Milk  Thistle

Index

The medicinal use of milk thistle can be traced back thousands of years
to the times of the Greeks and the Romans.  Today, researchers have
completed more than 300 scientific studies that attest to the benefits
of this herb, particularly for treating liver ailments.

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Common Uses:

· Protects the liver from toxins, including drugs, poisons and chemicals.
· Treats liver disorders such as cirrhosis and hepatitis.
· Reduces liver damage from excessive alcohol.
· Aids in the treatment and prevention of gallstones.
· Helps clear psoriasis.

What it is:

Know by its botanical name, Silybum marianum, as well as by its principal active ingredient, silymarin, milk thistle is a member of the sunflower family.  The purple flowers and milky white leaf veins of this herb, which early settlers brought from Europe to North America, are a common sight along the East Coast and in California; the plant also grows as a weed in other parts of the United States and around the world.  It blooms from June through August, and the shiny black seeds used for medicinal purposes are collected at the end of summer.

What it does:

Milk thistle is one of the most extensively studied and documented herbs in use today.   Scientific research continues to validate its healing powers, particularly for the treatment of liver-related disorders.

Major Benefits:

Among the most important benefits of milk thistle is its ability to fortify the liver, which is one of the body’s most important organs, second in size only to the skin.   The liver processes nutrients, including fats and other foods.   In addition, it neutralizes or detoxifies many drugs, chemical pollutants and alcohol.   Milk thistle helps enhance and strengthen this vital organ by preventing the depletion of glutathione, an amino acid-like compound that is essential to the detoxifying process.  Studies show milk thistle can increase glutathione concentration by up to 35%.  This herb is also an effective gatekeeper, limiting the number of toxins the liver processes at any given time.

Milk thistle is a powerful antioxidant as well.  Even more potent than vitamins C and E, it helps prevent damage from highly reactive free-radical molecules.   Furthermore, it promotes the regeneration of healthy, new liver cells, which replace old and damaged ones.  Milk thistle eases a range of serious liver ailments, including viral infections (hepatitis) and scarring of the liver (cirrhosis).  This herb is so potent that it’s sometimes given in an injectable form in the emergency room to combat the life-threatening, liver-obliterating effects of poisonous mushrooms.   In addition, because excessive alcohol depletes glutathione, milk thistle can aid in protecting the livers of alcoholics or those recovering from alcohol abuse.

Additional Benefits Of Milk Thistle:

In cancer patients, milk thistle limits the potential for drug-induced damage to the liver after chemotherapy treatments and it speeds recovery by hastening removal of toxic substances that can accumulate in the body.  The herb also reduces the inflammation, and may slow the skin cell proliferation associated with psoriasis.   It may be useful for endometriosis, (the most common cause of infertility in women), because it helps the liver process the hormone estrogen, which at high levels can make pain and other symptoms worse.

Milk thistle can be beneficial in preventing or treating gallstones by improving the flow of bile, the cholesterol-laden digestive juice that travels from the liver through the gallbladder and into the intestine, where it helps to digest fats.

Hot to take it:

Dosage: The recommended dose for milk thistle is up to 250 mg of standardized extract (containing 70% to 80% silymarin) three times a day.  It is often combined with other herbs and nutrients, such as dandelion, choline, methionine, and inositol. This combination may be labeled “liver complex” or “lipotropic factors” (“lipotropic” refers to the formula’s fat-metabolizing properties; it prevents the buildup o of fatty substances in the liver).

Guidelines for use:

Milk thistle seems most effective when taken between meals.   The herb appears to be safe, even for pregnant and lactating women.  No interactions with other medication have been noted.

Possible side effects:

Virtually no side effects have been attributed to the use of milk thistle, which is considered one of the safest herbs on the market.  However, in some people it may have a slight laxative effect for a day or two.

Seasickness

Of all the herbs that prevent seasickness: (1) Ginger,   (2) Milk thistle,   (3) Lavender,   (4) Mint,   (5) Anise,   (6) Sweet pepper, (7) Catnip ~ Milk thistle is considered the second most effective.

Milk Thistle:  The whole plant is edible [nontoxic] and aids digestion.  The seeds and leaves have been given for low milk flow, coughs and depression and for digestive, liver gallbladder and spleen problems.

Since silymarin in the seeds was discovered to protect the liver from many toxins, including death cap mushrooms, extracts have been used [to enhance metabolism of liver cells and protect them from toxic injury, and] to reduce damage from alcohol and drugs, chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis and cadmium poisoning.   It is taken to prevent travel sickness and heart disease.

[Note:   Heavy drinkers should take milk thistle regularly as well as those using pharmaceutical drugs that are hard on the liver including cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy as well as those with chronic hepatitis and abnormal liver function].

