How To Buy Milk Thistle
If you have diabetes, use milk thistle with caution, since the supplement might lower blood sugar. There is also concern that milk thistle might affect estrogen levels. If you have breast cancer, uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, endometriosis or uterine fibroids, consider avoiding milk thistle.
how to buy milk thistle
Milk thistle can cause an allergic reaction, including a severe, potentially life-threatening allergic reaction (anaphylaxis). An allergic reaction is more common in people who are allergic to other plants in the Asteraceae family, such as ragweed, daisies, marigolds and chrysanthemums.
Milk thistle, a regulated Class A noxious weed, is a toxic, branching winter annual or biennial that grows 2-6 feet tall in disturbed areas, such as pastures, roadsides, ditches, and fencerows. Ingestion can cause nitrate poisoning in cattle and sheep. Young plants grow as rosettes. Shiny green leaves have distinct white marbling patterns, with spines on leaf edges and stems. In April-October, pink-purple flower heads, with broad, spiny bracts at their bases, appear singly at stem ends. Reproduces via seeds that persist in soil at least 9 years. This plant has a limited distribution in King County, concentrated in rural areas.
Milk thistle is a large and highly distinctive thistle, with white marbling on the shiny green leaves. Flowerheads are bright magenta or purple, with thick, fleshy, spine-tipped bracts protruding around the base off the flowerhead. Leaves, stems and flowers are all armed with stiff, sharp spines.
Milk thistle is a Class A noxious weed in Washington State and eradication is required. Property owners in King County are required to remove this plant if it occurs on their property and the King County Noxious Weed Program will assist property owners with the control of this Class A noxious weed if requested.Although occasionally found in gardens, it is illegal to sell or buy milk thistle in Washington State. The species is on the Washington quarantine list (known as the prohibited plants list) and it is prohibited to transport, buy, sell, offer for sale, or to distribute plants or plant parts, seeds in packets, blends or "wildflower mixes" of this species, into or within the state of Washington. All existing plantings should be removed in order to prevent accidental spread.
Please notify us if you see milk thistle in King County. Our program staff can provide the property owner or appropriate public agency with site-specific advice on how best to remove it. We map all known locations of regulated noxious weeds such as milk thistle in order to help us and others locate new infestations in time to control them.
Milk thistle is commonly used for everything from weight loss to skin health to promoting breast milk production. However, while there are many different potential benefits, it is most well-known for being a natural liver supporter and is sometimes used to help treat liver diseases such as cirrhosis, jaundice and hepatitis, as well as gallbladder problems.
As a liver support and liver aid, milk thistle acts as a powerful liver cleanser by rebuilding liver cells, reducing liver damage and removing toxins from the body that are processed through the liver.
Milk thistle is effective at naturally reversing toxicity in the body, including the harmful effects of alcohol consumption, pesticides in our food supply, heavy metals in our water supply and pollution in the air that we breathe.
Something important to keep in mind, however, is that existing studies on possible heart benefits of milk thistle have only been done involving people with diabetes, who tend to have high cholesterol levels.
The valuable antioxidants found in milk thistle have been reported in experimental and clinical studies to help decrease blood sugar levels in people with insulin resistance, so it may make sense to add it to a diabetic diet plan.
Because the liver and other digestive organs, like the gallbladder, pancreas, intestines and kidneys, work closely together to improve liver health, milk thistle is also able to help prevent gallstones and kidney stones.
Thanks to the antioxidant content of milk thistle, the herb may actually help slow the aging process. This applies to both the surface of your skin and your organs, as antioxidants can protect your body from chronic disease.
Instead of using a milk thistle supplement, can also try consuming it in tea form to maximize the potential health benefits. In fact, many companies make milk thistle tea by steeping the leaves and seeds from the plant.
The amount of active ingredients can vary widely depending on the different preparation methods used and the brand. Currently, there are several different milk thistle tablets, capsules and soft gels available on the market, all of which recommend different doses.
Milk thistle may interact with some medications, including allergy medicines, anti-anxiety drugs and blood thinners, among others. If you are taking any medications, speak with your health care provider to prevent any milk thistle interactions before starting supplementation.
Best action is to list your routine sources of toxins to remove their sources,accompanied with lifestyle changes for a natural liver cleanse. Milk Thistle Supplements are a blessing from nature to liver. Milk Thistle seeds is herbal supplement that detoxify and protect liver functions and health. Milk thistle plant, also known as the Holy thistle or Silybummarianum, has an active ingredient called silymarin. Milk Thistle seeds work by leaching out toxins from the body that can cause a range of symptoms and diseases including alcohol abuse, liver degeneration, liver cancer, skin damage and much more. Studies show that silymarin exhibits several anti-inflammatory effects, Kupffer cell inhibition, increase hepatocyte protein synthesis, thereby offering the benefits of promoting hepatic tissue regeneration.
Extracts of milk thistle have been recognized for centuries as "liver tonics" and are well-known to prevent or reverse hepatotoxicity of reactive drug metabolites or naturally occurring toxins. Milk thistle extracts are now under intense study in the experimental therapeutics of cancer for chemoprevention, treatment, and amelioration of chemotherapy side effects. Precision in nomenclature, however, has lagged behind this progress. The crude commercial product of milk thistle is termed silymarin, a complex of at least 7 flavonolignans and 1 flavonoid that comprises 65% to 80% of milk thistle extract. From silymarin is derived silibinin, a semipurified fraction once thought to be a single compound but now recognized as a 1:1 mixture of 2 diastereoisomers, silybin A and silybin B. The distinction between silymarin and silibinin is not only important to understanding the historical literature, but thorough characterization and use of chemically defined mixtures in preclinical and clinical studies are essential to the progress of these botanical compounds as human therapeutics. As a result, we urge clinicians and preclinical investigators alike to exercise rigor in nomenclature and use pure compounds or precisely defined chemical mixtures in subsequent studies. Herein, we provide a guide to the proper nomenclature and composition of milk thistle extracts and discuss the known pharmacokinetic studies of these botanical medicines. The drug-interaction potential of these extracts appears to be quite low, and in fact, silibinin appears to synergize with the antitumor effects of some commonly used chemotherapeutics. However, some precautions are advised as high-dose, phase II studies are conducted.
Although milk thistle, specifically the active ingredient in the plant called silymarin, has been used a herbal remedy for 2,000 years, is it not recommended that you consume or use milk thistle plants in any form."}},"@type": "Question","name": "Are there native thistles that I can plant instead of milk thistle?","acceptedAnswer": "@type": "Answer","text": "One of the most diverse native thistles is the Cirsium genus with more than 62 species. To determine which native thistle is best suited to your area, contact the native plant society in your state, or a local native plant nursery.","@type": "Question","name": "How are the seeds of milk thistle spread?","acceptedAnswer": "@type": "Answer","text": "Most of the seeds drop near the plant but they can also be moved by erosion,wildlife, pets, rain, and human activity, such as on the wheels of a lawn mower."]}]}] .icon-garden-review-1fill:#b1dede.icon-garden-review-2fill:none;stroke:#01727a;stroke-linecap:round;stroke-linejoin:round > buttonbuttonThe Spruce The Spruce's Instagram The Spruce's TikTok The Spruce's Pinterest The Spruce's Facebook NewslettersClose search formOpen search formSearch DecorRoom Design
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