• Thistle has several medicinal uses.thistle image by Henryk Olszewski from Fotolia.com
  
  Alternative medical uses for thistle, properly referred to as milk thistle, or Silybum marianum, rely on the plant's active ingredient. This active ingredient is a flavonoid called silymarin, which is extracted from the thistle's seeds. The Mayo Clinic states, "Milk thistle has been used medicinally for over 2,000 years, most commonly for the treatment of liver and gallbladder disorders."
  
  

Hepatitis

• The US Government's National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) states, "Laboratory studies suggest that milk thistle may benefit the liver by protecting and promoting the growth of liver cells." These studies on the use of thistle for hepatitis patients include two still in progress, as of 2010, as well as three which have already have been completed. It is thought thistle aids the liver function by fighting oxidation, the process which damages the body's cells, and by reducing the liver's tendency for inflammation during this disease. Patients who took thistle for hepatitis found it reduces the symptoms of hepatitis and decreases the severity of any symptoms experienced. They also experienced few side effects, excluding those allergic to other plants also in the aster family, which include chrysanthemums, daisies and marigolds.
  
  

Cancer

• The US government (NCCAM) in conjunction with the Columbia University Medical Center are currently (correct as of 2010) conducting trials to evaluate the effectiveness of thistle as a medicine for treating patients suffering from an advanced type of cancer relating the liver. As well as possessing antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, experts at NCCAM state, "It may also have direct anticancer effects through inhibition of growth factors and promotion of cell cycle arrest."
  
  It also says these studies are conducted using, "the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of silybinphosphatidylcholine (a commercially available preparation with increased bioavailability), for patients suffering from advanced hepatocellular carcinoma."
  
  The US National Cancer Institute (NCI) notes that, "most research has studied silymarin or its major compound silybin, instead of the plant in its whole form," and suggests thistle may make chemotherapy less toxic to the body by protecting the liver from damage and slowing existing tumor growth or preventing the appearance of new tumors in the liver.
  
  

Gall Bladder and Digestive Diseases

• The use of thistle to treat gall bladder disease dates back to the Ancient Greeks. The German "Commission E," which regulates and authorizes the use of herbs, and the World Health Organization (WHO) already recognize that extracts of thistle seeds have a beneficial effect on digestive disorders. The European illness of dyspepsia, similar to gall bladder disease, is a hard to diagnose set of digestive symptoms traditionally treated with bitter herbs, such as Swedish bitters, which are thought to act as a tonic on the system. Since thistle is a bitter herb, it is not surprising to find it's an ingredient of more than one European pharmaceutical formula for treating biliary disease. Although modern-day herbalists prescribe thistle for a range of illnesses, they recommend dosages are taken under the supervision of a qualified medical practitioner to avoid unwanted side-effects. Patients should consult with their regular health-care providers before discontinuing any therapies.