Milk Thistle for when your liver needs a little help!

Have you heard of Milk Thistle? Or do you generally ignore all of these health supplements? Well this might change your mind.

I am a bit of a health nut! Notice I wrote ‘bit’, not whole or complete. I try to have balance in my life, so yes I like a drink or two or three, I do eat chocolate (mostly dark) and other goodies, but most of the time I eat well and have a varied diet.

I have a number of alternative health remedies in my cupboard. One of my favourites is Milk Thistle which I force on GG, my daughters and their unsuspecting men when I feel it’s necessary. You see, I have used it for years, before pharmacies stocked it and when health food shops were full of long-haired hippy types.

I had read somewhere that it was good for hangovers, so I stocked up with A Vogel’s herbal tincture, which as well as the milk thistle (silymarin) includes artichoke and dandelion, all of benefit in detoxing the liver.

But in the last few years, following quite a lot of research, it now emerges that it also has many other benefits.

The Mayo Clinic has found good scientific evidence that it helps in the following categories:

• Cirrhosis of the liver – improved liver function and decreased number of deaths in people with liver disease
• Type 2 Diabetes – improved control of blood sugar
• Kidney Disease – improved blood and urine markers
• Liver Disease – improvement

As well as the above, it is claimed that it can lower bad cholesterol and help with fat metabolism!

It is considered to be safe to use with the only know side-effects being that it may act as a mild laxative. Obviously, if you are on any other medication, you need to consult with your doctor and do more research.

More recently it has emerged that it plays a part in helping prevent osteoporosis.

According to A Vogel:

‘A healthy liver is critical in the battle against bone loss. That’s because the main cause of reduced bone mass is the acidification of the body. When your pH balance is too acidic, the body saps minerals from your bones. The liver plays an important role in the maintenance of an alkaline pH because it filters out acidifying toxins.’

Many of my friends have benefited from using it. But don’t take my word for it. Go do your research and decide if it could help you. If like me, you need  a little detoxing now and again, it could be just what you need!

First published in 2016.