Herbal Helpers: Milk Thistle for Kidney Protection

Cisplatin is a powerful chemotherapy drug used to treat a variety of cancers, but its benefits often come at the cost of significant side effects—one of the most concerning being nephrotoxicity, or kidney damage. In a 2015 clinical trial published in the Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research, Momeni and colleagues set out to see whether milk thistle, also known as silymarin, a plant-derived compound known for its antioxidant and liver-protective properties, could help protect kidney function in patients receiving cisplatin. The study enrolled adult patients undergoing cisplatin-based chemotherapy, with both the intervention and control groups having similar baseline characteristics, including age and initial kidney function as measured by blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine levels.

In the intervention arm, participants received silymarin throughout their chemotherapy course, while the control group did not receive any additional supplement. Both groups were otherwise treated identically, which allowed researchers to isolate the potential protective effect of silymarin. Renal function was monitored closely—at baseline, three days after cisplatin administration, and again at the two-week mark—providing a clear picture of how kidney markers changed over time in each group.

Initially, results between the groups were nearly identical. Three days after receiving cisplatin, BUN was 15.78 ± 4.28 mg/dL in the silymarin group and 14.94 ± 3.62 mg/dL in controls, and creatinine was 0.92 ± 0.22 mg/dL vs. 0.87 ± 0.20 mg/dL, showing no significant difference. However, by two weeks, the picture had changed. The silymarin group’s BUN had dropped to 14.01 ± 3.36 mg/dL, while the control group’s had risen to 16.10 ± 3.76 mg/dL. Creatinine followed a similar pattern: 0.86 ± 0.20 mg/dL in the silymarin group compared to 0.94 ± 0.19 mg/dL in controls. These differences indicated a preservation of kidney function in those receiving silymarin.

The authors concluded that silymarin, given its safety profile and minimal side effects, may be a useful preventive strategy against cisplatin-induced kidney damage. While the study was relatively small and limited in duration, its findings are encouraging. If replicated in larger, long-term trials, silymarin could be integrated into standard oncology care, offering patients a simple, well-tolerated option to help preserve kidney health during cancer treatment.

References

Momeni A, Hajigholami A, Geshnizjani S, Kheiri S. Effect of silymarin in the prevention of Cisplatin nephrotoxicity, a clinical trial study. J Clin Diagn Res. 2015;9(4):OC11‐OC13.

By Dr. Sydney Moffat, ND and Dr. Gurdev Parmar, ND, FABNO(USA)