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Milk thistle, in other words, is called "milk thistle". Even ancient people noticed that this plant has medicinal properties. This is all due to the fact that it contains approximately 400 components that actively affect the human body (on all its systems and organs).
This article will talk about the medicinal properties of milk thistle and the composition of milk thistle. About how to use it. We will also talk about the advantages milk thistle has over medications.
Description of the plant milk thistle
This plant is one of the most attractive, large-sized species of thistle. Belongs to representatives of the Asteraceae family. Where is it used and what are the medicinal properties of milk thistle?
- Firstly, when you need to treat the intestines, liver, stomach.
- Secondly, when it is necessary to treat diseases of the skin and diseases associated with gynecology.
- Thirdly, when there are problems with ENT organs, and pathologies of the heart and blood vessels.
Appearance
If we are talking about an annual or biennial plant, then it can reach a height of 60 to 1 m 50 cm. And if the owner of the site cultivates it correctly, the height of the crop can reach two meters.
The attractiveness of the milk thistle stem, which occupies a vertical position, is achieved due to the dark green or light green leaves, on which there are a lot of silvery-pearl spots.
And also - the edges of the leaves are “decorated” with spines. They are long and have a yellow tint. The diameter of the inflorescences, which are collected in purple baskets, can be from 5 to 6 cm.
The achene is the fruit of this plant. It can be grayish, pale brown or black. The leaves of milk thistle surrounding the basket also have spines. They are sharp. All achenes have tufts consisting of hairs. They can be 2 times longer than the achene. Milk thistle seeds have no odor, but taste bitter.
How milk thistle blooms
Where does milk thistle grow?
The places where milk thistle grows are considered to be: Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan. It also grows in countries located in Central and Southern Europe.
On the territory of the Russian Federation, in the southern regions, this culture is widely represented. In Western Siberia, especially in the southern regions, milk thistle is also found.
It grows where there are wastelands, along roadsides, in the steppes. All parts of the plant have medicinal value: both the upper and root parts. Seeds are its most important value.
Milk thistle harvest time
It is necessary to collect seeds starting in August. The collection can be completed in October. This is due to the fact that crop seeds can ripen at different times. The most opportune moment is when “parachutes” filled with seeds fly and the baskets turn yellow.
The plant signals that the seeds are ripe by the formation of white fluff in the baskets. It is better to cut off the baskets with seeds using pruning shears. With the onset of autumn, it is advisable to dig up the roots of milk thistle (when the seeds are already ripe). After this, you need to rinse under running water. Next, they are dried. Also, in the fall, it is necessary to prepare leaves.
How to dry milk thistle to make medicine
The baskets that have been cut must be placed on the sieve. In advance, under it, you need to spread fabric or paper.
Worth paying attention! You need to choose a room for drying baskets so that there is good air circulation, but without drafts. Otherwise, gusts of wind will carry away the “parachutes” with seeds.
When the milk thistle has dried, use scissors to cut off all the spines that were on the baskets. Then they are broken and the seeds are removed.
To dry, they need to be spread on parchment in one, thin layer. As an option, the plant baskets are collected in a cloth bag and threshed thoroughly with a stick. Milk thistle seeds should be stored in a ventilated room. Leaves, roots, crushed.
Both a room and a drying cabinet are suitable for drying. You need to monitor the temperature. It should be from 40 to 50 degrees. The roots and leaves of milk thistle are stored in glass jars. This is the best option for storage.
If seeds are stored for no more than 3 years, then roots and leaves - no more than a year. Over time, the healing properties of milk thistle are lost.
Dried milk thistle in bags
Content of medicinal components in milk thistle
Milk thistle has medicinal properties. This is due to its chemical and biological composition. The components of the seeds were first officially studied in 1968. Specialists from the Munich Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences have made a real splash in medicine and the pharmaceutical industry.
Milk thistle seeds have been found to be rich in acids and microelements. And how many vitamins it contains! There are more than 200 different components!
The most important thing is that they contain silymarin, a rare substance that restores those liver cells that are damaged. This is probably one of the most important beneficial properties of this culture.
Silymarin is not one substance that has medicinal properties. This is a whole group of components - flavonolignans. It consists of: silydianin, silybin, silicristin, silibinin.
Flavonolignans contribute to the following effects:
- Antioxidant (silibin can produce an enzyme that fights free radicals);
- Protective (effectively combats the effects of toxins resulting from the use of antibiotics, alcoholic beverages, and poisons). It is a fact that silymarin is an excellent remedy against the poisons of the toadstool.
- Restorative (milk thistle helps strengthen the membranes of “worn out” cells and the formation of new ones);
- Fruits contain the most silymarin (about 3% there). Roots and foliage contain smaller amounts of this component.
In addition to silymarin, in different parts of the culture there is the presence of:
- Vitamins: K, E, B, A, D.
- Macro and microelements
- Fatty acids.
Efficiency and benefits of using milk thistle
Milk thistle is usually used when treatment is required:
- Liver diseases. These include different types of hepatitis. This culture is used for dyskinesia and cholelithiasis.
- Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. In most cases, when problems arise with the intestines or the functioning of the stomach, it is due to a diseased liver, or because it is contaminated. The formation of new liver cells, instead of old ones, will enable other digestive organs to work well. It turns out that the whole point is in the liver. Doctors therefore recommend using milk thistle for ulcers, hemorrhoids, colitis, pancreatitis, and colitis.
