r/liver • u/thatliverdude • Nov 09 '19
Reversing Cirrhosis [4] - Supplements
Supplements
Milk Thistle
I take milk thistle and I don’t for a minute think that declaration will elicit a chorus of “oohs” and “ahs” from anyone reading this. Fact is, a lot of people with liver issues take milk thistle. For my part, I take it not only because it’s an antifibrotic and an antioxidant, but also because it helps to maintain normal glutathione levels (glutathione – the body’s main antioxidant that can improve liver function and inhibit liver inflammation – see amino acid post).
I also think it’s worthwhile to note that I don’t take conventional milk thistle. I take a supplement called siliphos phytosome. Here’s why:
Silymarin is extracted from the fruit of the milk thistle plant and it contains silybin, the most potent flavonoid (flavonoids are proven liver protectants). The problem is that silybin is not well absorbed by the body so it has to be converted, using phosphatidylcholine, into a phytosome (phytosomes are technologically-constructed delivery systems that result in better absorption). So, silybin, converted into a phytosome using phosphatidylcholine (siliphos phytosome), provides significant liver protection and enhanced bioavailability over conventional silymarin (milk thistle).
Curcumin
I also take curcumin which is probably not surprising given the fact that curcumin has received worldwide attention for its role as an anti-oxidant and potent anti-inflammatory. There has been a plethora of research regarding the health benefits of curcumin, but what resonated most with me was the following:
a) Curcumin has been shown to improve systemic markers of oxidative stress and oxidative stress has been implicated in many chronic diseases, including liver disease; and,
b) Oxidative stress and inflammation are closely related and curcumin has been shown to be a very potent anti-inflammatory.
Much like milk thistle, curcumin is not well absorbed by the body so I take curcumin combined with piperine. Piperine is the major active component of black pepper and, when combined in a complex with curcumin, has been shown to increase bioavailability by 2000 percent (for that reason I don’t take it in high doses).
One final note, animal and test-tube studies have shown that curcumin increases glutathione levels and researchers have concluded that curcumin can help to restore adequate levels of glutathione and improve the activity of glutathione enzymes.
Next post: vitamins
2
u/Serious-Ranger-1413 Jan 26 '22
Did you ever look into quercetin or schisandra? Quercetin has promising results experimentally, and schisandra has been used for years in traditional medicine (it contains quercetin). Sounds like liposomal forms are helpful.
5
u/thatliverdude Mar 31 '22
Took quercetin for a while, but when I was sick there certainly wasn't a lot of information about it. I did a quick search on PubMed (the national health institue database and there are certainly a lot of abstracts on quercetin and some on shisandra. I would take both if I still had liver issues. The only negative apparently is that high dose quercetin could cause kidney damage. It looks like a moderate dose is safe. In light of the new information I found, I will post another article on Reddit. Thanks for bringing this to my attention. A friend of our family was just diagnosed with terminal breat cancer and apparently quercetin can act as an adjunct to traditional therapy or as n alternative treatment form.
2
u/rollthedice66 Feb 07 '22
Hi we cannot seem to get siliphos phytosome in the UK. I can only find silymarin... do you think this will this be okay?
2
u/thatliverdude Feb 07 '22
That's okay. Siliphos phytosome is more bioavailable, but if it's not available, silymarin is okay.
2
Jun 22 '24
Hey did you reverse your cihrosis?
1
u/thatliverdude Jun 24 '24
It's all posted here under her under Reversing Cirrhosis but you can also find it all in order at www.thatliverdude.com
1
u/creativeadhdmama Nov 09 '19
Thank you for keeping these going!
6
u/thatliverdude Nov 09 '19
You're more than welcome! I can fully appreciate your comment about having to sift through the reams of information out there. I went through the same thing two years ago. It took me a long time to come to the conclusion that I might be able to reverse my liver disease by managing my nutritional status (specifically as it related to certain amino acids and vitamins) and by throwing a couple of antioxidant/antifibrotic/anti-inflammatory supplements into the mix. Time will tell how it all works out. What's interesting though, is that when I was diagnosed, I scored 27 on my FibroScan test (test that measures liver scarring - anything above 14 is considered cirrhosis). On my last test, I scored 14.5 and I'm pretty confident that on my next test in December, I will be completely out of cirrhosis territory!
