Hi Robyn from Melbourne,

Some of the weirdest symptoms apparently occur with systemic fungal (i.e. Candida albicans) infections. There is a site (I believe it is called "Know the Cause" which has some excellent information on this. Also look up baking soda for cancer therapy as baking soda is supposed to kill off fungal infections which the Italians believe the cancer disappears after the fungus is killed off.

Of great dietary requirement is the leaving off all sugars & sweets. You should also be checking your foods/drinks for monosodium glutamate and aspartame.

There is also a good book on systemic candida albicans infections titled "The Yeast Connection" by Dr. Crook.

Hi Robyn -

That sounds really rough. Have you looked into the Linus Pauling (google it) vitamin C therapy thing...?

Also, the brain is made up of a high percentage of fat - If I were trying to help mine, and my liver were compromised, I would research virgin coconut oil. It is supposed to be good for everything, but it does not make the liver work to assimilate it. I take 2 tablespoons a day.... but if you do decide to use it, start slower, at a teaspoon a day, and work your way up or you will have heavy detox symptoms to deal with.

Also - CoQ10 - look at that too. And maybe astaxanthin, B-12 and a good b-complex vitamin.

Just some random thoughts as to what I would be taking in your situation.... things you might want to look in to.

Good luck!

thank you. Good point, my toungue has the white coating (for 18 yrs). But that can be liver too apparently. Ive done everything suggested on this site for candida and read that book. Except I cant say I have eliminated sugar for good. I dont have any other carbs but a piece of choc a day, working on getting rid of that.

Just wanted to comment regarding Robyn from Melbourne, Australia. She said among her many problems that she has very poor liver function. I was diagnosed with Hepatitis C. I took 7 to 12 capsules of milk thistle a day and now I am negative for the disease. The milk thistle heals and totally rejuvenates the liver!

Sandra from St. Peters - That's a great result. Can you please tell me what dose each capsule was, and for how long you took them? Thanks!

I feel it neccesary to comment here on milk thistle as it can be dangerous to some. I realize people come here to look for a cure when they need help, but some times can be mislead by others who feel they are helping. I found out about milk thistle here years ago and took it without looking into its side effects and toxicity. After having little results and struggling with other medications I found milk thistle to be suspect. After I stopped taking it, I found my medications to work better and felt less overloaded.

Read here at the bottom of the page. http://www.hcvadvocate.org/hepatitis/hepC/mthistle.html

fair warning.

art.

This one lab or in vitro study is certainly not enough evidence to make broad scale human population recommendations; but it is enough to base further studies on.

The tiny amount of enzyme change found in this milk thistle study is fairly common in many foods, herbs, and spices. Almost nothing in nature seems absolutely perfect. This is why variety and moderation are important in our diet. Maybe why I keep recommending herbal and nutritional "complexes" over single. I take Milk Thistle along with Turmeric, and Artichoke, plus two entirely different herbal liver "complexes".

Can you please suggest the herbal supplements you take for liver. I'm trying to find some for liver cleansing as I'm on statins for the past 2 yrs. Thanks

Milk Thistle along with Turmeric, Artichoke, Dandelion, Burdock, Yellowdock. Eat a large serving of Beets 2 or 3 times week for a couple weeks. CoQ10 is highly recommended for use with statin drugs. Lemon water daily will increase bile flow.

Hello Sandra, I do take milk thistle but certainly not that many. With so many organs failing and so many supplements to try to help all of them & others to try to produce some energy + then lab tests say I have renal ammonia loading and phase 1 & 2 of the liver aren't working so more supplements to try to boost all the detox pathways that aren't up to par I'm overwhelmed with swallowing that many supplements a day I think my liver is overwhelmed with trying to get all these high levels of metals out. Perhaps that's more of a reason I should be taking more??? thanks for thoughts.

From the research I have done I have found no toxic results for milk thistle. You don't have to swallow individual capules. Just order the loose powder and put a few spoonfuls on something you are eating. It does not taste bad. It is make of seeds, I believe.