- Allergies (allergic reactions, in their strength, appear depending on how contaminated the liver cells are)
- Skin diseases. The condition of the skin can be affected by the functioning of the liver. In the event that the main gland of the body is unable to remove toxic substances from the body, then the skin is involved in the procedure for removing toxins. Through it, toxins begin to be removed. Because of this, the formation of rashes, acne, and pimples on the skin is possible.
- Food poisoning.
- Poisoning from drinking alcohol and drugs.
- Poisonings received at work.
- Poisoning from the use of medicines.
- Various types of poisoning. For example, when a person is bitten by a spider, snake, arthropod, or when he is poisoned by mushrooms or plants containing poisons.
Worth taking note! If a person is poisoned by toadstool, he must use milk thistle. This medicinal plant, which has unique properties, will enable a person to survive
Milk thistle seeds for making medicinal tea
Treatment of liver with milk thistle at home
What liver diseases can milk thistle treat? It tends to protect internal organs and the liver, including from negative environmental impacts. Doctors recommend consuming milk thistle for people who have undergone chemotherapy or those who have been exposed to radiation.
The liver is prevented from oxidizing silymarins. When cirrhosis occurs, milk thistle helps the liver.
If you have liver diseases, milk thistle helps treat them.
How to take milk thistle powder to heal your liver? By grinding milk thistle seeds, a medicinal powder is obtained. It is used raw or added to drinks and tinctures. You can also add it to tea and various decoctions. Milk thistle powder is often used to treat diseases. It is freely available and can be purchased at a pharmacy without a prescription.
Basic recipes for milk thistle seeds, leaves and roots that you can prepare at home
Tea
To prepare it you need the stem and powder.
Add 1 cup of boiling water to the composition of 10 grams. Leave for about 20 minutes. Strain. 30 minutes before meals, three times a day, drink one glass of infusion, warm. In this way, the pancreas can also be cured, in addition to the liver.
The powder can also be in the form of milk thistle flour. It is prepared without first squeezing out the oil. How to use? You need to eat 10 g of flour 4 times a day, 30 minutes before meals. The treatment course is 40 days. Then they take a break for 2 weeks. So, the liver is treated for six months. If poisoning occurs, or atherosclerosis begins, you need to eat 10 g of powder from milk thistle leaves 5 times a day. The course of treatment is a month.
How to take milk thistle oil for the liver
Medicinal oil is extracted from seeds using the cold pressing method. This technique is both convenient to use and makes it possible for useful elements not to perish. The oil has choleretic and anti-sclerotic properties.
In order to prevent good liver function, after each meal, you should consume 5 ml of oil. The treatment course can last 1-2 months.
If the liver is sick, then milk thistle oil is used as an adjuvant. 30 days, 30 minutes before meals, you need to eat 5 ml of oil.
Milk thistle oil
For the liver, a mixture using olive oil may be an effective remedy. It is prepared independently. First you need to grind milk thistle seeds (50 g). Then add 0.5 liters of olive oil. Keep the mixture in a water bath for about 20 minutes. Then leave for 30 minutes. Strain. Milk thistle is taken before meals, 3 times a day, 5 ml.
How to prepare a decoction, infusion and tincture for the liver
To cleanse the liver, the leaves are mixed with seeds. Finely cut. You need to take 20 g of the mixture and pour boiling water (125 ml). Let it brew for about half an hour. Carefully strain the infusion. Milk thistle is taken in the evening.
Preparing a decoction from seeds
The seeds need to be crushed. Take 30 g. Pour 0.5 liters of water. Place a container of water on the fire and turn it small. So, cook the mixture until the water is halved. After this, filter the broth. All day, every hour, 1 tbsp. take a decoction of milk thistle. The treatment course is two weeks.
If toxic lesions or cirrhosis
You need 0.5 liters of melt water. Add 30 g of seeds. Place in a water bath and boil. Every hour, during the day, take 1 tbsp. This should be done for 21 days. Then a pause – 2 weeks. Then we need to continue treatment.
How to cleanse the liver using milk thistle root decoction
First you need to take the root, peel it, and chop it. Pour 0.5 liters of water into the container. Add the root there. Boil the mixture, covering the pan with a lid, for 30 minutes. Strain. Let cool. Add water to make the volume 1.5 liters. For 29 days in a row, before meals, you need to take a decoction of 15 ml.
Alcohol infusion
You need to take vodka - 0.5 l. Pour 50 g of milk thistle seeds. You need to insist for two weeks, in some dark corner of the room. Then they express it. During the day you need to take 20 drops.
How to treat the liver of children over 12 years old
First you need to heat the milk. Add 20 g of seeds there. As soon as the milk boils, remove from heat and leave overnight. In the morning, bring to a boil again. Express. Cool. After meals, the child should be allowed to drink 4 times a day, 1 part glass.
How to take milk thistle meal to treat the liver
When the oil is squeezed out of the seeds, the result is meal. This substance, in appearance, resembles a powder. It is characterized by the fact that it contains a lot of fiber.
