Case report of intravenous milkthistle as antiviral in HCV/HIV coinfection

[Electric Sheep]

Found this paper when searching for milkthistle's effects at reducing immune activation (through its NF-kB inhibition) - Although as it turns out it works via affecting glucose metabolism as well:

Successful HCV eradication and inhibition of HIV replication by intravenous silibinin in an HIV–HCV coinfected patient
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20709593

Results: After 2 weeks of ivSIL therapy both HCV-RNA and HIV-RNA become undetectable. On ivSIL monotherapy we noticed a trend towards an increase of CD4+ cell counts and a decrease of HIV-RNA. After 16 weeks PEGIFN + RBV was discontinued due to patients wish because of adverse events. HCV-RNA was still negative 24 weeks after cessation of therapy, while HIV-RNA returned to baseline levels.

[lporterrn]

The problem with milk thistle is that we can't get pharmaceutical grade in the U.S., and what is commercially available is over non-therapeutic. Sigh...I stopped buying it.

[Electric Sheep]

Do you mean the concentration of active ingredient(s) is low? I didn't quite understand
I think when the injectable formulation is made from extract it'll be restandardized to a new concentration anyway, so low/variable strength milkthistle could also be used as raw material

[lporterrn]

Oh - I wasn't commenting on the study milk thistle - they use great ingredients. It is just that some of us read those studies and run out and get milk thistle, not realizing that the active ingredients are low and sometimes non-existent

[BubbaT]

I'm surprised some pharmaceutical co. Are not actively pursuing pharmaceutical grade
Silmarin, surely there is a market for it.

Money drives every product,  what about the IV vitamin c therapy?
Have you read the studies using vitamin c?

Are those therapies available in the U.S.?