Milk thistle is an excellent herb when it comes to treating hepatitis. A long time ago, milk thistle had been also used as a remedy for snake bites, and for 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. 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 a 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 and had suffered from symptoms such as abdominal bloating, nausea, fatigue, liver function tests showed improvement after 30 days of using milk thistle.
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 start fighting.
Detox herbs: milk thistle, dandelion, red clover, yellow dock, burdock, marshmallow, sarsaparilla, pepsin, fenugreek, ginger, echinacea and cascara sagrada.
