Čes. slov. farm. 2001, 50(2):66-69

Silymarin, an Extract from Silybum marianum - a Drug or a Nutritional Supplement?

V. Šimánek¹, D. Walterová¹, J. Vičar¹, J. Urbaníková², V. Křen³, M. Modrianský¹

¹ Ústav lékařské chemie a biochemie Lékařské fakulty Univerzity Palackého, Olomouc

² Lékárna Fakultní nemocnice, Olomouc

³ Mikrobiologický ústav Akademie věd České republiky, Praha

⁴ Ústav farmakologie Lékařské fakulty Univerzity Palackého, Olomouc

Thanks to the new knowledge, there is an increase of interest in plant extracts in the developed countries, but their classification is, however, problematic. It is necessary to clearly define the borderline between a drug or a defined content of an individual active principle, and a nutritional supplement, which is freely on sale. The extract from the seeds of S. marianum of (ESM) shows biological effects corresponding to nutritional supplements, and it is therefore more logical to class ESM with this group and to investigate the pharmacological effects in its chemically defined components.

Keywords: Silybum marianum; extract composition; standardization; biological activity; nutritional supplement

Published: February 1, 2001  Show citation