Take Milk Thistle
for Health
Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) is commonly known as blessed milk thistle and Mary thistle. It is a fairly typical thistle originally from the Mediterranean, although it can now be found throughout the world. The seeds are used medicinally. The following steps will help you decide whether or not to take this herbal supplement.
Instructions
1. Read about the historical uses of milk thistle. The ancient Greeks and Romans used it to treat a variety of ailments, especially liver problems. It was also used to relieve kidney, liver and spleen dysfunction in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
2. Realize that milk thistle is currently being offered by professional herbalists to treat liver damage from hepatitis, long-term alcohol use and industrial toxins. The primary active component of milk thistle is silymarin, which is actually a group of flavonolignands.
3. Look at the results from modern scientific testing of milk thistle. Several studies have suggested that silymarin can protect the liver from certain types of damage, but a 2000 study by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality was unable to establish a medicinal benefit.
4. Study the side effects of milk thistle. These are rare in moderate amounts but may include headaches, nausea, shortness of breath, stomach pain and vomiting.
5. Take no more than the recommended dosage of milk thistle. It should be taken in capsule form standardized at 120 to 140 mg silymarin. Common dosages are two capsules taken two to three times per day.
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