The liver is a large glandular organ, whose functions includestorage and filtration of blood, secretion of bile, detoxification ofvarious substances, and conversion of sugars into glycogen, which itstores. The liver is also responsible for processing many vitamins andnutrients into a form that can be utilized by the body, and processingmany toxic chemicals for elimination.

Modern living involves daily exposure to substances that are toxicto our bodies, which imposes a heavy load on the liver. Therefore, ahealthy liver is critical to well-being. Certain lifestyle risks andmedical conditions make it all the more important to ensure that theliver is being maintained at its functional best.

In Europe and Asia, herbal liver tonics have been in common use forcenturies. The effectiveness of the herbs used has been validatedduring the past decades through modern research and clinical studies.These herbs generally contain antioxidants, cell membrane stabilizingagents, bile secretion enhancing compounds, or nutrients that preventdepletion of endogenous antioxidants such as glutathione.Hepato-protection is beneficial not only for the liver, but for theoverall health and vitality of our body.

Silymarin is an active component of the extract of milk thistle, a member of the compositae or daisy family.46Silymarin is considered a flavonolignin, which is a unique type ofbioflavonoid. Scientific studies show that oral supplementation withsilymarin can have a protective effect on the liver.47-52*