JoAnn~~~Fwd: Milk Thistle

[Guest guest]

How much Milk Thistle should one be taking does it say and in what form works

best?

 

sharon

-

califpacific <califpacific

gettingwell

Thursday, January 02, 2003 6:31 AM

Fwd: Milk Thistle

 

 

FriendsForHealthNaturally , " JoAnn Guest

Fwd: [FWD: Milk Thistle for liver protection]

 

 

Is your liver under siege?

 

Even a healthy person has to contend with daily assaults on the

liver like pollutants, pesticides and food preservatives, which the

organ is responsible for detoxifying.

 

Unfortunately, conventional medicine offers little help in the

treatment or prevention of liver damage, outside of warnings to limit

alcohol consumption and to keep the immune system strong against

viruses.

 

Added to that, widespread diseases such as hepatitis and

mononucleosis are notorious for their debilitating effects on the

liver.

 

They can result in murky-sounding conditions like a " sluggish " or

" congested " liver, where a decrease in bile flow leads to overall

impairment of liver function.

And, considering the liver's role as the most important organ of

metabolism (responsible for the absorption of fat soluble

substances), even a minor impairment can wreak havoc on your system.

All that stress on our livers has created a demand for more

liver-boosting treatments.

 

Liver Protection

 

Naturopathic physicians wield a venerable weapon against liver damage

almost as old as time: milk thistle (Silybum Marianum) has been used

in traditional herbal medicine since the first century AD to protect

the liver.

 

Clinical research in this century has confirmed its effectiveness and

safety; including more than 300 studies conducted since the late

1960s, according to Steven Foster, author of 101 Medicinal herbs

(Interweave Press).

 

Milk thistle seeds contain a bioflavonoid complex known as silymarin,

which possesses powerful antioxidant abilities.

Foster notes that standardized milk thistle seed preparations have

been shown to change the cell structure of the outer liver membrane,

which prevents toxic chemicals from entering the organ and stimulates

its capacity to generate new cells.

 

Studies have shown milk thistle to be beneficial in the treatment of

liver ailments including cirrhosis, fatty liver, radiation toxicity

and viral hepatitis. (Altern Med Rev 3 (6), Dec. 1998: 410-21).

 

Mother's Milk

 

Named for the milky white juice the leaves exude when crushed, the

milk thistle plant is native to the Mediterranean and grow wild

throughout Europe, North America and Australia. Milk thistle's

technical name,

Marianum, derives from a legend that its leaf veins turned white

after being crushed by a drop of the Virgin Mary's breast milk.

Perhaps this is why many Europeans wet nurses used milk thistles in

their diets, believing that the cooked leaves increased lactation.

The healing properties of the plant's milky juice were first recorded

by the Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder, who noted that it was good

for " carrying off bile " .

By the 19th century, German doctors were using a tincture made from

milk thistle seeds to treat jaundice and other liver diseases.

 

Fighting Free Radical Damage

 

Milk thistle's ability to fight free radical damage is, in fact, many

times more potent than that of Vitamin E, according to Michael

Murray, ND, and Joseph Pizzorno, ND, authors of " Encyclopedia of

Natural Medicine " (Prima).

In addition to its antioxidant properties, milk thistle works in a

multitude of ways to fight liver damage.

 

--·It prevents the depletion of glutathione (GSH), an amino acid

compound found in the liver which plays a vital role in

detoxification.

 

--·It protects against liver harm by toxic chemicals such as carbon

tetrachloride and praseodymium nitrate.

 

--·It inhibits the formation of live damaging leukotrienes,

inflammatory compounds produced when oxygen interacts with --

polyunsaturated fatty acids. Milk thistle inhibits the enzyme

lipoxygenase, which catalyzes the formation of leukotrienes.

 

--·It stimulates protein synthesis, which results in an increase in

the production of new liver cells to replace damaged old ones.

 

Toxic Protection

 

In addition to its well-documented healing properties for diseases,

milk thistle can actually help prevent liver damage when taken before

exposure to toxic chemicals (Min. Med. 72, 1985; 2679-88)

 

Milk thistle is also useful for women who take hormones like

estrogen,

which can often contribute to a sluggishly performing liver.

So while no easy cure can solve liver disease, this strange-looking

herb does offer regenerative hope.~

 

Martin Wall, Botanical Services~ Energy Times (July, Aug. 1999)

 

 

 

 

JoAnn Guest

joguest@m...

Friendsforhealthnaturally

http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/AIM.html

theaimcompanies

" Health is not a Medical Issue "

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