Milk thistle - benefits for the liver and aids in its detoxification

Milk thistle - benefits for the liver and aids in its detoxification

Milk thistle has been used by traditional healers around the world for more than 2,000 years to support liver and gallbladder health. More recently, scientists have begun to document the herb's incredible health benefits.

What is Milk Thistle?

Sometimes called milk thistle or milk thistle and scientifically as Silybum marianum is known, milk thistle is a flowering plant originally from the Mediterranean region, although it has been brought to other regions including North America. The prickly purple flowering plant belongs to the sunflower family or Asteraceae. The plant was named for the milky white fluid in the stems, sometimes visible as white veins on the leaves. You can consume milk thistle seeds, leaves, roots, young stems and flowers for health benefits. And you can purchase the herb as a capsule or liquid supplement, or as a tea.

What are the active ingredients in milk thistle?

Milk thistle extract is called silymarin and contains several components including silychristin, silydianin and silybin (also called silibinin), which are flavonolignans. Silybin is the most abundant and beneficial of the components, making up about 50 to 70 percent of silymarin.

How does the body use silymarin?

Silymarin has a bioavailability of about 30 to 50 percent; In other words, 30 to 50 percent of flavonolignans are used by the body. Interestingly, a healthy human converts silymarin relatively quickly into other chemical byproducts that have no biological activity, with its peak activity occurring one to two hours after consumption. However, in patients with liver dysfunction, silymarin and the flavonolignans it contains remain in the blood longer and in concentrations three to five times higher than in a healthy patient. Perhaps this means that it does its job in the liver and helps protect it. ((link removed))

Silymarin, including its main component silybin, strengthens and stabilizes cell membranes, stimulates protein synthesis and cell regeneration in the liver, and prevents the body from producing prostaglandins that otherwise cause irritation and swelling. ((link removed))

How Milk Thistle Provides Liver Support

Milk thistle and its active components particularly support liver health. Milk thistle can counteract toxin-related damage and other conditions that cause redness and swelling. ((link removed))

Milk thistle:

• Schützt vor giftigen Substanzen
• Schützt vor Schadorganismen
• Fördert die normale Leberfunktion
• Reduziert die Eisenüberladung bei Thalassämie-Patienten
• Steigert den Glutathionspiegel
• Kann Gewichtsverlust fördern

The most well-known health benefit of milk thistle is supporting your liver. Silymarin directly blocks the toxins that the liver encounters, preventing them from entering liver cells, thereby preventing premature cell death.

Silymarin is an antioxidant that soothes redness and irritation, provides defense against various types of harmful organisms, and prevents the formation of scar tissue or fibrosis in the liver and elsewhere in the body. ((Link removed), (Link removed), (Link removed), (Link removed), (Link removed))

Protects against toxic substances

Milk thistle counteracts toxin-related liver damage. Scientists have found that silymarin protects against liver damage caused by drug use, viral hepatitis, death cap mushroom poisoning (Amanita), and paracetamol. Over 80 percent of the liver is made up of cells known as hepatocytes. ((Link removed), (Link removed), (Link removed), (Link removed), (Link removed))

Silymarin prevents toxic compounds from entering these cells, protecting them and thus their contribution to liver function. It has helped support the liver in people exposed to high levels of hydrogen sulfide. That's an amazing variety of scientifically documented liver benefits for this purple flower. ((Link removed), (Link removed))

Defends against harmful organisms

Silymarin slows and prevents infections by preventing viral entry, fusion, and RNA and protein synthesis. Silymarin administered intravenously (in the veins) can protect against viral proliferation and the treatment is well tolerated without side effects. In other words, it can prevent the spread and growth of harmful organisms such as viruses. ((link removed))

Promotes normal liver function

Because of the way it promotes normal liver tissue, milk thistle extract may promote normal liver function in people whose livers are challenged. In people with severe liver disease, silymarin therapy normalized levels of bilirubin, a yellow compound produced by the breakdown of heme in the blood. Silymarin also promoted normal levels of certain liver enzymes. As a result, patients treated with silymarin lived on average four years longer than those who did not receive it. ((link removed))

Reduces iron overload in thalassemia patients

Thalassemia is one of the most common genetic disorders worldwide. It leads to anemia, or low levels of iron in the blood, requiring regular blood transfusions, which can lead to iron toxicity and iron overload. During nine months of treatment, thalassemia patients given silymarin showed better liver function and less iron overload than patients who used a placebo. ((link removed))

Boosts glutathione levels

Glutathione or GSH is known as the body's super antioxidant and is abundant in the liver. Glutathione binds to toxins in the body, making them too large to cross cell membranes. This effectively renders the toxins inactive - making it easier for the body to transport them through urine or feces. Silymarin from milk thistle increases glutathione levels, which helps the liver detoxify itself from harmful substances. ((Link removed), (Link removed))

May promote weight loss

Taking silymarin can not only improve liver function and reduce circulating blood lipids, but also result in significant weight loss (even if food intake remains the same). It is always best to eat a healthy diet and exercise along with a weight loss supplement. ((link removed))

Milk Thistle & Liver Detox

If you want to detoxify your liver, add milk thistle to your daily regimen. Whether you choose to take a supplement or drink milk thistle tea, be sure to consider the health benefits of this incredible herb.

Milk Thistle Liver Health Tea Recipe

The seeds of milk thistle are usually used to make tea. You can purchase milk thistle seeds in bulk online or at many larger health food stores. You can also buy it in already prepared tea bags.

Follow these instructions to make your own milk thistle tea:

equipment

• Tee Tasse

Ingredients

• Mariendistelsamen
• Wasser
• Wählen Sie einen natürlichen Süßstoff: Bio-Rohhonig, Agave oder Stevia

preparation

1. Einen Esslöffel der Samen zerdrücken und mit drei Tassen kochendem Wasser in eine Teekanne geben.
2. Etwa 10 Minuten ziehen lassen.
3. Falls gewünscht, fügen Sie rohen Honig, Stevia oder einen anderen natürlichen Süßstoff hinzu.

Milk Thistle Safety & Side Effects

Milk thistle has an excellent safety record. The United States National Toxicology Program studied silymarin and found that it had no harmful effects over two years. In fact, they even found that milk thistle reduced the incidence of liver tumors. ((Link removed), (Link removed))

Milk thistle may interact with alcohol, anti-inflammatory medications, antiretroviral medications, estrogen, fertility drugs, anti-anxiety medications, and heart, stomach, or intestinal products. Consult your doctor for more information and guidance on whether milk thistle is right for you.

Milk thistle serving amount

While clinical studies have tested between 210 mg and 2100 mg daily, the typical and recommended serving of milk thistle is 420 mg. You can drink up to six cups of milk thistle tea daily.

Points to remember

Milk thistle offers many benefits for your overall health, but specifically supports liver function and liver health. The herbal extract of milk thistle is called silymarin, and the main component of silymarin is silybin. Milk thistle offers an excellent, scientifically well-documented remedy to improve your liver function.

If you are concerned about your liver function or want to detoxify your liver, try a milk thistle supplement, milk thistle tea.