Life Extension - Advanced Milk Thistle 120 Softgels - Silymarin

Silymarin is extracted from milk thistle. This extract is a
powerful free radical scavenger that promotes healthy liver
function in its own right.4-10 Advanced extraction
technology has now allowed us to isolate other
constituents within the silymarin extract itself and test
their ability to support liver health and beyond.

Other compounds in our milk thistle extract

Silibinin is another compound present in our high-quality
milk thistle extract. Made up of silybins A and B, it is
the most biologically active flavonolignan component found
in milk thistle extract. Its beneficial effects on the
liver have been shown in pre-clinical and clinical
studies.8,11 Other milk thistle extracts called isosilybin
A and B have proven to be the most efficient at helping to
maintaining healthy cell division.12,13

Phosphatidylcholine and other phospholipids enhance milk
thistle’s delivery

The main bioactive compound of milk thistle, called
silybin, does not dissolve well in water.14 This makes it
difficult for the body to absorb all of it.14,15 Scientists
have overcome silybin’s poor bioavailability by integrating
it into a phytosome. A phytosome is a tiny sphere made out
of plant-derived phosphatidylcholine.

This phosphatidylcholine-based delivery system facilitates
transportation across the intestinal lining into the
bloodstream, making it an ideal carrier molecule for
silybin.8,15,16 Scientists believe that phosphatidylcholine
molecularly bonds to silybin, helping to steer it through
the cell membranes in the intestinal tract.15 This improves
the delivery of the benefits of milk thistle extracts for
liver health.

Preclinical and clinical evidence showed that this
silybin-phosphatidylcholine complex resulted in almost
5-fold greater concentrations of silybin in the bloodstream
than unformulated silymarin, and its ultimate
bioavailability to the liver, its target organ, is up to
10-fold greater than unformulated silymarin.17-19

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