A review of herbal medicine: Silybum marianum

Abstract

Silymarin is the seed extract of silybum marianum herbal medicine widely used for liver and bilary abnormality in China and several European country. It protect liver from several toxicity including acetaminophen, alcohol and amanita mashrom poisoning. Silymarin is composed of several flavonoids with antioxidative, anti-inflammatory and increasing cellular glutathion level properties. Although several experimental and clinical investigation indicating its efficacy against liver and prostate cancer, cisplatin induced kidney toxicity, and type II diabetes, but further clinical study need for its clinical use. However no adverse effect is reported by its chronic use or its administration to children, or pregnancy and lactation women.

Keywords

• silymarin
• herbal medicine
• liver
• antioxidant