- Make It Yourself Lavender Heart-Shaped Bath Bombs!
- 20 Things You Never Knew About “Down There”
- 12 Best Foods For Those Suffering From Arthritis Pain
- 12 Personal Hygiene Mistakes Almost Everyone Makes (Mom Never Told You About #4!)
- 15 Medicinal Plants And Herbs From The Cherokee People
- 12 Mind-Blowing Benefits Of Drinking Coconut Water During Pregnancy
- 12 Outstanding Winter Foods That Won’t Fatten You Up Like A Christmas Turkey
This One Herb Can Help Restore Liver Function
The modern world we live in today is full of items and appliances that make our lives easier and more convenient than ever before. Unfortunately, they also bombard our bodies with thousands, maybe even millions of toxins, than they ever have before. Our livers, the main organ in our body that is in charge of the detoxification, could use a little help. (Of course they won’t ask you for help, they never do, that’s their nature) However, there is one little herb that is well known, as well as proven, to do exactly that.
Milk thistle’s benefits are nothing new. Herbalists have known about it for at least the past 2,000 years. A Roman naturalist, named Pliny, said around the first century that milk thistle was excellent for removing bile. In other words, milk thistle can help to restore liver function. It was often promoted by a well known 19th century German doctor named Rademacher. This is why today, in Europe, this plant is used to help protect as well as restore liver function.
Photo credit: bigstock
This plant is native to Southern Russia and Southern Europe and contains several complex compounds that are known as silymarin.
SEE ALSO: 9 Herbs to Improve Kidney Health and Stop Stones
Even recent studies have confirmed that milk thistle can improve the liver function and restore it to health; perhaps even treat liver conditions and disorders of the liver. The therapeutic effects of this herb have been confirmed through biopsies as well as lab and clinical data.
The active ingredient in milk thistle is silymarin. Silymarin has an effect on the cell membranes within the liver, protecting them from viral toxin and other dangerous toxic substances from setting up homes within the cells themselves.
Silymarin also stimulates regeneration of the liver, and this can help those suffering from a variety of liver problems. In fact, as far back as 1986, the Commission E in Germany approved an oral extract of milk thistle as a treatment for diseases of the liver. Find out simple juice mixes that can cleanse your liver.
Milk thistle has numerous benefits, but here’s a quick list:
- Research suggests that milk thistle might help stop fibrosis
- Cirrhosis of the liver is a serious disease caused by many things, but in most cases, drug or alcohol abuse. Current research suggests that milk thistle could improve the quality of life as well as the life expectancy of those suffering from this disease.
- Studies reveal that milk thistle can help those with hepatitis B and C. It can also help those hepatitis cases brought on by excessive alcohol or toxins. Milk thistle helped hepatitis patients have increased platelet, white blood cell counts, as well as reduced liver damage.
- As milk thistle regenerates the liver, it also seems to improve the mood and energy levels of those recovering from drug or alcohol addiction.
- The silymarin in milk thistle can also help to improve liver function in those with alcohol related liver disease. Of course, it’s better to quit drinking than to take milk thistle and continue to abuse alcohol.
- Milk thistle helps to protect person who are exposed to harmful chemicals or toxins at work such as welders or auto mechanics.
- Almost all prescription medications burden the liver with their toxic effects. Taking milk thistle can help protect your liver, especially in cases of long term drug usage. In some parts of Europe, milk thistle is often given along with prescriptions.
- This herb can also help those with fatty livers, liver congestion, and those with sluggish livers.
- Glutathione, an important antioxidant, can be boosted by as much as 50 percent in the liver by taking milk thistle.
- A well-known pharmacist in the 17th century, Nicholas Culpeper, knew the benefits of milk thistle and often prescribed it for jaundice.
- Research shows that extracts from milk thistle could, if used intravenously, be an antidote for liver poisoning, even from the deathcap mushroom.
- For all persons undergoing detoxification programs, milk thistle can be a big boost to your efforts and help rebuild the liver at the same time. Read more how to detox naturally.
The German Commission E recommends that for liver support, 200 to 400mg of milk thistle be taken daily in two separate doses. This means 100 to 200mg taken twice per day.
Meridith Park
Apr 19, 2016 at 10:50 pm
Thoughtful suggestions . Apropos , if anyone has been searching for a a form , my kids filled out and esigned a sample form here http://goo.gl/RSGWWI