Milk thistle (Silybum marianum (L.)Gaertn.): An overview about its pharmacology and medicinal uses with an emphasis on oral diseases.

BACKGROUND: Milk thistle, a medicinal plant, has different uses and benefits. Pathologies of the oral cavity manifest as different diseases with various therapeutic options. The main phytochemical extract of the milk thistle plant is silymarin. It has optimistic, protective, and therapeutic properties. However, evidence about the role of milk thistle extracts in oral diseases is lacking. HIGHLIGHT: The pharmacology of milk thistle was overviewed. The role of the plant in some systemic diseases was reviewed. Furthermore, its role in various oral diseases was discussed. The presented articles described such effects in the context of periodontal disease, dental caries, oral candidiasis, oral lichen planus, oral cancer, and oral mucositis. Results on the promising effects of milk thistle extracts with a preference for silymarin were presented from different research designs. A summary of the previously used doses and the currently available pharmaceutical products was proposed for future research. CONCLUSION: Milk thistle has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antifungal, immunomodulatory, and other properties. The evidence from human research about the role of milk thistle in oral diseases is limited. Further studies, particularly clinical trials, to test milk thistle either as a potential treatment modality or a supplementary therapy for oral diseases on higher levels would be useful in the future.