This may prevent the liver from doing its role to protect the body. Milk thistle is one of the bitter herbs and will assist your digestion by stimulating the flow of bile, as well as helping to reduce liver inflammation and to heal any damaged cells.
What is milk thistle?
Milk thistle is found throughout the eastern United States, California, South America, Africa, Australia, and Asia. The terms “milk thistle” and “silymarin” are often used interchangeably. Historically, people have used milk thistle for liver disorders and gallbladder problems.
What are the side effects of milk thistle?
Milk thistle may produce allergic reactions, which tend to be more common among people who are allergic to plants in the same family (for example, ragweed, chrysanthemum, marigold, and daisy). Milk thistle may lower blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes.
Are milk thistle seeds safe to drink?
Be wary of dried whole milk thistle or milk thistle seeds, both of which are vulnerable to fungal contamination, according to research published in the International Journal of Food Microbiology. By contrast, fungal contamination is rare in milk thistle tea bags, extracts, capsules, tablets, and soft gels.
What is the difference between milk thistle and silymarin?
The terms “milk thistle” and “silymarin” are often used interchangeably. Historically, people have used milk thistle for liver disorders and gallbladder problems. Milk thistle is promoted as a dietary supplement for hepatitis, cirrhosis, jaundice, diabetes, indigestion, and other conditions.
Is milk thistle a digestive bitter?
Classic bitter flavors include dandelion, gentian, licorice root, burdock, peppermint leaf, orange peel, ginger root, fennel seed, milk thistle, chamomile, wild berries and Oregon grape root, to name a few.
Does milk thistle have a taste?
Milk thistle tea has a mild taste comparable to that of dandelion tea. Milk thistle is a plant with white-veined leaves that has traditionally been used to treat liver issues and stimulate breast milk production, among other applications.
Why you should not take milk thistle?
Safety and side effects Milk thistle can cause: Gastrointestinal issues, such as diarrhea, constipation, nausea, vomiting and abdominal bloating. Itchiness. Headache.
When should you not take milk thistle?
Milk thistle should not be used by pregnant or breastfeeding women. People with a history of hormone-related cancers, including breast, uterine, and prostate cancer, should not take milk thistle. DO NOT take milk thistle if you are allergic to ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigolds, chamomile, yarrow, or daisies.
Is it OK to take milk thistle every day?
Milk thistle is generally considered safe for most people at dosages up to 420 mg 3 times a day. However, it may cause allergic reactions, such as itching, headaches, and joint pain, or gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea or diarrhea.
What is the best way to take milk thistle?
The most traditional way of taking it is in a tea, tincture or herbal infusion. This can be made using either the leaves or the seeds of the plant. It involves steeping the seeds or leaves in hot water to impart their flavor and health benefits, and then drinking as an infusion.
Does milk thistle detox the liver?
Supports liver health The active ingredient in milk thistle, silymarin, acts as an antioxidant by reducing free radical production. Scientists think this creates a detoxifying effect, which is why milk thistle may be beneficial for liver problems.
Can milk thistle harm your liver?
It may have protective effects on the liver, preventing damage. There's some evidence that milk thistle can treat cirrhosis and chronic hepatitis, which can be caused by alcohol abuse, autoimmune disease, or viruses.
Will milk thistle help a fatty liver?
Medical research on milk thistle and liver health has led to mixed results. Studies show that silymarin may help ease inflammation and promote cell repair. This may help ease symptoms from liver diseases like jaundice, cirrhosis, liver cancer, and fatty liver disease.
Is 1000mg of milk thistle too much?
Dosage and Preparation Milk thistle supplements are commonly sold as in capsule form but are also available as tablets, tea bags, and oral tinctures. Doses range from 175 milligrams to 1,000 milligrams. Generally speaking, the higher the dose, the greater the risk of side effects.
When should I take milk thistle morning or night?
Milk thistle is generally tolerated well by the body, meaning you can take it pretty much whenever you want. It won't keep you awake at night, it can be taken on an empty stomach or combined with meals as an added ingredient, and there isn't a particular time of day where it's more potent or effective.
