Milk Thistle

Milk thistle, or Silybum marianum, is an annual, winter annual, and biennial herb that is part of the Asteraceae family. The plants main stem is plump and ridged with branches that spread out, resulting in a plant with an overall size of around one or two metres tall. The most distinctive feature of the plant is the marbling or white patches, found on its veins contrasting with the dark green background of the leaves.

The milk thistle has pronounced lobed, broad leaves about half a metre long and four centimetres wide. Its leaf margins are yellow and tipped with woody spines. All the stems of the plant end with a single flower, about five centimetres in diameter, bearing purple petals.

Milk Thistle Toxic Is To Livestock

Milk thistle is considered to be to be a hazard to pastures or rangeland, because it may be that it is toxic is to livestock because of a large content of accumulated nitrate. But, in spite of today’s concern for its evident toxicity, you can't argue with the fact that as far back as 23-79 A.D., milk thistle was considered a medicinal plant.

Milk Thistle Health Benefits

Milk thistle has been used in Europe, for ages, for protecting and purifying the liver. Early Christians named the milk thistle after Mary, calling it Marian thistle. Scholars then adapted this notion by naming the herb Silybum marianus.

In earlier times milk thistle was used as a remedy for varicose veins. Eclectics, doctors who used traditional methods to cure diseases, used extracts from the herb to relieve varicose veins, menstrual problems, and congestion in the spleen, liver, and kidneys. Herbal practitioners also recognized properties of this plant as a stimulant. It was also used to boost breast-milk production and the secretion of bile.
 
Another fascinating concept in traditional medicine throughout this period was the relationship of bile and other body fluids with different personalities. Because milk thistle is associated with bile secretion, herbalists also thought the plant could be used for depression, which according to them, was a condition connected to “black bile.”

Milk Thistle And The Liver

Nowadays, the milk thistle is not used to treat depression, because people no longer associate bile with moods and science has not supported the earlier claims. Nevertheless, numerous research studies have substantiated that the milk thistle does have properties that could heal and protect the liver.

Insofar as liver problems are concerned, milk thistle is considered to be a “cleanser.” Around 95% of substances that are taken into the body pass through the liver before they are excreted through the intestinal passages. Therefore, the liver is the final stop for everything, including waste products and nutrients. Through assisting the liver get rid of waste products, milk thistle helps to keep the organ healthy.

Milk thistle assists in maintaining the amount of glutathione in the liver. Glutathione is an amino acid-like compound that has an important role in neutralizing toxins. Researches have consistently demonstrated that milk thistle can help in preventing a decrease in glutathione levels and may even boost them by up to 35%.

Milk Thistle Herbal Preparations

When contemplating milk thistle herbal products, avoid teas, as they are ineffective, because teas made from the herb have small amounts of silymarin, that dissolves poorly in water. Similarly, the leaves have no milk thistle herbal treatment worth, and are also best avoided.