Milk Thistle

Milk thistle has been used since the Roman times and probably before then as a liver tonic, and for good reason. The chief chemical is called silymarin, which is highly prevalent in the seeds and head, have been medically proven to protect liver cells.

The plant is also known as Marian, St. Mary's, and Our Lady's thistle, and the herb is native to Europe, but now grows in many parts of the word.

It is a hardy looking plant and features in many herbal cleansing programs to help protect the liver from toxins.

Many clinical studies have shown silymarin has therapeutic effects in treating several types of liver disorders such as cirrhosis, chronic hepatitis, and fatty infiltration of the liver. Milk thistle is used to treat a number of liver conditions including slowing the advancement of liver cirrhosis. It may be helpful in treating Hepatitis B also. It has been shown to stimulate protein synthesis within the liver, leading to tissue regeneration, fights pollutants, it inhibits free-radical damage, and helps skin conditions related to poor liver function. Biopsies and laboratory studies have demonstrated that silymarin protects the liver from the damaging effects of alcohol and toxic chemicals and stimulates the production of new liver cells to replace damaged ones. Silymarin may also help prevent or treat gallstones by increasing the solubility of the bile.