Milk thistle is a flowering herb found primarily in the Mediterranean region, North Africa, and the Middle East. It has medicinal properties and is used as a natural remedy for a number of diseases.

The plant contains a powerful flavonolignan complex called silymarin. This substance is largely found in the seeds of the plant. It is the active ingredient in any milk thistle based supplement.

What Is It Used For?

Milk thistle is one of the most powerful liver cleansing herbs known to us today. It stimulates the liver to get rid of the toxins and cleanses it thoroughly.

It protects the liver from hepatotoxic drugs and chemicals. It repairs and rejuvenates the liver cells damaged by excess alcohol consumption. It increases the chances of survival in alcoholic cirrhosis patients.

It treats chronic inflammatory liver disease and viral hepatitis (hepatitis C in particular). When taken regularly, it also lowers the risks of these diseases to a great extent. It protects the liver from the damages caused by industrial toxins like xylene and toluene as well.

Milk thistle benefits the liver by stimulating its function. It also protects the liver from deathcap mushroom poisoning. If given within 10 minutes of ingestion, it can counteract the toxic effects of the mushrooms completely.

If, on the other hand, given within 24 hours of ingestion, it can restrict liver damage and prevent death.

Apart from liver problems, the plant extract is used to treat a number of other ailments as well. Let us now take a look at them.

Cancer Protection

Silymarin has anti-cancer properties. It stops the proliferation of cancer cells, shortens their life span, and restricts blood supply to malignant tumors. It is particularly effective against androgen responsive prostate cancer cells. So, a regular dose of the thistle can reduce the risk of prostate cancer in men.

It is a powerful anti-inflammatory agent. It prevents inflammatory disorders and a number of degenerative diseases that are caused by systemic inflammation.

It also neutralizes the threat posed by free radicals to your skin, slows down the aging process, and helps you stay young for a long time.

It reduces insulin resistance in type 2 diabetics with cirrhosis. It lowers the level of LDL or bad cholesterol and decreases your chances of developing cardiovascular diseases. It is used in the treatment of gall bladder problems and diabetic nephropathy as well. It also helps you reduce the effects of a hangover.

As you can see, unlike other liver cleansing herbs, milk thistle is not just beneficial for your liver. It treats and prevents diseases related to a number of other vital organs as well. Now, let us move to the next section of the article.

How to Take It?

You can take a high quality herbal anti inflammatory supplement that contains milk thistle extract. Such supplements usually contain a combination of herbs like alfalfa, milk thistle, and ginkgo biloba that work together very effectively without any side effects. They also contain a wide range of essential vitamins and minerals.

How to Choose One?

Choosing supplements with liver cleansing herbs is quite simple if you know what you should look for. Look for an optimum combination of herbs, essential vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and enzymes.

Make sure the supplement is free of heavy metal and microbiological contaminants. Also, make sure it meets the standards set by the British and US Pharmacopoeias.

Featured Product

We at anti inflammatory herbs.org recommend the multivitamin formula produced by Xtend Life natural products of New Zealand.

Their multivitamin, Total Balance is manufactured to the highest standards within the supplement industry, and contains not only milk thistle, but over 75 other powerful vitamins and nutrients which work together to support optimal health of your liver and throughout your whole body.

Conclusion

Milk thistle benefits your liver and other vital organs, treats and prevents a number of ailments, and promotes good health and vitality. So, pick up a bottle of herbal dietary supplement and make it a part of your diet today.