No human or animal needs any herb all the time. Herbs are like medicine, they have potency, and they are used to correct things gone wrong, not as a daily tonic except a very few tonic herbs. This is not one of those. Milk thistle can cause liver problems in large doses so don't overdose your snakes. WIll they have a bad reaction? No one can say, because we are all different. There are no studies to go by, in other words this is like a drug trial ie could be dangerous. Even snakes might be allergic to things. How are you administering it, shooting up rats with extract?

Here an excerpt from a FAQ on milk thistle (http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/alt/milkthistle_faq.htm):
". . .Milk Thistle's main active bioconstituent is Silymarin. Silymarin selectively acts as an anti-oxidant and protects the b.d. from free radical damage specifically in the intestines and stomach. It increases the liver's content of GSH (glutathione) which is a substance in detoxifying many potentially damaging hormones, chemicals, and drugs (including acetaminophen) It has demonstrated a membrane stabilizing action, which inhibits or prevents lipid peroxidation. It seems to alter the structures of outer wall membranes of hepatocytes, preventing penetration of liver poisons and stimulates the action of nuclear polymerase A. It may increase ribosomal protein synthesis and stimulate the formation of new hepatocytes..."

Caden

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