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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.
Beneficial Uses:
Milk Thistle is known to be extraordinarily useful as a
tonic to safeguard the liver from all types of liver
disorders. As a free-radical scavenger, it protects the
liver from toxins and pollutants by preventing free radical
damage, and it also stimulates the production of new liver
cells. It is considered a remarkable herb for relieving
temporary discomforts associated with cirrhosis, alcoholic
poisoning, jaundice, fatty liver, hepatitis and viral
hepatitis. A flavonoid complex (silymarin) stimulates liver
protein creation, enabling the organ to produce new liver
cells and replace the old ones damaged by hepatitis
infection or other toxins.
Milk Thistle
increases the production of bile, the fluid created in the
liver that helps to break down fats in the small intestine.
This helps to remove (via excretion) testosterone byproducts
that cause acne. As a demulcent with mucilaginous
properties, it soothes mucous membranes from irritating
substances and helps to protect the intestinal lining
(reducing inflammation of the intestine), alleviating the
constipation of irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn's
disease, as well as other inflammatory bowel disorders.
By increasing
the bile production and stimulating protein synthesis in the
liver, Milk Thistle regulates the digestion of fats and may
be beneficial in preventing arteriosclerosis and strokes, in
addition to reducing the chances of gallstone formation by
promoting total, normal cholesterol levels and helping the
liver convert low-density lipoprotein (LDL or "bad
cholesterol") into high-density lipoprotein (HDL or "good
cholesterol"). Milk Thistle is also thought to prevent
cholesterol that has been excreted into the bile from being
reabsorbed into the body. Another compound in Milk Thistle
stops the oxidation of LDL cholesterol into a form that
creates plaques in the linings of artery walls.
Milk Thistle is
believed to detoxify the liver and gallbladder and the
poisons that enter our blood stream by enhancing overall
liver function. The herb has been effective in countering
the toxic effects of nicotine, alcohol, carbon monoxide
pollutants, dry-cleaning fluid and cadmium. Thousands of
years ago the herb was prescribed to counteract the poison
of snakebite, and current research shows that Milk Thistle
does, in fact, combat the poisonous activity of many toxins,
including the deadly mushroom poisoning of Death Cap.
Milk Thistle is
not only a rebuilding herb for the liver and gallbladder, it
is believed to also protect the kidneys, brain and other
tissues from chemical toxins. Using the herb is believed to
protect against inflammation of the bile ducts.
Milk Thistle
regulates the digestion of fats and alleviates common
stomach problems, such as nausea, lack of appetite and
dyspepsia, and it may also help ease abdominal distention
and fatigue.
Milk Thistle is
thought to help to protect specialized immune cells in the
liver known as Kuppfer cells by engulfing bacteria, toxins
and other invasive matter from entering into the liver and
may destroy harmful cells that have entered blood
circulation as the first step in spreading to other parts of
the body.
Chronic liver
damage sometimes results in diabetes, in which the liver is
no longer able to respond to insulin, and Milk Thistle has
been said to help promote and regulate normal blood sugar
levels and may also help to actually lower blood sugar.
For thousands of
years Milk Thistle has been used to promote lactation and
increase the production of breast milk in nursing mothers.
Recommended Dosage:
Take one (1) capsule, one (1) to two (2) times each day with
water at mealtimes.
Contraindications:
Currently, there are no warnings of contraindications with
the use of Milk Thistle, but the herb may reduce the
efficacy of birth control pills. It is essential that
people with diabetes and liver disease should have regular
blood tests.
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