People seeking a natural way to keep their livers healthy sometimes try taking a milk thistle supplement, but does it really help? Evidence so far is thin, but a small study of an extract from milk thistle seed (called silymarin) found that, when taken by people who are coinfected with HIV and hepatitis C, it may reduce their levels of a chemical that's released when the liver is damaged. Also a plus: The extract doesn't appear to cause any significant side effects. Though this is good news, it's not time to dash to the pharmacy for a bottle of milk thistle just yet: These are only preliminary results, and what's available at stores may not be as pure or as potent as the extract used in this study. (Article from Project Inform)
http://www.thebody.com/content/confs/aids2008/art48381.html?mtrk=9852248
The abstract of this study was presented at the XVII International AIDS Conference. If you'd like to learn more about milk thistle's potential benefits in people with HIV, read this fact sheet from AIDS InfoNet.