Worth taking note! The meal of this plant, in addition to its use in the treatment of the digestive system and liver, is effective in the fight against excess weight. It reduces the visibility of varicose veins and reduces blood sugar levels.
For preventive purposes, to prevent illness from occurring, during meals, you need to eat 15 ml of milk thistle meal.
To cleanse the liver. 5 g of meal are diluted in water. For a month, before meals, you need to take it.
Tablet and encapsulated form - in these types the extract of the drug is prepared. There is a list of medications that contain milk thistle extract. These medications are sold in both capsules and tablets.
Each tablet of the drug Gepabene contains 50 g of silybin and an auxiliary choleretic substance. The package contains capsules in the amount of 30 pieces.
The drug, produced in Bulgaria, called Karsil forte, contains silybin in a volume of 90 mg in 1 capsule, and one tablet contains 35 g. A total of 80 tablets in one box.
One capsule of Legalon contains 140 mg of silybin. This is one dose for an adult. There are 60 capsules in a box.
In the Russian drug Silymar, each of 30 tablets contains silybin, in a volume of 70 mg.
If milk thistle is sold in tablets, how to use it? The best dose of this beneficial substance per day is considered to be from 400 to 420 mg of silybin. You need to take the specified amount of milk thistle, dividing it into three stages: after breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Notice! To achieve the best effect, it is advisable to use all types of medicine before meals. The treatment course can last 3 weeks or one and a half months. Those who want to use milk thistle preparations for preventive purposes should do this 2 times a year, at least.
Treatment of various diseases using milk thistle
Burns, wounds and scratches
When there are wounds or burns on the skin, it is first treated with an antiseptic drug. Then soak a napkin in milk thistle oil and apply it to the wound. A bandage should be applied on top. You need to wear it for up to 2 days. If pus appears, the bandage is changed every day. The treatment course consists of 12 procedures, maximum 14.
When cuts, wounds and scratches have formed on the skin, take a milk thistle leaf. They cut off all the thorns from it. The leaf is turned into pulp by grinding. Apply to the affected area of skin.
Bandaged. The dressing with milk thistle leaves is changed when the need arises. Often, wound healing occurs within two days.
Pain in the joints
Do your joints hurt? Milk thistle juice is an effective healing agent. It is harvested when the flower shoot appears on the plant, and at the moment the first baskets are ready to open.
To extract milk thistle juice, 4-6 largest leaves are taken from 4-5 plants. Grind them up. Squeeze out the juice. Next, preservation will occur, since alcohol (70%) is added to the juice.
The calculation is as follows: for one liter of juice from milk thistle leaves - three tablespoons of alcohol. Place in the refrigerator for storage. As soon as joint pain occurs, take one tablespoon of milk thistle infusion before breakfast on an empty stomach.
If radiculitis causes discomfort, a decoction of milk thistle roots will help! Grind the roots. You need to take 250 ml of water (it should be hot).
Add 1 tablespoon of roots. Leave for half an hour to warm up using a water bath. A closed enamel saucepan is suitable for these purposes.
The hot decoction of milk thistle root must be filtered. Add boiling water to get the original volume of water. The medicinal decoction is drunk before breakfast, lunch and dinner, 30 minutes before meals. Lotions from the decoction also help, which are placed on the places where pain occurs.
Milk thistle for skin diseases
If you have allergic skin diseases, you can make this decoction. Milk thistle seeds are crushed. You need three tablespoons of them. 750 milliliters of hot water are poured into an enamel pan and 3 tablespoons are poured. seeds (which have been crushed).
Cook until the volume of water is reduced by half. When the broth is prepared, filter it. Drink every 60 minutes throughout the day.
If there is a rash on the skin, then with the help of medicinal milk thistle it is eliminated as follows: 5 times a day, 30 minutes before meals, consume plant powder consisting of crushed seeds. Usually, a month is enough for treatment, and the rash goes away during this time.
If you have eczema or other types of skin diseases, milk thistle oil is applied to the affected areas. And if the complications are serious, gauze napkins soaked in oil are applied. Treatment procedures are performed within 30 days. For best results, you need to eat milk thistle oil twice a day. It is advisable to take one teaspoon before meals.
How to cure gastritis with milk thistle oil
Stomach diseases will not bother a person if he adds 1 teaspoon of milk thistle oil to his diet every day. You can add it to porridge and salad. After one to two months, an interval is needed, and then the treatment should be continued. The course will be effective if it is carried out two or three times during the year.
Milk thistle juice will help with chronic colitis, constipation, gastritis. Take 6 large leaves and squeeze the juice out of them. Mix it with a liter of milk and three tablespoons of alcohol (70%). Before meals, drink milk thistle juice 30 drops.
This method will help you get rid of constipation. Using a coffee grinder, grind dry milk thistle seeds. Before meals, half an hour before, 5 times a day, one teaspoon, you need to eat crushed seeds. You should definitely wash them down with water!
If you have diseases associated with disorders of the stomach and intestines, the following recipe will help. The juice is squeezed out of large milk thistle leaves. Pour hot water into a glass. You need to add 1 tsp to it. milk thistle juice. Drink six times a day, 4 tsp. before eating.
