Silymarin is a Potent Nerve Protector

Silymarin is widely used as a liver protecting nutrient, including the enhancement of natural detoxification processes.  In the past few years it has also been gaining recognition as a brain protecting nutrient.  Two new studies support the important role silymarin can play in preserving nerve health.

In the first study¹ researchers evaluated nerve cell cultures and induced spinal injury in rats.  In the cell studies they demonstrated that silymarin acted as a potent antioxidant in glial cells, prevented the loss of energy from nerve cells, and stopped nerve cell damage.  They also showed that silymarin was able to effectively improve nerve function following spinal injury.  Additionally, they went on to show that silymarin blocked the toxic effects of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on brain cells.  Such toxicity comes from low-grade or acute bacterial infections and is common in individuals who are overweight. 

In the second study² researchers induced strokes in rats and sought to determine if silymarin could prevent stroke-damage to the brain.  They found that pretreatment with silymarin could reduce the amount of stroke damage from 16% - 40% with a higher dose offering greater protection.  They found that silymarin lowered the key inflammatory gene signal, NF-kappaB Protein complex that controls DNA transcription and is involved with cellular responses to stress, cytokines, free radicals, UV radiation, oxidized LDL, and infections. , in turn reducing the amount of free radicals that typically occur following a stroke.

Collectively, these studies show that silymarin is a useful tool to support nerve health even following nerve injury.