Question: Is it safe to take milk thistle on a daily basis when taking prescribed drugs such as Zocor, Namenda, and Aleve?
Dr. Blaylock's Answer:
New evidence indicates that the components of milk thistle, silymarin, sylibin, etc., can inhibit specific detoxification enzymes in the liver, such as CYP3A4. This enzyme is used to metabolize certain drugs, and if it is impaired, drugs can stay in the body too long or reach toxic levels.
Because milk thistle stimulates liver health and improves some detoxification, I would not suggest its use in combination with pharmaceutical drugs.
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