milk thistle, accutane, acne

babygurl77

20 views and no replies??
anyone please????

healthnut76

milk thistle has never broken me out and i've been taking for at least 3 years now

Mardrae

Milk Thistle really HELPED my acne! It's very good for your liver, and the toxins in your body are a huge cause of acne...so if you clean the toxins from your liver and colon, your skin will really clear up! Well, unless it's hormonal acne. I've been doing Milk Thistle, a colon cleanse, and Chlorophyll and my skin looks really good now! Good luck!

Mardrae

Yeah, I suffered from severe depression when I took it too....I took three rounds of it over a period of around 7 years. Acne always came back. Plus, I now have skin that looks a LOT older than I really am! I have had people ask me if I'm my husband's mother instead of his wife! I blame that on all the salylic acid, alcohol I rubbed on my oily skin, benzol peroxide, etc. etc. The worst area was around my chin area-it's now deeply wrinkled, and the rest of my face is young looking, where I didn't use those products.

babygurl77

thanks for the replies...i appreciate it
well the thing is ...i am clear...my face looks great...
but my naturopath wants me to start milk thistle to get my liver working well
ive just read from a lot of people that it made them breakout..
so since my face is really clear..im nervous that it will break out..
also...in response to the part about hormones..
my naturopath told me that the liver is responsible for so many things in our bodies..it helps regulate hormones properly..therefore, wouldnt milk thistle also help hormonal acne??
i dunno..

if im doing all these supplement and dieting properly..do u think i will break out once coming off the pill?

Mardrae

Hmmm-all I can say is to try it and see. I found a list of other herbs that help your liver too, if you didn't like the milk thistle.

The following section lists the herbs that may help to protect, heal, detoxify and support the liver:

Certain herbs are used as flavorings for foods or as medicinal plants. You can either add them to your cooking or take them as an herbal remedy. Below is a list of these herbs:


Turmeric (Curcuma longa) falls into both the food and medicinal plant category. As a seasoning, turmeric is used a lot in Indian food. This substance helps to protect the liver against damage, fights inflammation and oxidation, aids in digestion by stimulating bile flow and supports liver detoxification. Try adding it to your favorite chicken and rice dishes.

Caution: Long-term use may cause gastrointestinal disturbances.

Typical dose: As a tea, use 1 teaspoon of dried root to 1 cup water, simmer and take 3 cups/day. Incorporate into diet as a seasoning.



Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is used in cooking and as a medicinal herb. It contains 8 liver-protecting compounds. It aids digestion by stimulating bile flow and contains more than 12 antioxidant compounds.

Caution: Ginger is not recommended for people taking anticoagulants, avoid taking if stomach is overstimulated and take in moderation during early pregnancy.

Typical dose: Use in cooking. To prepare a tea, add 1–2 slices of fresh ginger to 1 cup of water and simmer.



Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) is considered both a food and a medicinal herb. As a food, dandelion leaves are eaten as a vegetable and are usually added to salads or cooked like spinach. Dandelion root is used as an herb to help stimulate bile flow and help improve the symptoms of various liver diseases, including hepatitis.

Caution: Avoid if you suffer from biliary ailments or are low in pota-ssium. This herb may lower blood sugar levels.

Typical dose: 3 cups of tea per day. To prepare tea, add 1 teaspoon of dried dandelion root to 1 cup of water and simmer. Dandelion leaves are delicious as a vegetable.



Burdock (Arctium lappa) root can be added to soups and stews. Burdock acts as a powerful antioxidant and as a blood purifier. It is also good for gastrointestinal problems and can help to restore liver and gallbladder function.

Caution: Avoid using if allergic to ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigolds and daisies. Large amounts may cause hypoglycemia. If taking insulin, consult your doctor before using because your insulin dosage may require adjustment. Do not use if pregnant or breastfeeding.

Typical dose: 3 cups of tea per day. Add 1 teaspoon of dried root to 1 cup of water and simmer. Use in cooking.



The following is a list of herbs that are used as medicinal plants only:


Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) root is an herb that can help to reduce injury to the liver cells. It has been used in the treatment of cirrhosis and chronic hepatitis. Studies have shown that it can reduce liver enzymes and improve the symptoms of chronic hepatitis.

