Milk Thistle Uses and Benefits

As one of the plants for the liver, milk thistle uses offer great benefits to the health. This is because it helps in regenerating hepatic cells and this serves as one its greatest health benefits.

This medicinal plant is endowed with doubtless medicinal properties because from it a powerful substance against liver disorders is extracted. It is called silimarine which forms part of several pharmaceutical preparations.

According to drugs.com, milk thistle uses have been investigated to benefit the health in cases of inflammation due to its anti-inflammatory, CNS and antimicrobial effects.

It has proven be to be quite beneficial against asthma, allergic rhinitis, rheumatoid arthritis, dyslipidemia, cancer treatment-related adverse effects, type 2 diabetes, drug-induced nephrotoxicity etc.

Description: Milk thistle is of prickly appearance and grows up to 2 meters in height. It is belongs to Composite family.

It has large, prickly, white-stained leaves. The flowers of this plant have pink or purple colors on the heads and the fruits are somewhat hard with dark colors.

The part of the plant used for medicinal purposes are the fruits, seeds, the leaves and the roots.

Properties of Milk Thistle

The fruits of the milk thistle contain substances of high medicinal properties such as the so called flavonolignan.

According to Dr. Coll (Pharmacognosis and Pharmcodynamics Laboratory of Barcelona’s Pharmacy College), he states that the complex substances are formed by a taxofloline (flavonoid) and a phenopropanic molecules and the mixture of these types of flavonolignanes is called silimarine.

In milk thistle uses, the presence of silimarine is capable of stimulating the regeneration of hepatic cells that may have been damaged by toxic substances like carbon tetrachloride or ethyl alcohol, as well as phalloidine.

Phalloidine is a substance found in Amanita phalloides which is the poisonous of all mushrooms.

In milk thistle uses, one of the beneficial aspects of this medicinal plant is engineered by the presence of silimarine which stimulates protein synthesis in hepatic cells.

This substance has an important antiinflammatory property on supporting fiber tissue of the liver.

According to drugs.com, milk thistle uses have been evaluated in liver diseases management (viral hepatitis and alcohol-induced hepatitis). However, clinical trials are always showing equivocal results.

Indications 

Milk thistle is recommended in the following cases. They are:

1. Liver inflammation
2. Poisoning with hepatotoxic substances
3. Migraines and Neuralgias
4. Hepatic cirrhosis
5. Exhaustion and asthenia
6. Allergic reactions: Such as asthma, hay fever and nettlerash
7. Hepatic insufficiency
8. Fatty degeneration of the liver which maybe as a result of too much alcohol intake or by several other toxic substances.
9. Acute viral hepatitis, liver inflammation caused by alcoholic beverage intake, chronic hepatitis.

Inflammation of the liver: This could be caused by medicines like those with anti-inflammatory, psychological, tuberculostatic and anovulatory effects. This medicinal plant (milk thistle) can be prepared using decoction or infusion, as well as dry extract.

Poisoning with hepatotoxic substances like organics phosphoric insecticides, carbon tetrachloride and Amanita phalloides, Amanita virosa and Amanita verna (some types of mushroom).

In every case mentioned above, silimarine helps in stimulating the regeneration of damaged cells of the liver and brings back their normal functions.

However, it is noteworthy that milk thistle uses regarding cirrhosis does not heal this ailment completely.

The root, leaves and the fruits of milk thistle contain other active substances, but in less amounts. Most of these active substances include:

1. Biogenic amines
2. Essential oil
3. Tannin
4. Albuminoid substances.

All these substances help in explaining its balancing action on the autonomic nervous system which controls blood vessels tone.

Therefore, milk thistle uses are successfully applicable in treating migraine, neuralgia, kinetosis (vomiting, nausea), exhaustion and asthenia, as well as allergic reactions as mentioned earlier.

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Preparation and Use of Milk Thistle

Internal Use

1. Decoction or infusion with about 40-50 grams of mashed fruits or ground fruits per liter of water. You can add some roots or leaves. Drink three to five cups every day. It has no toxic effect.
2. Dry extract: For the dry extract, the recommended dose is only 0.5 to 1 g ram, only two times a day.
3. Salads: the tender leaves with prickles and the flowers can be consumed raw.

Milk Thistle Application and Uses

According to rxlist.com, milk thistle is usually taken by mouth in cases of the following:

• Spleen disease
• Depression
• Uterine complaints
• Kidney damaged as a result of diabetes
• Hangover
• Prostate cancer
• Chest and lungs inflammation
• Malaria
• Allergy symptoms
• Obsessive-compulsive Disorder
• Parkinson’s disease
• High cholesterol etc

As mentioned earlier, milk thistle serves as a vegetable (flowers and leaves) for salads and also as a substitute for spinach while the seeds are used in place of coffee. These are some of the milk thistle uses.

Another one among the milk thistle uses is that some people use milk thistle as tea or as a supplement and sometimes use it as a part of skin creams.

In cases of liver problems, many have claimed that it is helpful in treating the following:

1. Hepatitis
2. Gallbladder disorders
3. Cirrhosis
4. Jaundice

The following are some other milk thistle uses. They are:

1. Cholesterol reduction
2. Weight loss
3. Skin health

Cholesterol Reduction

Problems with heart health can be as a result of high cholesterol and this also puts one’s chance of stroke.

Researchers found that this medicinal plant called milk thistle can be of great help to blood cholesterol levels, however, the information and evidence regarding the use of this medicinal plant to reduce cholesterol has since been inconclusive.

Again, according to a study (Trusted Source) in 2006, made a suggestion that milk thistle could play an important role in bringing cholesterol levels down.

It also states that milk thistle progressively slowed down cholesterol levels in diabetic individuals who used it to treat diabetes than people using a placebo.

Weight Loss

Scientists have found that silimarine in milk thistle caused a tremendous weight loss in mice that they fed some diet which was intended to bring weight gain. Therefore, it may be helpful and quite beneficial for individuals who want to lose weight.

Skin health

It is said that one of the milk thistle uses is to foster skin health. As shared on Pinterest, individuals may use milk thistle oil to improve the health of their skin.

This is because, it has proven that milk thistle is quite helpful in improving inflammatory condition of the skin as carried out by scientists who applied it to the skin of mice.

Fidel Perez

A graduate of Computer Science and Information Management Technology. Diploma – Caregiving, Certificates – Dementia and Diabetes Awareness and Management. A researcher, blogger, songwriter, singer and acoustic guitarist. Born in an environment where natural talents such as healing are imparted at our natural birth. This natural talents of healing is the result of our genetic inheritance and the training from family environment.