Manoj Sharma (Public Health; Internal Medicine) coauthored an article titled “The effect of silymarin (milk thistle) on cirrhosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials" in the journal Hepatology Forum (Impact factor 2.1). Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) is a prickly, flowering plant native to the Mediterranean region and a member of the daisy and sunflower family. Silymarin is the primary active compound extracted from the plant's seeds. The results of the present study, which analyzed eight clinical trials, showed favorable effects of Silymarin in reducing aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (liver enzymes that leak into the bloodstream when liver cells (hepatocytes) are injured) and increasing albumin (the major protein synthesized exclusively by healthy liver cells) levels in cirrhosis. While the results are promising, the research is in its infancy.
