Milk Thistle Supplements - Health Benefits of Milk Thistle
January 19th, 2009 by naturalcuresMilk thistle has been used for thousands of years. The origins of milk thistle lye in Europe where, in the first century A.D., medicine men and shamans used the herb for medicinal purposes. Milk thistle has been used for the treatment of varicose veins, menstruation problems, and to treat the congestion of various organs.
Milk thistle reduces enzyme levels, and aids in the delivery of detoxifying blood to your body. It also helps keep inflammation low, making it key for Hepatitis patients. It alters the outer layers of your body cells and keeps toxins at bay, and regenerates damaged cells by increasing ribosome activity; all while cleansing your liver from free radicals. These properties make milk thistle effective in the treatment of cirrhosis.
Milk Thistle is an herb with an ability to defend and rebuild the liver. It is considered by many to be the best product for liver detoxification, protection and regeneration. Its active compounds silymarin is ten times more potent as an antioxidant, than Vitamin E. This makes this powerful antioxidant helpful in preventing free radical damage throughout the body, but especially in the liver, stomach, and intestines.
Modern physicians also use an intravenous form of milk thistle as an antidote for people who have consumed poisonous mushrooms, and the extract of the milk thistle has been studied to identify its effect on liver damage that often results from chemotherapy.
If you only had one choice for picking a natural cure for liver disease it should be Milk Thistle Seed Extract (…fortunately you have more than one choice, so why not use all of them, it will only speed up your healing). There are a few reasons why Milk Thistle Seed Extract (also referred to as “Mte”) is beneficial to the liver and liver regeneration. Firstly, it protects the liver from toxins.
Milk thistle is a potent antioxidant (many times more so than Vitamin E and C). Antioxidants help scavenge free radicals, which are highly reactive substances that attack and may damage the DNA of healthy cells, resulting in premature aging and disease. Its major benefit is that it has been shown to protect and enhance the function of the liver.
Milk thistle appears to have gotten its name as it was first used to help stimulate the flow of milk in nursing mothers. Its leaves have white streaks that run across them and this is said to symbolize milk flow. As a herbal home remedy, simply munch on the leaves much like you are eating spinach, if you want to increase milk flow or to help relieve menstrual problems.
Other than eating the plant raw, you can also prepare a herbal home remedy from milk thistle in a variety of ways for healing. You can use the seeds of the milk thistle to prepare a tincture by using 20-25 drops of the oil and combine it with water. This tincture can help treat liver and gall bladder issues.
Read about Natural Remedies. Also read about Milk Thistle Supplements and Milk Thistle