Does milk thistle affect sleep?
Sleep quality also improves. The effect of taking milk thistle by itself is not known.
About Milk Thistle
Milk Thistle (Silybum spp.) is a popular herb of the Asteraceae family. It is native to Southern Europe but is also cultivated worldwide for medicinal purposes. This extremely invasive plant is thorny with grooved stems and prickly rosette leaves.
Where This Plant Is Found
Milk thistles are tough plants that can survive even in anthropogenic or polluted environments. They are forgiving of climate and growing conditions and are hard to eradicate. However, milk thistle often thrives abundantly in places with temperate climates.
How To Identify Milk Thistle
Milk thistles are biennial or annual plants with tall, branched stems. It has unique rosette leaves which are the plant’s primary identifying feature. These leaves are large with distinctive veining or marbling and spines along the edges. It also bears single, spiny disc-shaped flowers in pink-purple color at the end of its stem.
Varieties Of Milk Thistle
Milk thistle has two varieties: the silver milk thistle and blessed milk thistle. The latter is more common and popular among the two and used mainly for medicinal purposes.
How To Grow Milk Thistle
A single milk thistle plant produces many seeds that remain viable for up to 9 years. You can propagate the plant through cuttings but the easiest way is through sowing seeds. The best month to plant milk thistle seeds is from March to April.
How To Harvest Milk Thistle
The seeds are the most valuable part of the plant that are harvested for medicinal use. You can harvest the flower heads when white pappus tufts or circles of hair crowns begin to replace the flowers. When left alone, these tufts get carried by the wind and new plants will sprout in unwanted places.
What Milk Thistle Is Good For And Natural Remedies Made From It
For a long time, milk thistle has had a valuable contribution to the treatment of alcohol-related liver diseases. It is mainly because of the plant’s silymarin content. It helps in detoxifying and cleansing the blood. Cumulatively, a healthy liver may clear skin problems like acne and dermatitis.
Why are milk thistles bad for you?
Thistles get a bad rap as noxious weeds because they aggressively invade landscapes and croplands, crowding out desirable plants. Milk Thistle is a monstrous plant hated by gardeners and farmers alike. But, its life saving plant medicine is enough of a redeeming quality to consider letting it take up residence in an unused or obscure quarter of your back yard.
How long are milk thistle leaves?
Leaves: Milk Thistle forms a basal rosette of leaves the first year with individual leaves ranging in length from 6 to 28 inches. Leaves are shiny, bright to dark green with distinct variegated white marbling and spiny margins. Smaller, stem leaves clasp the flower stalks in the second year.
What herbs help the liver?
Hepatonic herbs include all of the herbs with cholagogue, choleretic, hepatoprotective or hepatorestorative properties and are bitter herbs. Generally speaking, they are used to strengthen and tone the liver. As Folk Herbalists, we may not understand the science of why or how these herbs improve liver health, we just know they do. Hepatic, or hepatonic, herbs are good for poor digestion, hepatitis, headaches and PMS. Milk Thistle is viewed primarily by most Herbalists as a liver remedy. It is a deeply supportive and gentle hepatonic herb that can be taken daily to support healthy liver function as well as a restorative herb for liver diseases.
How big does a Canada thistle get?
The bracts are broad, triangular and not very spiny. The leaves are small and lobed with margins that have very sharp, yellowish prickles. Canada Thistle can grow up to 6-1/2 feet tall.
What happens when you break a milk thistle stem?
Stems: Milk Thistle stems are ridged and branched in the upper half with sparse hairs. When you break a stem, it will exude a milky white sap. Thorns, or spikes, on the stems are sharp enough to poke through work gloves. Always wear sturdy gloves when handling Milk Thistle leaves or stems.
Is milk thistle good for the liver?
