In this day and age, avoiding exposure to toxins, bacteria and other harmful elements is almost next to impossible.Thankfully, the human body is so strategically designed that there is a specific organ dedicated to fight against these toxins.
The liver is the primary organ responsible for detoxification and helps remove toxins and wastes that can damage your organs and overall health. However, the liver needs support from time to time in order to function properly. In this case, milk thistle can lend a helping hand.
Here is everything you need to know about milk thistle and why it is a great detoxifying ingredient.
What is Milk Thistle?
For more than 2,000 years, milk thistle or Silybum marianum, which is native to southern Europe, has been used a natural treatment for various conditions affecting the liver, kidney and gall bladder. In Europe, this herb is a prescribed medication to treat alcoholic cirrhosis, chronic hepatitis and drug and alcohol-induced liver damage among many others.
Studies that will prove the herb’s healing powers. Believe it or not, the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health have stored more than 400 scientific studies of milk thistle. All studies concluded that the milk thistle extract can be used to maintain liver health and protect your liver from various effects of toxins.
How Does it Work?
Milk-thistle seeds are packed with silymarin, a bioflavonoid complex that is responsible for the main medical benefits of this herb. It is also made up of three main flavonoids:
- Silybin, which makes up 50 percent to 70 percent of silymarin and the most biologically active and beneficial component of the bioflavonoid.
- Silydianin
- Silychristin
Through these components, milk thistle is able to protect your liver cells by blocking the entry of harmful toxins and in removing these toxins from your liver cells, in case they were able to penetrate inside your body.
What Are the Benefits?
There are a lot of them. Authors such as Johann Gottfried Rademacher and Henry Leclerc mentioned the benefits of milk thistle as an effective treatment for liver diseases. To be specific, here are the health benefits of this wonder herb.
- Protection from liver damage.
- Cirrhosis and liver scarring, although this once requires further research.
- Stimulates liver cell protection.
- Promotes cell regeneration.
- Treats diabetic nephropathy or kidney disease.
- Boosts antioxidant activity.
- Cures mushroom poisoning.
- An effective treatment for viral hepatitis.
Milk thistle is a gentle herbal remedy that can be safe and used by anyone. Despite these health benefits, milk thistle can cause adverse effects especially when not taken properly. It can cause headache, skin reaction and even gastrointestinal problems.
The best way to use milk thistle is to combine it with a liver cleansing diet. Take lots of garlic, grapefruit, green tea, beets, leafy green vegetables, apples, avocado, olive oil, lemon and whole grains. You can even mix it with other liver-friendly herbs too.
Don Colbert, M.D. has been board certified in Family Practice for over 25 years and practices Anti aging and Integrative medicine. He is a New York Times best-selling author of books such as The Bible Cure Series, What Would Jesus Eat, Deadly Emotions, What You Don’t Know May be Killing You, and many more with over 10 million books sold. He is the Medical Director of the Divine Health Wellness Center in Orlando, Florida where he has treated more than 50,000 patients.
For the original article, visit drcolbert.com.
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