herbal Medication
  • Complications
  • Silymarin
  • Liver Health
  • Gastrointestinal Symptoms
  • Allergic Reactions
  • Cochrane Analysis
  • Pregnancy Safety
  • Anti-inflammatory
  • Antioxidant Properties