To Sandra. Warning:

Maybe you should read this. http://www.hcvadvocate.org/hepatitis/hepC/mthistle.html

..."Many medications taken by people with HIV/AIDS (PHAs) - such as protease inhibitors and non-nukes - are processed by this liver enzyme. If milk thistle is taken by someone using protease inhibitors or non-nukes, it has the potential to raise levels of these drugs, causing unpleasant or even dangerous side effects. Below is a short list of some other medications that are processed through the CYP3A4 enzyme. Levels of these medications may increase if taken by people who are also using milk thistle. This list is not exhaustive:

• methadone
• heart drugs
• antibiotics
• anti-seizure drugs
• antidepressants
• antihistamines
• antifungals
• gastrointestinal motility agents
• ergot drugs
• anti-psychotics
• sedatives/sleeping pills
• lipid-lowering drugs (statins)
• transplant drugs

Milk thistle also has the potential to lower levels of the following drugs:

• anti-parasite drugs
• sedatives/sleeping pills
• hormones - estrogen..."

You don't have to suffer from aids related diseases to be affected by what Milk Thistle will do to you. I have to take Oxycodone for pain related symptoms and found the Milk Thistle to make the Oxycodone less effective. When I took more Oxycodone I got sick untill I figured it out.

I just thought you should know.

Art.

This really makes the most beneficial herb for liver health look bad, only against pharmaceutical drugs; as if the drugs themselves do no harm. Many of the drugs on this list actually cause liver problems like elevated enzymes, and even cirrhosis. Statin drugs in particular are quite toxic to liver cells.

Always read drug precautions, warnings, and contraindications. Wellness Dr's recommend a variety (not just Milk Thistle) of herbs for liver "health" and minimal pharmaceuticals.

To Timh, I do not want to climb on anybody's back here but after reading a post from Sandra from St. Peters, Mo saying she takes 7 to 12 capsules of Milk Thistle and that it will heal heal and rejuvinate the liver is very alarming. It is know that Milk Thistle blocks pharmaceuticals and supplements from the liver as it is fighting to protect an already diseased liver. Sandra did this to cure her hep-c but my money is on a relapse and she probably still has not tested negative for antibodies or she would have posted her lab results. This is like one of the horrendous posts on hydrogen peroxide that I read here years ago where some one posted it is so good that he drinks mouthfuls straight from the bottle. Another issue is that ailing people don't take the time to read the warnings at the top of the page as they are hurridly trying to find a cure. So again I post a warning that Milk Thistle will block pharmacuticals and supplements which will build up in the blood stream and can be dangerous. So if you are taking meds for heart problems or blood pressure be for warned. There have been more studies about this and just because you take it with artichoke and tumeric doesn't mean it is not blocking them. There is a recent study on Tumeric as well that has been problamatic for some. You can't deny the studies. If you look for them you will find more than just one lab or invitro study.

Art

Art: We are striving for clarity here: and skewed studies by greedy corporations, and generally misguided folks missing correctness, makes for a blur. Dr. Murray has a free e-book out (I-herb has it on their site), which exposes some of the deceitful tactics used by the big pharmaceutical corps to boost their quarterly profits. He has a previous book What The Drug Companies Won't Tell You And Your Doctor Doesn't Know that also exposes the falsities in this business.

So, please don't generalize the subject w/ wording like "Milk Thistle will block pharmaceuticals and supplements". Your previous post gave some scientific specifics, and it is our best interest to heed those findings, with the understanding that there is a large curve of error due to the greed factor.

Grapefruit we know is a somewhat major liver p-450 inhibitor, so anyone taking any pharmaceutical (prescription or otc) needs forewarning.

As I said in an earlier post, many, if not most, common herbs and spices used by millions of people everyday, have all kinds of physiological changes in the body (agonizing this, antagonizing that); it's what they do. These Milk Thistle Studies are simply showing this. Did they use "standardized extracts" in their studies? There is that "dose factor" to account for.

Rule-of-thumb is to use herbs, spices, and supplements as recommended on labels. And be very educated on the "extract" versions of these naturals.

Art and Timh etc. : My own idea of healing is "slow and steady wins the race". "Bombing" out one's system with ANYTHING, even the healthiest item, doesn't seem sensible to me.