Milk thistle for varicose veins
When a person has problems associated with varicose veins, one should make milk thistle tea. It can help as a general tonic:
A powder is made from milk thistle meal and leaves. You will need one teaspoon. Pour the mixture into 250 ml of boiling water. Leave for about 15 minutes. Strain. Three times a day, before meals, making a fresh portion each time, drink 1 glass.
External use: when the lower limbs are affected by varicose veins, lotions and compresses using milk thistle decoction will help. If you are worried about hemorrhoids, you will need 15-minute sitz baths.
Prepare a decoction based on a ratio of 1 to 20. Take 25 grams of dry fruits. Fill the floor with a liter of boiling water. The broth should boil over the fire for ten minutes.
Video: Milk thistle meal - how to lose weight
Milk thistle: contraindications for use
- Personal intolerance
- Serious pathologies of the heart and blood vessels
- Presence of mental illness (depression, epilepsy)
- If there is shortness of breath
- Children under 12 years of age
- According to the advice of traditional healers, it is better not to give milk thistle to children under 3 years of age.
Side effects
There are practically none. If they happen, it is only when the patient does not comply with the dosage. Expressed by: pain in the liver area. Diarrhea or allergies may occur.
- If a woman is pregnant or breastfeeding, she should consult her doctor. Of course, there are no direct prohibitions, but in this case you shouldn’t make a decision on your own.
- If a person has gallstones, then milk thistle must be used carefully.
- With caution, take milk thistle when there are hormonal imbalances and related diseases. For endometrosis, prostate cancer, uterine fibroids, breast, and ovaries, this plant can give an undesirable result, since silymarin has an estrogen-like effect.
- Milk thistle tends to reduce its effect when hormone replacement therapy medications and oral contraceptives are used. But this plant can enhance the effects of therapy with drugs such as Ketoconazole, Vinblastine, Lovastatin, as well as Diazepam and Alprazolam.
An aggressive weed and a valuable medicinal plant - the shrub, which has been used in medical practice since ancient times, combines amazing properties. The medicinal properties of milk thistle were known to the ancient healers Diascorides and Galen; the first mentions of it are contained in the works of Theophrastus, dating back to the fourth century BC.
The first studies of the effects of dosage forms on humans were carried out in the Middle Ages. In Europe, already in the sixteenth century, tincture from the seeds of the plant was used to treat diseases of the liver and spleen, hepatic colic, cholelithiasis, and jaundice. Modern justifications for the value of natural raw materials were provided in the sixties of the twentieth century by the Munich Institute of Pharmaceuticals. For the first time, the composition of the herb was deciphered quite fully, which gave impetus to its use in official medicine.
Features of milk thistle
Today, milk thistle is one of the basic raw materials of the pharmaceutical industry. On the territory of the Russian Federation, land for its cultivation has been created with an area of about ten thousand hectares. In China, the maximum pharmacological lands of the crop have been recorded - at least one hundred thousand hectares.
Description
In the natural environment, the culture goes through its life cycle within two years. From the seed, a compact sprout with spreading leaves is formed, which grows quickly. Already in the first year of the growing season, its height is sixty centimeters; after another year, the stem more than doubles in size. The maximum height of the grass is one and a half meters.
The shoots are solitary or grow branchily from the root. The entire surface is covered with spines. The leaves are large, often their length is fifty to eighty centimeters. The largest are located at the root, spreading, placed alternately on the stem, variegated, with carved edges. The surface of the leaves is glossy, dark green. Often there are spots of pearlescent color scattered across it, for which the plant is popularly called milk thistle.
Starting in mid-summer, milk thistle grass blooms continuously. Its stems are crowned with spherical baskets, from which bright, fluffy petals peek out. They are colored purple, pink, lilac, and covered with small hairs. Flowering continues until the end of August, by which time fruits form in the baskets. They are small achenes, each with a tuft, thanks to which the seeds are easily carried by the wind over long distances.
A synonym for milk thistle is milk thistle, both names of the plant are correct. However, identifying the crop with thistles is erroneous. In the family of the latter there are more than twenty plants, with different medicinal properties and without them at all.
Distribution and cultivation
The culture is extremely unpretentious and grows on any soil. It does not pretend to be on black soils, but if it ends up on them, it quickly displaces its neighbors growing nearby. For normal development, sandy soils with a low level of moisture are sufficient for it. The only thing milk thistle makes demands on is climate. Its growth zone is warm climate zones - from the Balkans to the southern part of Russia (Caucasus, Crimea).
It is cultivated in an organized manner, but plantations do not limit the spread of the plant. Its spectacular appearance becomes the reason for breeding in gardens and parks, in summer cottages. Once planted in a new area, the plant quickly runs wild, populating neighboring areas. It grows like an aggressive weed, so milk thistle can be found almost everywhere in its suitable climate zone. It prefers wastelands and grows along the sides of highways and railways. It is found in dacha cooperatives and in abandoned fields; it often “visits” cultivated areas, where it is mercilessly destroyed.
The plant takes root well in summer cottages and requires minimal care. Significant soil preparation is not necessary; it is enough to add lime fertilizer to it in advance. Seeds harvested from last year are planted in May, immediately in open ground. Holes are formed into which three or four grains are poured. When seedlings appear, they are thinned out, leaving one strong shoot per hole.
