Silymarin In Chronic Hepatitis C

Silymarin (milk thistle extract) has been the most popular option for people with liver disease. Although it is the most frequent product utilized, silymarin has not been rigorously studied using accepted scientific approaches, and therefore such studies are clearly required and warranted. In a survey of patients with chronic hepatitis  C who participated in a National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases-sponsored long-term treatment trial for patients who had failed to respond previously to antiviral therapy, approximately 40% acknowledged to interviewers at the time of enrollment that they were currently using or had in the recent past used herbal products for health purposes. Among those who were or had used alternative therapies, silymarin (milk thistle) was the product of choice either on its own or together with other herbal products, representing 72% of all the herbals taken.