Milk Thistle is viewed primarily by most Herbalists as a liver remedy. It is a deeply supportive and gentle hepatonic herb that can be taken daily to support healthy liver function as well as a restorative herb for liver diseases. Cholagogue herbs stimulate the release and flow of bile already formed in the liver.
Is Scotch Thistle a perennial or annual?
Scotch Thistle (Onopordum acanthium) or Scot’s Thistle Scotch Thistle can be a biennial, an annual, or short lived perennial thistle. The entire plant is very branched, very spiny, and has a bluish gray appearance. The stem is woody and very spiny and winged. The flower heads are purple and 1 to 3 inches wide.
What is milk thistle?
Other Questions. Milk thistle ( Silybum marianum) is a perennial herb believed to have medicinal properties. The seeds contain silymarin, a group of compounds said to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.
What happens if you take milk thistle?
Call 911 or seek emergency care if you experience shortness of breath, rash, hives, rapid heartbeat, lightheadedness, or swelling of the face, tongue, or neck after taking milk thistle. If left untreated, anaphylaxis can lead to shock, coma, cardiac or respiratory failure, or death.
How to make milk thistle tonic?
Milk thistle tonic is typically made by steeping a tablespoon of crushed seed in three cups of hot water for 20 minutes. Do not harvest milk thistle plants that have been exposed to pesticides or found along roadways or industrial sites.
How much milk thistle is in a capsule?
Doses range from 175 milligrams to 1,000 milligrams. Generally speaking, the higher the dose, the greater the risk of side effects.
How to grow milk thistle?
To grow milk thistle, spread the seeds over the loose soil in the spring or fall. Milk thistle seeds only take only around two weeks to germinate. Since milk thistle grows in clumps, space each cluster of seed s about 12 inches apart. Milk thistle is drought resistant and needs very little watering.
Does milk thistle help with cirrhosis?
Although milk thistle is most often used for liver conditions, such as hepatitis and cirrhosis, the herb is believed some to prevent or treat high cholesterol, diabetes, heartburn, upset stomach (dyspepsia), hangover, gallbladder problems, menstrual pain, depression, and even certain types of cancer. Few of these claims are supported by hard evidence.
Can milk thistle cause muscle pain?
Less commonly, muscle aches, joint pain, and sexual dysfunction have been reported. Allergic reactions are also possible. People with allergies to ragweed, daisies, artichokes, kiwi, or plants in the aster family may also be allergic to milk thistle.
What is milk thistle used for?
The Milk Thistle ranks among the most prominent medicinal plants recognized in Germany for its protective effects on the liver. Milk Thistle was one of Hildegard of Bingen’s favorite herbs. It contains silymarin, which is the primary active component used to treat liver conditions, but also contains a number of tannins and bitter substances that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Why is Blessed Thistle called Benedict?
In German, blessed thistle is known as Benedict herb because St. Benedict recommended this bitter herb as a panacea against all ailments. Cnicus commonly appeared in most medieval monastic gardens as a staple healing plant. The bitter substances contained in Cnicus help stimulate appetite and digestion. It is also used effectively to treat flatulence.
What is the best way to digest bitters?
Peppermint teas and tincture are a great way to consume organic bitters for digestion. 5. Yarrow. Both the leaves and flowers of the yarrow plant have medicinal uses. Yarrow is a bitter herb that contains along bitter substances, essential oils, flavonoids, and essential minerals such as potassium.
Why are bitters good for you?
Bitters are best consumed in the form of tinctures or teas because the active ingredients are more readily absorbed via oral mucosa.
What is the best spice to take for a bad breath?
1. Mugwort . Mugwort is a naturally bitter spice that improves our ability to digest fatty foods. Mugwort also serves to ward off bad breath, diarrhea, hemorrhoids, and nasal congestion, along with gall and liver ailments. Used as a tincture, Mugwort works can also improve mood and sleep.
Why do bitters help with liver problems?
Whether your condition is infectious, stress-related, or simply caused by exhaustion, bitter substances can help stimulate healing and vitality. The cause behind many of our persistent ailments is often the result of weakened or compromised liver function.
