Milk Thistle Surprisingly Helpful for OCD

Milk thistle is one of the most studied herbs and is well-known as, perhaps, the best liver detoxifying herb. It is even capable of regenerating a damaged liver by increasing the producion of new, healthy liver cells. But another use of milk thistle has taken us by surprise. Milk thistle is also an effective herb for treating obsessive-compulsive disorder. . . .

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is in need of better, safer treatments. Many people suffering from OCD can’t tolerate the side effects of the drugs or don’t respond to the drugs or respond to the drugs at first but stop responding after a while.

This double-blind study gave thirty-five people with OCD either 10mg of Prozac or 200mg of milk thistle extract three times a day for eight weeks. Both the drug and the herb produced a significant benefit, and there was no significant difference between them: on the Yale-Brown Scale for OCD, milk thistle dropped the score by 11 points and Prozac by 12.5.

This study gives people with OCD a surprising new natural, safe, effective option for treating their condition.

Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2010;34:362-5

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