Milk thistle belongs to the same family as the Artichoke. It grows wild on roadside verges, derelict sites and is found in many gardens. The plant’s vivid purple flower heads are a favourite with flower arrangers, but the seeds of the dried flowers are used medicinally.
Medicinal Properties of Milk thistle
Milk thistle seed contains a complicated Bioflavanoid called silymarin, which has liver-protective and liver stimulating activity. Silymarin is powerful Antioxidant and is able to trigger re-growth of liver cells to replace those damaged by disease, alcohol and other toxic substances.
Milk thistle Herbal Remedies
Our herbalists recommend milk thistle for the following disorders:
Chole Cystitis
Chronic Active Hepatitis
Gallstones
Hepatitis
Psoriasis
Other Milk thistle Information
Milk thistle is most commonly taken by people to counteract the effects of alcohol on the liver and is also used in a standardised form to treat alcohol related liver disease and cirrhosis. It is also used by mothers when breast feeding to improve the flow of breast milk. Milk thistle is often taken alongside many medications that are known to damage the liver as a preventative practice, in fact in Germany Milk thistle is almost always prescribed alongside paracetamol.
It is available as tablets, capsules, tincture and seed, which can be made into a tea. Milk thistle can be used in tincture form for children aged above 3 years of age. Herb tincture dosage is lower than adult levels – a simple guide for children is one drop per stone of weight.
Side Effects of Milk thistle
Milk thistle is a very safe herb and has no side effects or contra-indications. It is safe to use during pregnancy and when breast-feeding.
When this article was written there were no well-known negative drug interactions with the herb Milk thistle.
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