Milk thistle is native to the Mediterranean region and is a popular herb in the herb world, but it can be an invasive nightmare for farmers, especially in the southern part of the United States, where milk thistle grows rampantly if left unchecked. Milk Thistle is naturalized in Europe, North America and other parts of the world.
This beautiful but spiky plant can be annual or biennial. A member of the Asteraceae family, the botanical name of Milk Thistle is nu Silybum marianum although she was originally classified as Carduus marianuma name still used in homeopathy.
Milk thistle has been used for more than 2,000 years as a medicine for liver problems. It has also been used as food for just as long. All parts of the plant are edible. If the thorns are cut off the leaves, the leaves can be eaten like lettuce because they are slightly bitter and remain edible throughout the growing season. They can also be cooked like cabbage. The flowering tops can be eaten just like artichokes, by cutting them from the stem before the flower blooms, steaming and peeling the leaves and
petals to eat the juicy centers of each. The seeds are often ground and sprinkled on food, or roasted and used as a coffee substitute. They can also be pressed for their oil. Carrots can also be eaten raw, steamed or boiled.
The seeds are used medicinally.
If you have some seeds available, chew them to learn about the energies of Milk Thistle. As you chew, pay attention to what flavors emerge. They might surprise you! How does the seed make your mouth feel? Does it warm or cool your mouth as you chew it? Does your moth seem to be drying out or wetting? Most people energetically describe Milk Thistle as sweet, bitter, cooling and moisturizing.
Nutritionally, milk thistle contains calcium, chloride, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, sodium and vitamins B9 (folic acid), C and E.
Medicinally the seeds are used, although all parts of the plant contain silymarin, a group of flavonoids (silibinin, silidianin and silicristin) that give milk thistle its medicinal power. Silymarin is most highly concentrated in the inner seed coats, requiring the seeds to be ground before the medicinal compounds can be effective. Seeds are best ground just before use so that they do not become rancid. Whole seeds can be stored for years in a cool, dark place such as the freezer. Milk thistle also contains other flavonoids such as taxifolin, quercetin and kaempferol. Additionally, Milk Thistle has amines including agmatine, histamine and tyramine; essential oil, fatty oil including linoleic acid and oleic acid; mucus, sterols (mainly beta-sitosterol), bitter components.
What can we use milk thistle seeds for?
Historically it has been used as an antidepressant, antineoplastic agent, antioxidant, appetite stimulant, astringent, bitter tonic, cholagogue, demulcent, diaphoretic, digestive, diuretic, emmenagog, galactagogue, hepaprotective, regenerative, stomachic and tonic.
Milk thistle has an affinity with the liver. Given Milk Thistle’s long reputation for all things liver related, it works as an antidepressant by restoring liver health. When the liver is full of toxins, it cannot function properly and can lead to depression, chronic fatigue and illness. By repairing and purifying the liver, the complaints will disappear. Those who suffer from depression may find that Milk Thistle is relieving in this way.
Along with toning the digestive system, Milk Thistle works to remove bile from the gallbladder, calling upon its cholagogue action. This action is complementary to supporting the liver.
Like most bitters, Milk Thistle stimulates the digestive system. Bitter starts at the taste buds of the tongue and stimulates saliva flow. This sends a message to our stomachs that food is on its way and digestion needs to get to work. In this way, the bitterness of Milk Thistle helps as an appetite stimulant. As a stomach medicine, it also strengthens the stomach to help improve its function and increase appetite.
Although it works well for all parts of the digestive system, most of its work is critical for the liver. Milk thistle is hepaprotective, which means that it protects the liver. What can it protect the liver against? Toxins such as environmental toxicity (such as working or living near industrial pollution, radiation, bad water, hydrocarbon fumes, or other toxins released into the environment), alcoholism, and other toxins.
Those suffering from hepatitis, cirrhosis and other liver diseases have found milk thistle to be a beneficial part of their daily treatment. Germany and other countries have approved Milk Thistle for the supportive treatment of chronic inflammatory liver disease. Those with liver disease will also find milk thistle to improve lipid balance. Milk thistle not only helps people with liver disease, but also stimulates liver tissue regeneration for people recovering from alcoholism and liver disease.
Diabetics will find that adding milk thistle to their daily regimen is beneficial for reducing insulin resistance.
Though blessed thistle (Cnicus Benedictus), is often recommended to increase milk flow for nursing mothers, but milk thistle is also a great galactagogue.
Milk thistle has been proven to be effective against skin cancer as an antioxidant. The main component of silymarin is silibinin, which has been found to protect against UVB damage while killing cells damaged by UVA. Studies have shown that milk thistle is useful for children taking chemotherapy for leukemia treatments to protect their liver from the toxic effects. A case study also showed that Milk Thistle shrinks liver tumors. While we have not yet seen the FDA recommend Milk Thistle as a treatment or assistant in the treatment of leukemia, breast, lung, colon, bladder, prostate, kidney, liver and skin cancers, Australian research has shown that people suffering from this type of cancer and other types of cancer undergoing chemotherapy may find it useful to use milk thistle to protect their liver from the effects of treatment and to have an antineoplastic effect.
Milk Thistle is a specific antidote for mushroom poisoning due to the Amanita verna, A. phalloides and other related mushrooms, but should be administered in continuous small doses. Anyone suspected of consuming poisonous mushrooms should still go to the emergency room, but ingesting milk thistle could very well save their lives while they do so.
Milk thistle is easy to grow in the garden and if you don’t harvest the seeds you will have an uninterrupted patch of ground for years that will become increasingly invasive over the years if you don’t harvest it properly each year.
Do you want to teach your children everything about this amazing plant? You can find the ebook here.
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