Bilberry

Vaccinium Myrtillus

During World War II, British RAF pilots noted the curious fact that their night vision improved after eating bilberry preserves. Their anecdotal reports sparked scientific research into this herb, which today is used to treat a wide range of visual disorders.

Common Uses:
• Maintains healthy vision and improves night vision and poor visual adaptation to bright light.
• Treats a wide array of eye disorders including diabetic retinopathy, cataracts and macular degeneration.
• Relieves varicose veins and hemorrhoids, especially in pregnancy.

Forms:
Tablet, Capsule, Softgel, Tincture, Dried Herb/Tea.

Possible Side Effects:
At therapeutic doses, bilberry appears to be very safe and has no known side effects, even when taken long term.

What It Is:
Although the fruit of the bilberry bush has been enjoyed since prehistoric times, its first recorded medicinal use was in the sixteenth century.

Historically, dried berry or leaf preparations were recommended for a variety of conditions, including scurvy (a disease caused by a vitamin C deficiency), urinary tract infections and kidney stones.

A relative of the American blueberry, bilberry is a short, shrubby perennial that grows in the forests and wooded meadows of northern Europe. Bushes of these sweet blue-black berries are also found in western Asia and the Rocky Mountains of North America. The medically active components in the ripe fruit consist primarily of flavonoid compounds known as anthocyanosides. Accordingly, the modern medicinal form of bilberry is an extract containing a highly concentrated amount of these compounds.

What It Does:
Many of the medicinal qualities of bilberry derive from its major constituents, anthocyanosides, which are potent antioxidants. These compounds help counteract cell damage caused by unstable oxygen molecules called free radicals.

Major Benefits:
Bilberry extract is the leading herbal remedy for maintaining healthy vision and managing various eye disorders. In particular, bilberry helps the retina, the light-sensitive portion of the eye, adapt properly to both dark and light. It has been widely used to treat night blindness, as well as poor vision resulting from daytime glare.

With its ability to strengthen tiny blood vessels (capillaries) – and, in turn, facilitate the delivery of oxygen-rich blood to the eyes-bilberry may also play a significant role in preventing and treating degenerative diseases of the retina (retinopathy). In one study, 31 patients were treated with bilberry extract daily for four weeks. Use of the extract fortified the capillaries and reduced hemorrhaging in the eyes, especially in cases of diabetes-related retinopathy.

In addition, bilberry is useful for preventing macular degeneration, (a progressive disorder affecting the central part of the retina) and cataracts, (loss of transparency of the eye’s lens) – two leading causes of vision loss in older people. A study of 50 patients with age-related cataracts found that bilberry extract combined with vitamin E supplements inhibited cataract formation in almost all of the participants. Because it can strengthen collagen-the abundant protein that forms the “backbone” of healthy connective tissue-bilberry may also be valuable in preventing and treating glaucoma, a disease caused by excessive pressure within the eye.

Additional Benefits:
Because the anthocyanosides in bilberry improve blood flow in capillaries, as well as in larger blood vessels, bilberry in standardized extract form may be worthwhile for people with poor circulation in their extremities. It’s helpful for varicose veins and for the pain and burning of hemorrhoids, particularly during pregnancy, when these conditions can be quite troublesome. People who bruise easily may also benefit from bilberry’s salutary effect on capillaries.

Although more study is needed, limited data indicate that bilberry may have other uses as well. One study showed that long-term use of bilberry extract improved the vision of normally nearsighted people-although how it produced this effect is unknown. Preliminary results in women show that bilberry helps treat menstrual cramps because anthocyanosides relax smooth muscle, including the uterus. And animal studies suggest that bilberry anthocyanosides may fight stomach ulcers.

Facts & Tips:
In Europe, bilberry is commonly recommended as part of conventional medical therapy, particularly for eye disorders. German doctors also prescribe bilberry tea for the relief of diarrhea. To make the tea, pour a cup of very hot water over 1 to 2 tablespoons of dried berries (or 2 or 3 teaspoons of crushed berries); steep for 10 minutes and strain. You can drink up to three cups of bilberry tea a day. The tea can also be cooled and used as a gargle to treat mouth and throat inflammations.

Shopping Hints:
When buying bilberry, choose an extract standardized to contain 25% anthocyanosides, the active ingredients in the herb. (Actually, one particular type of anthocyanoside, called anthocyanidin, determines this standardized dose.) Standardized extracts help assure that you get the same amount of active compounds in each dose.

Bilberry extracts contain between 100 and 250 times the amount of active ingredients (anthocyanosides) found in fresh bilberry fruit.

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Bilberry: Bilberry berries are useful for increasing capillary strength. They also replenish “retina purple” helping to reduce visual fatigue. A leaf decoction lowers blood sugar levels. A leaf tea treats diarrhea, vomiting and nerves and is an antiseptic gargle for sore throats.