Milk thistle originated in Asia and Europe, but is now widely found throughout North and South America. Milk thistle grows 5' to 10' high, with big, prickly leaves. *
Traditionally used to help support digestion and indigestion, liver ailments, toxicity, liver health, jaundice and more. *
The descriptive name milk thistle originated from, and may have stimulated interest in, the use of the herb by nursing mothers to encourage milk flow. Many herbals have called the fruits of milk thistle "seeds". The fruits do look like seeds, being small and hard (technically called achenes) but they are the plant's fruits.
The fruits have been traditionally used for health benefits but the herb went out of vogue in the early twentieth century only to re-emerge when special liver protecting chemicals were discovered in its fruit extract. The group of organic compounds known as silymarin have subsequently been identified as being responsible for the variety of liver tonic effects.
Health Benefits
Helps a Toxic Liver: The liver is one of the fundamental keys to human health. Everything we consume (food, drink, and drugs) has to pass through the liver before it goes into our general circulation. The liver is literally the body's chemical processing house. It produces all the enzymes needed to deactivate dangerous poisons and keep the body alive from day to day. Understandably, it can get overworked and the body can suffer from a toxic overload. This may not be life-threatening but can cause us to feel generally low and out of sorts. When experiencing a hangover from over-indulgence in food and drink, milk thistle's tonic effects are recommended.
Protects the Liver: When milk thistle extract was scientifically tested something amazing happened. A dose of one of nature's most potent liver toxins called phallotoxin (obtained from fungi) was injected, followed by a dose of milk thistle. Due to the unique ability of milk thistle to protect the chemistry of the liver from the poison, no damage occurred. The outcome encouraged its clinical use in supporting active liver infections with excellent results. Clinical trials using milk thistle with phosphatidylcholine, in patients with liver health concerns, demonstrated an improvement characterized by a reduction in liver enzymes used to monitor the level of unhealthy activity. This supported the findings that this herb can target inflammed tissue and help avoid further damage.
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* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor. Information provided at ZooScape.com relies partly on Traditional Uses. The essence of the current American rule on Traditional Uses is, as stated by FTC, "Claims based on historical or traditional use should be substantiated by confirming scientific evidence, or should be presented in such a way that consumers understand that the sole basis for the claim is a history of use of the product for a particular purpose."