Is Angelica root bitter?
Angelica. Angelica. In addition to a rich flavor profile from naturally bitter substances, angelica root possesses a fine aromatic essential oil. Angelica root is often included in Hildegard of Bingen’s bitter elixirs, providing an invigorating and spicy bitter flavor.
What is the secret of milk thistle?
The Secret Is in the Silybin. Silybin is one of the active ingredients in milk thistle thought to provide healing power for liver diseases. Specifically, it protects against cellular damage in your liver, gallbladder, and bile ducts. These organs are most often affected by toxins, as they work to clear them from your body.
Why is silybin more effective than milk thistle?
What makes silybin extract more effective than generic milk thistle is that it is more bioavailable. When a substance has high bioavailability , it means your body can absorb it more readily. It’s why silybin can get to work protecting your liver faster. Studies have found that you need almost ten times the amount of milk thistle to get ...
Does milk thistle help with Alzheimer's?
By reducing memory and learning impairment, you have less chance of developing serious neurodegenerative diseases. Milk thistle extracts also reduce the formation of amyloid plaques in the brain. High numbers of these plaques in the brain are associated with Alzheimer’s.
Does milk thistle help with skin problems?
Because of the anti-inflammatory properties, topical applications of milk thistle or silybin can provide benefits for certain skin disorders . In addition to this, the antioxidant properties protect your skin from cellular damage by free radicals, which reduce aging, so you can keep your youthful appearance for longer.
Does milk thistle help with insulin resistance?
Prevent Insulin Resistance. Milk thistle extracts like silybin have a positive effect on insulin levels. Inflammation is a contributor to insulin resistance and without management, insulin resistance can lead to the development of metabolic syndrome and worse.
Is silybin good for liver disease?
Silybin and a Better You. Liver disease prevention or treatment is the most common use of milk thistle and, more recently, silybin. Silybin helps to increase the life expectancy of those with liver disease or cirrhosis. Depending on the severity of the condition, different doses of silybin extract are needed, but ultimately, ...
Is silybin a liver supplement?
Silybin extract is just the next generation for the promotion of optimal liver health. Its inclusion in a liver health supplement is a sure sign of the quality and efficacy of that product.
What are the benefits of bitter herbs?
Health benefits of bitter herbs can include better digestion, anti-inflammatory properties, and liver protection and detoxification. Some simple ways to take digestive bitters include drinking gentian tea before a meal, eating a salad of bitter greens, or taking a supplement.
What is the bitter taste of Gentiana?
Gentian has been used as an herbal remedy for hundreds of years. It’s known for its very bitter taste and is often used in digestive tonics. There are about 400 species of Gentiana, which typically have blue flowers (though some species have yellow or white or even red flowers) and grow in temperate and alpine areas.
What herbs are good for digestion?
Bitter her bs for digestion are a cosmopolitan bunch, ranging from the seriously bitter gentian, bitter melon, wormwood, horehound, and goldenseal to the milder-tasting dandelion, chicory, endive, lettuce, chamomile, yarrow, and milk thistle.
What is bitter melon used for?
The most common traditional medicinal use of bitter melon is for diabetes management. While more conclusive research is needed, compounds in the plant appear to help manage blood sugar levels, fat metabolism, and cholesterol.
Can bitters help your gut?
Adding bitters to your diet can be a great way to help improve your digestive health, but sometimes they can be an acquired taste. Don’t worry, though; I’m going to walk you through which digestive bitters best support your gut health and how to use them.
Where is bitter melon grown?
Bitter melon (Momordica charantia) Cultivated in Bangladesh, China, India, and Korea and grown in several other tropical regions, this unassuming climbing shrub is used medicinally to help treat several conditions.
Does bitter help with indigestion?
In fact, researchers have now confirmed what practitioners of traditional and folk medicine have known for centuries: These bitter substances help relieve dyspepsia, or indigestion, and other gastrointestinal distress such as diarrhea and flatulence.
