Milk thistle is an herbal product claimed to treat several health conditions, such as diabetes. This eMedTV article provides an overview of milk thistle, including information on its effectiveness, possible side effects, and safety concerns.
Milk thistle may help to treat several conditions, such as diabetes, high cholesterol, and liver disease. This eMedTV resource explores other milk thistle benefits, and explains how more research is needed to determine the effectiveness of this plant.
Headaches, nausea, and diarrhea are among the possible side effects of milk thistle. This part of the eMedTV archives describes other milk thistle side effects to watch out for, including serious side effects that may require immediate medical attention.
As this eMedTV article explains, many people wonder if milk thistle works to treat certain conditions (such as liver disease). This page discusses the research that has been done on milk thistle effectiveness and explains why more research is needed.
As this eMedTV Web resource explains, there is no standard milk thistle dosage established at this time. This page describes the doses of milk thistle that were used in some studies of the supplement, and offers tips on when and how to take this herb.
There is little information available about which medications may interact with milk thistle. However, as this eMedTV page explains, it is theoretically possible that there are several milk thistle drug interactions that are just not known at this time.
As this eMedTV Web page explains, some of the milk thistle safety concerns include its potential to make some conditions worse. This page covers other important milk thistle safety warnings and precautions, including who should not use the product.
An overdose on milk thistle could cause diarrhea or bloating. This selection from the eMedTV Web site explains what to expect if you take too much of this herbal supplement and describes possible treatment options for a milk thistle overdose.
It may not be safe to use milk thistle during pregnancy, as the herb may have estrogen-like effects. This eMedTV page offers more information on milk thistle and pregnancy, and stresses the importance of talking to your doctor about the risks involved.
It may not be safe to use milk thistle while breastfeeding. This page of the eMedTV library covers the problems that could occur when taking milk thistle and breastfeeding at the same time (such as a negative effect on quantity and quality of the milk).
Due to its potential benefit to the liver, milk thistle is sometimes taken by people with hepatitis C. As this eMedTV article explains, scientists are still awaiting clear-cut evidence of its effectiveness. This page discusses milk thistle and hep C.