Collection and preparation
The use of milk thistle in official medicine includes recommendations for collecting only the seeds. However, folk healing practice uses culture much more widely. Dosage forms based on roots and leaves are used, and the whole plant is stored. Since there is no active procurement of it, and the culture is extremely tenacious, work on collecting raw materials does not affect the reproduction and intensity of distribution.
The herb, root and fruits of milk thistle do not last long. The herbaceous part of the plant is usually used immediately, while the shelf life of the seeds and roots is one year. Then the workpiece is repeated.
Composition and properties
Milk thistle is a natural source of biologically active compounds. In total, up to two hundred active components were found in its composition, including fat-soluble vitamins, minerals, amino acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids. But the main value comes from another component - the biologically active substance silymarin. This is what is extracted in the form of milk thistle extract for the pharmaceutical industry. According to doctors, it has a stimulating effect on groups of organs and systems.
In particular, silymarin is the only natural agent that corrects liver function. To date, its artificial analogue has not been synthesized, which is why the industrial cultivation of milk thistle is a national task. Silymarin restores the functions of liver cells and stimulates their regeneration. It is especially active against cells affected by toxins, as it neutralizes the effect of hazardous substances.
Silymarin acts selectively against toxins of various natures. It does not suppress the effects of toxins from drugs and most poisons, but supports the functions of liver cells, increasing their resistance to external factors. It is an antagonist of the toadstool toxin, for which it acts as a direct antidote.
Silymarin has the following effects.
- Hepaprotective. It is ensured by the neutralization of oxygen free radicals in liver tissue, which reduces the severity of destructive processes in it caused by exposure to toxins and viruses. Stimulates the production of the enzyme RNA polymerase, the main activator of the synthesis of structural tissue proteins, promotes regeneration. Activates metabolic processes in cells, ensures accelerated elimination of waste products of the hepatitis virus and toxins.
- Antiviral. Milk thistle treatment has a stimulating effect not only on liver cells. In 2013, the direct antiviral activity of silymarin against the hepatitis C virus was revealed. In a sufficient dosage of at least one hundred and twenty-five micromoles, it blocks the ability of viruses to bind to liposomes of hepatocytes - liver cells. As a result, the reproduction of viruses is stopped.
The use of silymarin, the volume of which in milk thistle meal (seed powder) is five percent, improves the quality of life of patients suffering from liver intoxication, alcoholic cirrhosis, and hepatitis. The general condition of patients improves, complaints about subjective negative sensations decrease. It has been proven to increase the percentage of survival with liver cirrhosis and hepatitis, prolonging life often with complete relief of the disease.
The active ingredient contains up to twenty percent oils, mucus, tannin, and histamine. This combination has an anti-inflammatory, enveloping effect on tissues and mucous membranes.
Uses of milk thistle
An important feature of the medicinal culture is the absence of contraindications. The use of milk thistle herb is possible at any age, as part of separate or complex therapy. If necessary, milk thistle is used in children. In rare cases, it is used to normalize liver function, more often as an expectorant. Milk thistle is used during pregnancy on the recommendation of a doctor, but pregnancy is not a direct contraindication to its use.
There are no contraindications for milk thistle due to the non-toxicity of the culture and its selective effect on the body. Even in large dosages it does not cause toxic effects, and no negative reactions are observed with long-term use of the drugs.
Milk thistle honey is not a medicinal product, but a dietary product. It does not contain silymarin, like most other active components: mucus, tannins, trace elements. It is used, like other types of honey, in the treatment of colds and to increase the overall tone of the body.
Root decoction
The roots of the plant are not used in official medicine. In folk medicine, a decoction of them is used to relieve inflammation and pain. It is recommended to use for toothache and stomatitis, rinsing the affected areas. It is taken internally as a support for the liver to cleanse it of toxins, as well as for diarrhea and urinary retention.
Preparation
- Grind the rhizome, use a tablespoon of raw material.
- Pour two hundred milliliters of boiling water.
- Cover with a lid and place in a water bath.
- Simmer for thirty minutes, cool, strain.
A decoction of the roots is taken four times a day before meals, a tablespoon.
Juice from leaves, stems
The juice has a particularly high content of mucous substances, so in freshly squeezed and canned form it is recommended for inflammatory processes in the colon, for diseases of the stomach with damage to the mucous membranes. It can also be taken as a laxative.
Preparation
- Use the large lower leaves and the fleshy part of the stem. Rinse and dry.
- Grind the raw materials in a meat grinder.
- Squeeze the mixture through cheesecloth and remove the pulp.
- Preserve the juice with alcohol at the rate of fifty milliliters of alcohol per liter of medicinal raw materials.
Take the remedy on an empty stomach, thirty minutes before meals, immediately after waking up. Dosage - two tablespoons.
The juice has wound healing and anti-inflammatory effects. To treat wounds and cuts, cuts are made on the leaves and applied as a lotion to the affected areas.
Seed decoction
The use of milk thistle seeds is most common in folk medicine. The decoction is used as a hepaprotective agent to normalize liver functions. At the same time, the remedy relieves pain associated with hepatitis, cirrhosis, and cholecystitis.
Preparation
- Grind the seeds into powder.
- Use thirty grams of raw material (two heaped tablespoons).
- Pour boiling water in a volume of five hundred milliliters.
