A scientific lecture entitled, Silymarin in Chronic Viral Hepatitis, the Evidence behind the Medicine was presented during the joint annual convention of the Philippine Society of Gastroenterology, the Philippine Society of Digestive Endoscopy, and the Hepatology Society of the Philippines.

The lecture was delivered by Dr. Diana Alcantara-Payawal of the Philippine Society of Gastroenterology, Hepatology Society of the Philippines, Cardinal Santos Medical Center and UST, and Dr. Anuchit Chutaputti, of the Phramongkutklao Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, last Monday at the EDSA Shangri-La hotel in Mandaluyong. Also known as the Philippine Digestive Health Week 2008, the annual event was held from March 10-12.

" Chronic hepatitis B consists of persistent liver infection and inflammation that lingers long after the primary symptoms of the disease have disappeared. Chronic hepatitis B is the leading cause of liver cancer in the Philippines."Hepatitis B virus is most commonly transmitted through blood-to-blood contact," says Dr. Payawal.

Silymarin is known to have been used for centuries to treat liver ailments. Recent findings have shown that it has the ability to block fibrosis, a process that contributes to the eventual development of cirrhosis in persons with inflammatory liver conditions secondary to viral hepatitis B or C. This action makes milk thistle extract potentially attractive as a supportive treatment for the condition-particularly for those that have not responded to standard drug therapy. T

Milk thistle, sometimes called silymarin is actually a mixture of the herb’s active components, including silybinin (also called silibinin or silybin). However, not all silymarins are made the same. The amount of silybinin in each drug differs thus its effectiveness. Dissolution properties of silymarin extracts vary. Results of a dissolution study conducted proved Legalon 140, a clinically proved to be highly bioavailable by releasing as much as 90 percent of the active component silybinin, within 45 minutes as compared to another brand which has very minimal release of only 10 percent within the same period. It is also very well-tolerated.