Milk Thistle + other stuff

[gtaman]

Yes I could do a search on all these substances but I'd like your take.

Milk Thistle is often really expensive in the drug store. I came across a Milk Thistle Extract Formula that is not only cheaper (made by a company called Quest) but also has other substances in it.

Unfortunately they can't make any nutritional claims on the label so I am left to wonder what the point of all this other stuff is.

Each caplet contains Milk Thistle Seed Powder (480 mg)
Butternut Bark of Root Powder 155 mg
Dandelion Root Powder 155mg
Licorice Root Powder 40 mg
Wild Yam Root Powder 10 mg

So I am wondering, does this seem like a product that is tailed specifically for bodybuilders? Do any of those other things also protect the liver, or are they good for other things? I think Dandelion Root is a diuretic, so I am wondering if maybe this is a multipurpose tab they're making just for bodybuilders.

There are about 5,000 different kinds of herbal products in the Shoppers Drug Mart these days...

 

[Weam]

I don't like and won't recommend herbal supplementation by the exception of Milk-thistle(Silymarin)

IMO, most of herbal supplements just gives a placebo effects but no real results as with other substances

I would really recommend, Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids as with Fish oil and evening primrose oil
Alpha lipoic acid, Glutamine, NAC, Glutathione and of course Silymarin(Milk thistle)

 

[athlete03]

I couldn't agree more. The vast majority of over the counter herbal shit is useless for all practical purposes. Americans will buy anything that's bottled. Make sure your milk thistle is standardized. Good luck.

 

[gtaman]

Yeah, I wonder what the point of all that other stuff is.

I get my Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids from a multi-oil blend also available in the drugstore. Also use flax oil alone sometimes.

 

[TexasDude]

I paid $14 for 120 300mg pills of milk thistle. Not much money at all. I take two a day so that bottle will last me two months.

 

[Digital Ronin]

I'm thinking the cost of Milk Thistle is small in comparison to the health of your liver or the price of your cycle... But to answer your question, I just stick with the basic liver protectants and multi-vitamins.

 

[gtaman]

Hey, it's not like I'm trying to be cheap - the lower cost of this bottle was just a side effect.

My actual question was about whether there might actually be a coherent plan behind this Quest company's multi-herb supplement as opposed to straight Milk Thistle. I'm sure the Milk Thistle is real - and I am taking 5-6 pills a day... but all the other stuff may be for a reason... well maybe I'll try to go to their web site just to see what ridiculous claims they're making about it...

 

[gtaman]

Well, I tracked down some info after finally finding the right company called Quest (http://www.questvitamins.com).

They don't discuss the product on the web site, which is probably a good thing. I'm sure milk thistle alone is much preferable. It seems that I may have stumbled into a product they're making to cater to the "holistic liver flushing wackos" market.

Looking at some of the holistic medicine sites is a treat ... these people will have us taking "coffee enemas" if we don't steer far away from them...

 

[gtaman]

More research

Just looked at a research paper on licorice root. Amongst many other things it reports:

"Estrogen and other steroid hormones: Licorice contains chemicals called phytoestrogens. These substances bind to many of the same estrogen receptor sites that prescription estrogen products such as Premarin and Estrace do. Therefore, the effects of prescription estrogens may be increased. Prescription estrogens can sometimes cause a rise in blood pressure: therefore any woman taking estrogen who is also using licorice root should have her blood pressure carefully watched. "

So good or bad? Is this activity pro-estrogenic or possibly anti-estrogenic? I know I have heard that soy protein contains phytoestrogens and is not so great for males.

I think I am throwing out these pills. D'oh!

 

[gtaman]

yikes again

Wild Yam = useless

http://www.tnp.com/substance.asp?ID=97

... same site shows dandelion root to have no clear uses except as a possible appetite stimulant. Theories about liver protection from this substance are wrong.

BTW, this TNP site looks like a great site to double check claims being made about herbal remedies.