View source for Silibinin (an ingredient in Milk Thistle)

{{TreatmentInfo
|drug_name=Silibinin (Silymarin)
|FDA_approval=No
|used_for=Liver and biliary disorders, adjunct agent in cancer treatment
|clinical_trial_phase=Investigated primarily in hepatitis and cirrhosis; small studies in cancers such as acute lymphoblastic leukemia, prostate cancer, breast cancer, head and neck cancer, and hepatocellular carcinoma
|common_side_effects=Few reported; mainly gastrointestinal disturbances
|OS_without=Not specified
|OS_with=Not specified
|PFS_without=Not specified
|PFS_with=Not specified
|usefulness_rating=Under investigation; shown to have anti-cancer effects in laboratory studies
|notes=Silibinin, the active component of Milk Thistle, has shown potential in stabilizing cellular membranes, stimulating detoxification pathways, and inhibiting cancer cell growth in laboratory studies. It has a long history of use for liver and biliary disorders. Clinical trials in cancer are limited but suggest a potential role in enhancing chemotherapy efficacy and reducing toxicity.
|category=Dietary Supplement
|links=
* [Milk Thistle (PDQ®)–Health Professional Version - NCI](https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam/hp/milk-thistle-pdq)
|toxicity_level=Low
|toxicity_explanation=Silibinin is considered to have few side effects, with gastrointestinal disturbances being the most common.
|book_text=Silibinin (an ingredient of Milk Thistle)

Silymarin is an extract from the milk thistle plant that has been used extensively in
Europe as an antidote for liver toxicity, due to mushroom poisoning and overdoses of
tylenol. Its active ingredient is a molecule called silibinin. Recently a great deal of
laboratory research has shown it to have anti-cancer effects, which recently have been
reviewed (275). Like genistein and quercetin it is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, but it
appears to have multiple other effects, including the inhibition of the insulin-like growth
factor (IGF) that contributes to the development of chemoresistance (276) (see the section
on tamoxifen), and the inhibition of angiogenesis (277). It also inhibits the 5-
lipoxygenase inflammatory pathway and suppresses nuclear factor kappa B, which is a
primary antagonist to apoptosis (278). It also appears to protect against common
chemotherapy toxicities (279), while at the same time increasing the effectiveness of
�chemotherapy. 
}}