back to PLD liverMILK THISTLE- a helpful herb
MILK THISTLE Milk thistle (Silybum marianum)
has been used since Greco-Roman times as an herbal remedy for a variety of ailments,
particularly liver problems. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries physicians
in the United States used milk thistle seeds to relieve congestion of the liver,
spleen, and kidneys. Today, several scientific studies suggest that active substances
in milk thistle (particularly silymarin) protect the liver from damage caused
by viruses, toxins, alcohol, and certain drugs such as acetaminophen (a common
over the counter medication used for headaches and pain; acetaminophen, also
called paracetamol, can cause liver damage if taken in large quantities or by
people who drink alcohol regularly.)
A comprehensive review by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
(AHRQ) recently identified 16 scientific studies on the use of milk thistle
for the treatment of various forms of liver disease. A European standardized
extract of milk thistle was used in most of the trials.
CANCER
Preliminary laboratory studies also suggest that active substances in milk thistle
may have anti-cancer effects. One active substance known as silymarin has strong
antioxidant properties and has been shown to inhibit the growth of human prostate,
breast, and cervical cancer cells in test tubes.
MUSHROOM POISONING
Milk thistle most impressed the medical world when G. Vogel, M.D., used it to
save lives in the 1970s. A leading milk thistle researcher, Dr. Vogel brought
to his clinic 60 people suffering from severe mushroom poisoning. He gave them
a compound called silymarin that was extracted from milk thistle and found that
"results ranged from amazing to spectacular," even though most of
the people were not treated until a full day after eating the bad mushrooms.
ANTIOXIDANTS LIVER HEALING
Dr. Vogel and other well-known plant researchers, including Hildebert Wagner,
Ph.D., have found that the antioxidants in milk thistle called flavonoids are
some of the most potent liver-protecting substances known. One important function
of antioxidants is to protect the liver against damage from heavy metals and
other toxic substances in the air and the food we eat. In case you think that
heavy metal exposure is nothing to worry about, consider that more than 600,000
tons of lead are put into the atmosphere every year in the United States alone.
Heavy metals are all around us—lead solder in tin cans, lead and cadmium
in cigarette smoke, mercury in dental fillings and some cosmetics, and aluminum
in antacids. Research conducted in Germany has shown that milk thistle helps
protect the liver from drug and heavy metal poisoning. As a result, milk thistle
is the basis for a number of German drugs used to treat liver problems.
Milk Thistle is a liver healing herb. There are no known drug interactions.
The worst side effect includes of course a severe allergic reaction, which could
possibly lead to anaphylactic shock and possible death. Researchers studied
the effects of St. John's wort, ginger, echinacea, green tea and milk thistle
on the white blood cells and nerve cells of mice. Milk thistle was the only
herb that boosted both the immune and nervous systems, helping nerve cells produce
more neurites and keeping cells alive longer.
Organic means produce is grown without the use of pesticides. If it is certified
organic then this means no pesticides have been used on any crops within a 5
mile radius.
Even better than this is demeter or biodynamically grown by the methods of Rudolph
Steiner.
Pesticides are known xenoestrogens or false estrogens which liver receptors
on cyst use to increase the growth of liver cystic disease.
last updated
Friday, March 28, 2008 10:35 PM