- Cook over low heat until half the liquid has evaporated.
- Strain.
The decoction of the seeds should be taken for a long time - for two months. Drink a tablespoon of it every hour.
Milk thistle flour (meal)
The seeds of the medicinal plant milk thistle, crushed into flour, are used to prepare a medicinal tincture or consumed in its original form. It is used for the same indications as the decoction, in particular, for the treatment of liver and gall bladder diseases. Flour additionally reduces blood sugar levels and eases the progression of varicose veins.
To prepare, the seeds are ground in a meat grinder into flour. Take in its pure form five times a day, a teaspoon.
Milk thistle oil is also obtained from the seeds, which has a wound-healing and anti-inflammatory effect. The oil is used externally to treat burns and wounds, and internally as a hepaprotector, a remedy for constipation and for weight loss.
Milk thistle is a highly valuable plant for the pharmaceutical industry. The effectiveness of its drugs has been proven through tests and clinical observations. Based on medicinal raw materials, drugs are produced for the treatment of liver diseases; in home medicine it is used in the form of a decoction (infusion) of seeds, roots, and leaf juice. “When you see milk thistle on your property, do not rush to pull it out,” advises herbalist Andrei Varenikov. - It’s better to first tear off the baskets and prepare seeds from them. Support your liver with this amazing herbal remedy.”
A unique feature of milk thistle is the fact that it contains silymarin: a powerful complex of natural antioxidants called flavolignans.
Milk thistle herb is often, and rightly, called a “thorny healer.”
The healing qualities of milk thistle owe their existence to the active substances contained in the plant, which have a positive effect on the body, protecting it from various ailments and helping to get rid of them!
Milk thistle in folk medicine
The unique chemical composition of milk thistle
The main medicinal raw material is the fruit of the plant, which is already quite ripe. But the roots, stems, and leaves are also used in the preparation of medicinal decoctions, infusions, and so on.
The seeds of the fruit, in which the main power of milk thistle is concentrated, contain about 300 elements that have a healing effect on the body.
Vitamins:
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin K
- Vitamin F
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin H and others
Minerals (macro- and microelements):
- boron
- iron
- selenium
- potassium
- manganese
- magnesium
- zinc
- iodine
- calcium and others
A distinctive, even, it is worth saying, unique, feature of milk thistle is the fact that it contains silymarin: a powerful complex of natural antioxidants - flavolignans, which are called “first aid for the liver”.
The plant also contains many other substances:
Selenium important for ensuring the normal functioning of your heart and the condition of your blood vessels. Also, this substance, as has been officially proven, prevents cancer and strengthens the body's defenses.
Silymarin provides protection to cell membranes and acts as a high-quality building material for the creation of new healthy cells during their division. But that's not all! It has a detoxifying effect, helps produce bile and so on.
Alkaloids help to pacify pain of various etiologies, regulate blood circulation, and put blood vessels in order.
Fixed oils necessary to ensure the normal process of cell division, their protection from carcinogens, and have a positive effect on metabolic processes.
Protein necessary for the production of physiologically important enzymes, participates in the transport of hemoglobin, is essential for the functioning of the body’s musculoskeletal system, and so on.
Essential oils necessary to activate the motility of the gastrointestinal tract and normalize the state of the nervous system.
Resins- disinfect, have antifungal and antimicrobial effects on the body.
Flavonoids- normalize blood pressure, heart rate, adrenal activity, strengthen capillaries, neutralize free radicals.
Lignans- reduce the level of harmful cholesterol in the blood, detect, bind and remove toxic substances, effectively regulate hormonal balance, oxygen metabolism, and so on.
Milk thistle - benefits and harm. How to take a medicinal plant
Milk milk is used for:
- For diseases of one of the most important organs - the liver (including hepatitis, cirrhosis, fatty degeneration and other diseases).
- For skin problems (acne, dermatitis, eczema, even vitiligo).
- In the cardiological field. Milk thistle is very beneficial for the heart and blood vessels, because it perfectly strengthens the former and cleanses the latter.
- For diseases of the endocrine system , including for diabetes mellitus, significantly improving the condition of patients.
- For poisoning and toxicosis during pregnancy.
- In the prevention and treatment of oncology , and also after courses of chemotherapy.
- For obesity, provoked by various reasons (both banal regular overeating, unhealthy diet, and problems with the performance of internal organs), in other cases.
- Treatment of colds and infectious diseases , because it has pronounced antiviral and antibacterial properties.
- Improving the condition of the gastrointestinal tract, increasing its peristalsis, clearing it of toxins, eliminating inflammatory processes, stimulating the production of bile and food enzymes.
- Headache and toothache , as well as abdominal pain, injuries, and so on. It has been proven that milk thistle has a pronounced analgesic effect.
- Improving the blood formula in hematology. Thus, even official medicine recognizes this fact, and doctors often prescribe milk thistle-based products to their patients in order to normalize their condition.
- Elimination of intestinal dysbiosis. And this immediately, in a positive way, affects his condition and, accordingly, his functioning. As a rule, loose stools, as well as constipation, quickly pass, health improves, and the absorption of nutrients, some of them, increases several times.
- Neutralization of skin problems. They can have different etiologies: ranging from fungal and bacterial diseases, ending with burns and cuts.
