Extracts of the plant, a member of the daisy family, have been
used for ages to treat liver problems. About a third of people
battling hepatitis C infection say they have tried milk thistle
capsules, extracts or powders, a figure that helps explain the
roughly $100 million in annual sales of the products. Though
studies in the lab have shown that milk thistle may protect and
promote the growth of liver cells, clinical trials have been
mixed at best, and many of the studies have not been well
designed. So experts, while waiting for good data, have mostly
cautioned that the jury is still out on milk thistle’s
effectiveness. But now more evidence has come in: In a careful,
double-blinded study financed by the National Institutes of
Health, researchers at the University of North Carolina found
that milk thistle had no real effect on people with chronic
hepatitis C. The study, one of the most rigorous to date on this
topic, followed 154 people with the disease for 24 weeks. Some
were given a placebo while others r