Liver protection - Sylimarin and Silibinin

In previous blog posts, we have talked about the Milk thistle spoken. Milk thistle is a medicinal herb for liver protection.

What are mycotoxins (fungal toxins)?

Mycotoxins are present in cereals all year round. The toxin problem is exacerbated by high nitrogen fertiliser applications. Exposure to mycotoxins also increases due to the effect of Glyphosate on the cytochrome p450 defence enzyme system, which also breaks down xenobiotics and fungal toxins.

90 % of the fungal toxins in cereals are found in the bran. The data show that 10-30 % of the DON fungal toxin content of the grain passes into the white flour during milling. However, the bran is the fraction in which the fungal toxin can be present up to ten times the original value of the wheat grain, i.e. if wheat with 0.5 ppm DON is milled, the DON content in the bran fraction can be up to 3-5 ppm.

White flour, which is made from the same wheat, contains only 10 % of the fungal toxin compared to wholemeal flour. The worst breads or rolls in terms of fungal toxins are bran breads or rolls. This is particularly important in wet years.

Systemic and local (absorbable) pesticides accumulate in the husk, so wholemeal flour should also be avoided.

For effective protection against fungal toxins in livestock farming, 6-7 different toxin binders should be used, supplemented with vitamin E and D. Functional feeding would also help here, as it increases the animals' detoxification capacity. Also Arginine plays a role here as an antioxidant, the lack of which reduces the detoxification capacity.

The best liver protectors against fungal toxins are sylimarin and silibinin, the active ingredients of milk thistle.

We are usually asked by pet owners for advice and practical help when neither the pet food manufacturer nor the vet can help. We should ask ourselves why our pets, dogs and cats, are being affected by human diseases on a staggering scale. Our four-legged friends in human care suffer from the same syndromes as their owners.

Twenty, thirty or forty years ago, these diseases didn't exist at all. 

Milk thistle to protect the liver

Milk thistle protects the liver and contributes to the regulation of carbohydrate metabolism by promoting insulin utilisation. Improved liver function can lead to improved glucose and fat metabolism.

The active ingredients of milk thistle are silymarin and water-soluble flavonoids (quercetin and taxifolin), which together protect the cytochrome p450 enzyme system.

This system acts as a catalyst for detoxification: it breaks down harmful fungal toxins, xenobiotics and pesticides. Glyphosate damages this enzyme system, which plays an important role in the basic regulation of metabolism in the body and in maintaining a healthy hormone balance.