Caution: Licorice root can increase blood pressure if taken in large doses. If you have high blood pressure, do not take more than 3 cups of licorice tea per day and avoid taking licorice extracts in liquid, capsule or pill forms. Also, avoid licorice if you are pregnant, have heart disease or take medications for heart disease.

Typical dose: 3 cups of tea per day. To prepare tea add 1 teaspoon of dried licorice root to 1 cup of water and simmer.


Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum) seeds are used as a medicinal herb only. They help to stabilize cell membranes and limit the number of poisons that enter the cell. Milk thistle also acts as an antioxidant, helps to repair liver cells and helps the liver to make new cells. It can be used in either tea or capsule form. When purchasing capsules, make sure they are standardized to 80% silymarin.

Caution: Avoid using if suffering from breast, uterine or ovarian cancer; endometriosis or uterine fibroids. Avoid using when pregnant and/or lactating. Milk thistle may cause an allergic reaction in people sensitive to ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigolds and daisies.

Typical dose: If taking capsules, 400–800mg/day. If taking as a tea, drink 1 cup per day or as directed by your healthcare provider. To make tea, use 1 teaspoon of crushed seeds to 1 cup of water and simmer.



Schisandra (Schisandra chinensis) has been used for liver protection. It may help to lower liver enzyme levels and improve the symptoms of chronic viral hepatitis.

Caution: Schisandra may make symptoms of peptic ulcer disease or reflux disease worse.

Typical dose: 3 cups of schisandra tea per day. To prepare tea, add 1 teaspoon of dried berries to 1 cup of water and simmer. Herbal extracts should be standardized to 20mg lignan content.

babygurl77

wow...thanks so much for all the info...
hmm..the part about the milk thistle caught my attention...the part that says if your sensitive to daisies and ragweed and stuff then u could get an allergic reaction...well i had my allergies tested in sept..and it turns out im allergic to ragweed..should i not take the milk thistle then??

Mardrae

Hmmmm-not sure. I mean, if it's a real, life threatening allergy, then no, I wouldn't take it. It just says you could get a reaction though, not for sure. I wouldn't risk it. I mean, if you are wanting to protect your liver, then I'd just try one of the other herbs that doesn't have that risk.

If you are wanting to try it because it might clear up your face, then any of those herbs would work because they are good for clearing the liver of toxins...so any of them would help your skin I'd imagine.

I know that Burdock is very good at clearing your face too-it's in a lot of herbal colon cleanses, and I've noticed my skin looking much clearer when taking them myself.

Good luck!

JL101

Hey, about milk thistle, let me tell you that you SHOULD use it, it will not only NOT cause any break outs, but it will also if you have break outs, STOP them from happenening. The reason for this is that milk thistle is used to detoxify your liver, and let me tell you from experience, the Liver plays a HUGE part in keeping your skin clean and, free of zits. I first started using liver detoxifying pills a while ago, and for the two month course I was on it, I hardly got a zit, I only got zits when I aggressively ate fatty food. Also as a side note, fatty foods cause Acne!!!, trust me, there are enough delicious non fatty foods, out there that can easily satisfy your cravings and still not cause any break outs. As a guy, all this stuff use to sound very corny and lame, but I had put aside my ego, in trying out these lame and corny techniques to get rid of my acne, since I was always use to drinking, eating pizza, chicken, beef, ice cream, and smoking all the time, but all thats plays a big part in how your skin is, so take it from me, take it ez on the diets. Hope this helps.

shananana

I did accutane twice....was wonderful until about 5-6 months later then I would break out horribly. So I decided to take a natural approach and do research on my own. I am taking yellowdock and burdock root....helps liver, cleansing blood, etc. And I have a milk thistle/dandelion liquid extract that I put in tea twice a day. My skin is the best its veen in such a long time. It's working so well and I have nothing but high hopes that its going to be EVEN better. I also stopped taking birth control almost 2 months ago because I didn't want all those hormones in my body....I was soooo scared I would break out bad. Nothing though....just normal which i'm very happy about.

babygurl77

thats great! just wondering how your doing now and what bcp were you on?

SufferTheJoy

alrigt babygurl i have a question when you were just a bout done with accutane did you have all this redness your your cysts used to be thats what i have and im wondering weather it will go away quickly?