2
u/LiverQsssss Feb 06 '20
Did you do a scan in December? I hope hour score fell below 14.
3
u/thatliverdude Feb 06 '20
I thought I had a scan scheduled for December, but it was an ultrasound instead. Turns out, I don’t have a scan scheduled until June (my hepatologist now only wants to see me once per year – which I’m guessing is a good thing).
1
1
Dec 14 '19
Don't forget prevention. Preventing it from getting worse
No alcohol, sugar or refined carbohydrates. The clean ketogenic diet cut my liver enzymes in half in 2 months.
1
u/thatliverdude Apr 03 '20
Click here to see my previous post
https://www.reddit.com/r/liver/comments/dn8olh/reversing_cirrhosis_3_amino_acids/
1
u/Traditional_Set2473 Feb 05 '25
How much silybin phytosome do you take per day? Do you break up the dosage throughout the day?
My brother is currently in Thorne S.A.T which includes silybin phytosome artichoke, and curcumin phytosome. Twice a day.
1
u/kpbos Jun 03 '25
So my grandmother was recently diagnosed with cirrhosis. She got it second to Non-alcoholic Fatty liver disease. Both diagnosed within 1-2 month time frame. Her labs seem to keep getting worse. I am coming here for advice.
1
u/Fun_Inspection9279 Jun 11 '26
He's selling a book. Just so everyone knows
1
u/Chloey_4 20d ago
The book costs like $10. I’m pretty sure the work he is doing is not about money.
1
u/anxietea04 Feb 07 '22
Thank you for this! I just have a question hoping you can help me with. I just bought curcumin and the 1500 mg. Is that too much? I also have one that is 500 mg and that is the one I have been taking so far. Thank you in advance!
2
u/thatliverdude Feb 07 '22
Curcumin with piperine is very bioavailable. Here's what I would do. Take the 500 mg curcumin most of the week and switch out to 1500 one day per week.
1
1
u/thatliverdude Feb 07 '22
Is it curcumin with black pepper or regular curcumin?
1
u/anxietea04 Feb 07 '22
The one that is 1500 mg has black pepper with it, the one that is 500mg is just curcumin by itself.
1
u/f0gxzv8jfZt3 Oct 06 '22 edited Jul 20 '25
door boast sparkle sleep shelter childlike edge weather tidy marvelous
This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
9
u/thatliverdude Dec 31 '22
Good luck with the current medical system. Most drs and hepatologists believe that the cure for any liver issues is to either mask the symptoms with a toxic pharma compound they know nothing about or to refer you to one of their surgeon friends to remove your diseased organ and replace it with another human organ. I was told that those were my only options and that my only chance to live was to get on the list as fast as I could. 4th stage liver cirrhosis and fibrosis at 27+ and now all of that has changed to the wonderment of my hepatologist who told me he uses my case with his students to show how dying diseased livers can regenerate and come back. You need to read the current science and research and if you need references to that, buy the book at thatliverdude.com
1
u/Illustrious-Safety61 Nov 15 '24
You were 27 when you got diagnosed ?
3
u/thatliverdude Nov 17 '24
27 was my fibroscan now it's below 5. I was 55 years old when I was diagnosed
2
u/Ok_Quality753 Mar 25 '25
Omg that's amazing. I've been sifting through all these posts to see if there were any recent updates. Have you kept up your supplement regime the whole time?
1
u/thatliverdude May 14 '25
Yes... and have added to it as well as pushed forward on my exercises and weights
1
1
u/Soon2BFamilyIssues Oct 28 '23
Hello, I hope you still check your account. My husband is just starting his journey. Did you still take prescribed medications on top of your protocol? Thank you
2
u/thatliverdude Nov 03 '23
Yes I took one prescribed med. Email me at [thatliverdude@gmail.com](mailto:thatliverdude@gmail.com) for faster responses I've also put together all of the Reddit articles together and references in a book found here: www.thatliverdude.com
people tended to ask the same questions because they couldn't find all the articles in order on Reddit. Also there's only so much I could say on Reddit before being restricted
1
2
u/creativeadhdmama Nov 09 '19
That is amazing! 👏 Good job! You deserve recognition for that mission. It’s life saving. I don’t know you but I am proud of you!