What does milk thistle taste like? The taste of the seeds is bitter, but not bitter, quite logical, since milk thistle is a herb for the liver. Many herbal remedies for the liver have a bitter aftertaste.
Milk thistle harm, contraindications and precautions
Despite the excellent effects of milk thistle on the body, there are points that should not be forgotten, namely those that relate to contraindications.
- Chronic pancreatitis at the acute stage.
- Acute cholecystitis.
- Chronic asthma.
- Epilepsy.
- Cholangitis.
- Appendicitis.
- If you have liver problems, before starting to use milk thistle products, Be sure to consult your doctor: therapist or hepatologist. The same applies to urolithiasis - only professional consultation with a therapist.
If a person who is going to use milk thistle preparations has mental disorders, then consultation with a psychiatrist or neurologist is also very advisable.
Milk thistle, in the absence of contraindications, is usually very well tolerated by the body. But, if during the process of treatment with it, you experience any undesirable consequences, which may manifest themselves in the form of physical or mental discomfort, you should stop using milk thistle.
Many people are interested in how to take milk thistle correctly. There cannot be an unambiguous and unique answer here, since the method of its use depends on the situation for the reason for the manifestation of which these drugs are used, as well as on the form of the drug (decoction, tincture, and so on).
Milk thistle - in what form is it useful to use?
Milk thistle can be used in the form of: decoction, tincture, oil, vice, tea, tablets, meal.
Meal tea
Tea is often used for the purpose strengthening the immune system, treating colds and infectious diseases. Meal is best suited for tea. One teaspoon of it should be poured into a glass of boiling water and left under a lid (preferably in a glass or ceramic container) for 8-11 minutes. Drink half a glass, regardless of your food intake, 3 times a day for 1 week.
Milk thistle decoction
The decoction is being prepared when coughing, including strong and protracted ones. For his cough, decoctions are prepared consisting of the meal of the plant. Take about half a teaspoon of milk thistle meal (you can buy it in most pharmacies), pour half a glass of boiling water over it in a teapot, leave for 6-7 minutes. Strain.
When the broth has cooled (it should be warm), add half a teaspoon of bee honey or currant, raspberry, or viburnum jam. This remedy can be used every hour and a half until improvement occurs. But, if a positive trend is not observed 5-6 days after starting to use the decoction, be sure to consult a doctor.
At hangover syndrome A decoction of meal is prepared, but for 1 glass of boiling water you should take 1 spoon of meal, and the product must be infused for at least 10-11 minutes. Take 3-4 times a day. At the same time, you need to drink enough liquid, preferably high-quality drinking water.
Milk Thistle Powder
Milk thistle powder, from which the scrub is prepared, in order to cleanse the skin, is diluted with clean water (one tablespoon), stirring until it reaches a mushy state of arbitrary, easy-to-use consistency.
The water used in the cooking process must be warm. The composition is applied to all problem areas, washed off after 30-35 minutes. This product can eliminate many skin problems, including stubborn blackheads and acne.
Vodka tincture of meal
Vodka tincture. Again, you take meal, homemade or store-bought vodka. For 500 milliliters of vodka - 5 tablespoons of meal. Pour into a glass container and infuse for 3 weeks in a dark and cool room. No need to strain. Use half a tablespoon as immunomodulator, sedative, for colds, joint problems, as a general tonic. The course of admission is no more than 2 weeks. Take after meals, 3 times a day.
Meal is used in all products. It's just easiest to buy it at the pharmacy. But, if you decide to prepare milk thistle yourself, you can also use it in crushed form. The dosage is 50% more than when using meal, because it is in compressed form, but the crushed dried plant is not, therefore, in order to achieve the desired weight, you need to take a larger volume.
Milk thistle - treatment and recipes
This plant is also used in other cases. For example, for treatment of allergies and rashes on the skin surface , milk thistle meal is used. How to prepare and use it has already been described above.
For improve digestive processes vodka tincture is used. You can use it in courses: 10 drops per spoon with drinking water during meals three times a day - course - 3 weeks, then a break for one week, after which - another course.
Intoxication and constipation should also retreat from milk thistle preparations. For this, either tablets from it are used, which should, like any other pharmaceuticals, be prescribed by a doctor, or milk thistle tea, which was described above.
Tea can also be used for weight loss, After all, it perfectly burns excess fat deposits and normalizes metabolic processes. To do this, you should drink a third of a glass of tea three times a day, the course is about a month. After a break (1.5-2 months), the course should be repeated.
Elevated blood sugar: powder (20-30 grams), boiling water (500 milliliters). Cook in a water bath, cooking time is about 30 minutes, leave for the same amount of time, strain. Take 2 teaspoons every 2 hours. Duration of therapy is about 20-22 days. This remedy is sometimes used to improve the composition of the blood and cleanse it.
How to take milk thistle to treat your liver
The plant has a very beneficial effect on the liver. It improves all its functions, eliminates inflammation, promotes renewal and healing.
for prevention- 1 month, 1 teaspoon of dry product, or a decoction of it (50 milliliters per serving) twice a day.
for treatment - hon an empty stomach, three times a day, 200 milliliters per dose,meal, in its dry form, on an empty stomach, 3-4 times a day. Dose – about 1 teaspoon. Duration of treatment – 38-40 days.
