Milk thistle is a herb with mood elevating properties. The mood elevating properties of milk thistle may relate to the flavonolignans and flavonoids contained within the plant, particularly the seeds. It is not clear how milk thistle is able to its cause mood elevating effects, but one suggestion is that taxofolin, a flavonoid within the plant tissue, may modulate the monoamine oxidase enzyme system in the brain and thus modulate serotonin levels. Other evidence suggests that milk thistle may be able to modulate serotonin through activation of the 5-HT1A receptor. For example, researchers have administered milk thistle extracts to rats and observed that this was able to significantly reduce the anxious behaviour of the rats when exposed to experimental conditions. The researchers showed that the effects of milk thistle could be attenuated with administration of drugs that blocked the 5-HT1A receptor, indicating that components within milk thistle may modulate serotonin levels by activating serotonin levels in the brain.
Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) may have mood elevating properties in humans and animals. This may relate to the ability of phytochemicals within the plant to modulate neurochemistry.
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