Milk Thistle Standardized Extract (80% Silymarin)

Botanical: Silybum marianum; Carduus marianus
Family: Compositae (daisy) - Asteraceae (aster)
Other common names: Mary Thistle, Wild Artichoke, Silybum, Marian Thistle, St. Mary's Thistle, Lady Thistle, Holy Thistle

   Did you know that your liver is the toxic waste disposal plant of your body? Keep it healthy and nourished with Milk Thistle . This remarkable herb is said to have no pharmaceutical equivalent for its beneficial effects on the liver, spleen and gallbladder. Rid yourself of toxins and temporary depression, and boost your immunity with Milk Thistle. In the meantime, you'll also gain valuable antioxidant protection.

   Disclaimer: The information presented herein by Herbal Extracts Plus is intended for educational purposes only. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, cure, treat or prevent disease. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

   History: Milk Thistle is a stout, spiny annual or perennial that is native to the Mediterranean region and has been naturalized throughout Europe and parts of North America and Australia. This common weed grows to about six feet in height in the dry, rocky soils of fields and waste places. The plant produces a purple flower, and there are distinctive white markings on its leaves, which legend has described as the splashes of the Virgin Mary's milk. Historically, it has been a very popular plant in Europe for its medicinal and dietary qualities and is still a favorite in France as a wholesome, delicious vegetable and as an ingredient in salads. The seeds and leaves are used in herbal medicine, and their use goes back two thousand years. The Greek, Dioscorides, prescribed Milk Thistle to remedy the poison of snakebite. In the first-century, Pliny wrote that it was excellent for "carrying off bile," meaning that it restored impaired liver function, a claim that has been justified by many modern researchers. In the Middle Ages the liver was regarded as the seat of emotions (both in Europe and in traditional Chinese medicine), and depression and emotional distress were ultimately thought to be caused by a malfunction of the liver. Consequently, Milk Thistle was commonly prescribed to remedy such ailments, and the herb was widely used as a spring tonic to provide relief from the pent-up emotions and depression housed in the liver. It was an early remedy for the winter's doldrums and "blues." According to the noted herbalist, Gerard, in his 1597 Herball, Milk Thistle was considered the "best remedy that grows against all melancholy diseases." As a matter of fact, the word "melancholy" is derived from the Greek translation of "black bile," and in Gerard's day, that referred to any liver or biliary derangement. Milk Thistle was also considered a key ingredient in the diets of European wet nurses to ensure a healthy milk supply, and it continued to be used in the nineteenth century for improving the liver, spleen, kidneys, varicose veins and menstrual ailments. The herb lost popularity but interest in it was renewed in the 1950s, when scientific research supported many of the medicinal claims that herbalists had known for centuries. The liver is the body's second largest organ and has often been called the body's toxic waste disposal plant and chemical factory, and Milk Thistle is said to have no pharmaceutical equivalent in the remarkable way in which it benefits and affects the liver. Some of Milk Thistle's constituents include beta-carotene, mucilage, silymonin, silymarin (a flavonoid that is its most active ingredient, which increases protein synthesis in liver cells by increasing RNA activity and stops absorption of toxins in the liver), apigenin, calcium, essential fatty acids, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium and zinc.

Go to Page 2

Contact us for pricing!