Milk Thistle?

t***@gmail.com

2012-09-10 00:45:14 UTC

What exactly is milk thistle and where can one purchase it.Thanks

MILK THISTLE
Liver Cleansing and Detoxification Excellent Antioxidant Helps cells to
reproduce protein and regenerate
Milk thistle derives its name from its appearance. It is a weedy thistle
most common to Europe, and has large purple flowers and white spider
web-like markings on its leaves. It's medicinal and nutritional usage can be
traced back over 2,000 years. A quality herbal standard of preparation of
milk thistle is made from the seeds of the dried flower, and standardization
of the active ingredient, silymarin (80%).
Our bodies are exposed to many various toxins daily, including auto exhaust
and second-hand smoke, for example. The body has many ways of ridding our
system of these toxins, the major organ being the liver. Milk thistle, with
its components, can greatly assist the liver in its cleansing duties by
"guarding" it, as well as enhancing its performance.
Milk thistle's active ingredient, silymarin, is capable of protecting the
liver in a couple of ways. First, silymarin helps cells to produce
glutathione by as much as 50%, a substance which is known for its ability to
fight free-radicals (oxidants). Milk thistle also has a protective effect on
liver cells. In experimental studies, milk thistle has shown the ability to
bind to the outside of the cell walls and block the entrance of toxins,
thereby helping the cells to produce new protein, and enabling it to
regenerate.
The overconsumption of alcohol is detrimental to the liver. As the liver
works to detoxify the body of alcohol, heavy consumption of alcohol can
weaken and wear down the liver and decrease its ability to clear toxins from
the body. Alcohol also effects the membranes around liver cells, leading to
an inflammed liver. The final stage of liver damage is cirrhosis of the
liver.
There is obviously no substitute for the prevention of liver damage than to
avoid overuse of alcohol, and healthy diet and exercise. However, milk
thistle may help people who drink alcohol by helping to metabolize the liver
and clear alcohol from the body.
250mg capsules, standardized to 80% silymarin, 1-2 capsules taken daily.
Milk thistle has shown no side effects in humans. However, due to its
stimulating effect on the liver and gallbladder, it may possibly have a mild
laxitative effect in some people, which should cease in 2-3 days.
Oh you can find it at GNC or any Health shop. Dare say someone here will
sell it to ya. Like I said It's sometimes called Silymarin
Stripe

Milk thistle is commonly taken as a supplement to promote liver health. A flowering plant of the Asteraceae (daisy) family, it is indigenous to North Africa, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean region of Europe. Its name is due to its leaves; the leaves are commonly marked with splashes of white. It is milk thistle’s effects on the liver that will be the focus of this review.

Columbia University Medical Center in New York chronicled milk thistle’s effectiveness for the treatment of hepatotoxicity in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). In a double blind study, 50 children with hepatotoxicity secondary to ALL were split into two groups. One group was given milk thistle (the study abstract did not reveal the amount) and the other group was given a placebo.

In the group given milk thistle, there were no significant changes in liver enzyme scores after 28 days. However, after 56 days, the milk thistle group had significantly lower amino alanine transferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels. The study concluded that milk thistle was associated with reductions in liver toxicity with no side effects.

Source:

http://supplementsource.net/milk-thistle-for-liver-health/