Can Milk Thistle Extract Help Gall Bladder Sludge?

Sludge

• Gallbladder sludge, technically referred to as biliary sludge, forms when minute particles of cholesterol and calcium separate from bile, the liquid produced in the liver and stored in the gallbladder to assist with the breakdown of fatty foods. This sludge may eventually grow and harden, developing into gallstones, a condition that may require surgery for removal of the stones.

Silymarin

• Milk thistle has been utilized for thousands of years as an herbal remedy for many illnesses, including liver and gall bladder problems. "A flavonoid complex called silymarin can be extracted from the seeds of milk thistle and is believed to be the biologically active component," reports the Mayo Clinic. Milk thistle typically is sold as a capsule, tincture or liquid extract.

Dosage

• The University of Maryland Medical Center says that milk thistle (Silybum marianum) seed, in standardized extract form, may be taken two to three times daily, at a dosage of 80 to 160 milligrams, for liver and gallbladder health. Patients should not undertake a regimen of milk thistle without discussing the plan with a primary physician.