Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) is a herb native to the Mediterranean that has a long history of use in traditional herbal medicine dating back as far as 2000 years ago. It gets its name from the fact that when the leaves are crushed they ooze a white milky fluid. The herb has been used to treat a variety of conditions but its main use has always been in disorders of the liver.

In recent decades scientific interest in milk thistle has increased resulting in numerous studies of the plant and its potential use as a therapeutic agent in liver diseases. Scientists have learned that the most biologically active compounds in milk thistle are a group of flavonoids, silibinin, silidianin, and silicristin, collectively called silymarin.

Silymarin has potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and helps to protect liver cells from damage that would normally result from toxins such as alcohol. Some research suggests it helps to promote the regeneration of liver cells when the liver sustains damage from such toxins.

Silymarin has been shown in a number of studies to protect liver cells against both acetaminophen (paracetamol) overdose and deathcap mushroom (Amanita phalloides) poisoning. It may also be helpful in chronic liver diseases such as hepatitis and cirrhosis.

Finally, some initial laboratory studies have shown that silymarin and some other active constituents of milk thisle have anti-cancer activity. Milk thistle has been found to stop cancer cells from dividing and proliferating, shorten their life span, and reduce blood supply to cancerous tumours.



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Rhodiola rosea ("Golden Root" or "Rose Root") has a long history of use in the traditional medical systems of Eastern Europe and Asia, and particularly in Russia. It has traditionally been used as a tonic to improve mental and physical peformance and promote resistance to stress of all kinds.

In modern times Rhodiola rosea has come to be classified as an 'adaptogen'. This is a group of medicinal herbs which through various mechanisms improve the body's ability to resist stress, essentially helping the body adapt phsyiologically. As such, Rhodiola rosea extracts are now used to combat conditions such as depression, anxiety, insomnia, and more generally to help people cope with both mental and physical stress and improve their well-being.

Modern scientific studies have suggested that Rhodiola rosea exerts its beneficial effects through a number of different mechanisms. These include:

• Regulating the concentrations of important neurotransmitters in the brain including serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline/norepinephrine. It is thought Rhodiola rosea achieves this in a similar way as MAOI antidepressant drugs by modulating the enzymes that break down these chemicals - monoamine oxidase (MAO) and catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT).
• Improving the transport of these neurotransmitters within the brain.
• Preventing the depletion of adrenal catecholamines (e.g. adrenaline/epinephrine) induced by acute stress.
• Increasing the production and activity of natural opiate-like substances such as endorphins within the body.
• Improving oxygen transport and oxygenation of tissues.
• Increase the production and or preserve reserves of ATP (the body's energy currency molecule), especially during exercise.

Other benefits of Rhodiola rosea suggested by research include:

• Antioxidant activity
• Heart protective
• Potential anti-cancer activity

Rhodiola rosea appears to work through different mechanisms than most adaptogens which act primarily on the adrenal glands. It has been suggested therefore that it may be more useful than other adaptogens as an aid for combating acute mental, biological or chemical stress. It may also offer synergistic benefits when used with other adaptogenic herbs.

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