Milk Thistle

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Milk Thistle (Carduus marianus) is a clinically tested herb. It helps repair liver cells and rebuild the liver, either from environmental, causes, alcoholism, chemicals or other toxins. It is also an excellent herb when it comes to treating hepatitis. Long time ago, milk thistle has been also used as a remedy for snake bites, promoting lactation.

Milk thistle benefits

Milk thistle is native to southern Europe and northern Africa. Plant parts used in medicine is the ripe fruit (seed).

Milk thistle contains an essential component called Silymarin, which is an active component. The Silymarin is found in the seed and it is a mixture of four isomers: silybin, isosilybinin, silydianin, and silycharistin. It acts as a flavonoid and as an antioxidant. According to study silymarin is the main component that promotes liver-tissue regeneration. So milk thistles benefits are:

• Protects and regenerates liver
• Treats dyspeptic complaints (loss of appetite, poor digestion)
• It has direct and indirect antioxidant activity
• It has gastro-protective activity
• It has anti-inflammatory activity
• Improves digestion especially of fatty foods

Good to know: In a Hungarian study done in 1992 on over 2, 000 workers in a chemical plant who had been exposed to toxic vapors had suffered from symptoms such as abdominal bloating, nausea, fatigue. After 30 days of using milk thistle, liver function tests showed improvement.

Did you know: It used to be believed by the Anglo-Saxons that if the milk thistle was hung around a man’s neck, all snakes around him would begin fighting.

Detox herbs: milk thistle, dandelion, red clover, yellow dock, burdock, marshmallow, sarsaparilla, pepsin, fenugreek, ginger, echinacea and cascara sagrada.