Use this plant carefully and correctly, and then it will only benefit you. Be healthy.published
The materials are for informational purposes only. Remember, self-medication is life-threatening; consult a doctor for advice on the use of any medications and treatment methods.
In this article we talk about milk thistle, its medicinal properties and uses. You will learn how to collect and prepare medicinal herbs, use them to treat hepatitis, pancreatitis, diabetes, and also for weight loss.
Milk thistle (lat. Silybum marianum) is a herbaceous plant from the genus Milk thistle of the Asteraceae family. In Rus', milk thistle was called sharp-variegated, as well as Mary’s thistle.
What does it look like
Appearance (photo) of milk thistle Milk thistle is an annual or biennial plant, reaching a height of 1−1.5 m. The stem of the grass is simple or branched, bare.
The leaves are alternate, elliptical, pinnately or pinnately dissected. They are quite large, can reach up to 80 cm in length. Yellowish spines are located along the edges of the leaves and along the veins below. The leaf layer is green with white spots.
The flowers are white, pink or purple, collected in large single spherical baskets with a tiled wrapper. The wrapper consists of spiny green leaves. The inflorescence bed is covered with hairs. All flowers are bisexual, tubular. Milk thistle blooms in July - August. The fruit is an achene with a tuft. The seeds ripen in August - October.
Where does it grow
The homeland of milk thistle is the Mediterranean countries (Egypt, Turkey, Israel, Greece, Italy, France), the Balkan Peninsula (Albania, Bulgaria) and the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal).
The plant has spread widely throughout the world, currently growing in Eastern and Western Europe, South and Central Africa, Central Asia, North and South America.
In Russia, milk thistle can be found in the southern regions of the European part of the country, in the Caucasus, and the south of Western Siberia.
Grass grows in weedy places, gardens and orchards. The plant is an aggressive weed. Milk thistle is also cultivated to obtain medicinal raw materials.
Milk thistle fruits
Milk thistle fruits are used for medicinal purposes.. The seeds are used in their pure form, oil is squeezed out of them, meal is obtained, and water and alcohol tinctures are made. Syrup is prepared from milk thistle seeds and tablets are produced.
Chemical composition
Composition of milk thistle fruits:
- vitamin K;
- silibinin;
- silicristin;
- silydian;
- flavonoids;
- alkaloids;
- saponins;
- fatty oil;
- proteins;
- resins;
- slime;
- tyramine;
- histamine;
- macro- and microelements.
Medicinal properties
Beneficial properties of milk thistle:
- anti-inflammatory;
- antioxidant;
- detoxifying;
- antiulcer;
- wound healing;
- hepatoprotective;
- antitumor;
- antisclerotic;
- choleretic;
- diuretic;
- laxative;
- restorative.
Milk thistle is most often used for the liver. Preparations based on plant seeds relieve inflammation, protect organ cells and accelerate their recovery processes. Milk thistle is used in the treatment of cirrhosis, hepatitis, and toxic liver damage.
Medicines containing milk thistle are used to treat diseases of the stomach and intestines, the genitourinary system, and the gall bladder. The plant, by removing waste and toxins from the body, helps reduce cholesterol and blood sugar levels, and therefore it is used in the treatment of diabetes and atherosclerosis.
Milk thistle is beneficial for women and men; it helps fight inflammatory diseases of the genitourinary system.
How to collect
Milk thistle seeds are collected from August to October. The maturity of the fruit is indicated by the formation of white fluff in the baskets. To obtain seeds, the baskets are cut off completely using pruning shears.
The baskets are laid out on the sieve in an even layer, and clean paper is placed under the sieve. The room should be well ventilated, but drafts are unacceptable, as small fruits may fly apart.
After drying, the thorns are cut off from the baskets, broken, and the seeds are released. The fruits are dried on paper. Store milk thistle seeds in fabric bags in a dark and dry place. Shelf life: 3 years.
How to use
Below we will tell you how to use the fruits of milk thistle to improve the liver, treat hepatitis, pancreatitis, diabetes, and also for weight loss.
Infusion for the liver
An infusion of milk thistle seeds relieves inflammation, cleanses the liver of waste and toxins, has a hepatoprotective effect and accelerates regeneration processes.
Ingredients:
- Milk thistle seed powder - 2 tablespoons.
- Boiling water - 500 ml.
How to cook: Pour boiling water over the powder from the fruit of the plant, stir and leave for 12 hours. Strain the drink before use.
How to use: Drink 120 ml of the drink 4 times a day.
Infusion for hepatitis
The drug eliminates inflammation and relieves pain. The infusion for hepatitis C accelerates recovery and prevents the disease from developing into cirrhosis of the liver.
Ingredients:
- Milk thistle seeds - 20 g.
- Boiled water - 500 ml.
How to cook: Brew the raw material with boiling water, cover the container with a lid and leave for 10-20 minutes.
How to use: Take the medicine throughout the day.
Decoction for pancreatitis
Milk thistle decoction is effective for treating pancreatitis. It not only relieves inflammation, but also regulates the production of pancreatic enzymes, preventing their excess and damage to the walls of the organ. Milk thistle decoction also has a choleretic effect.
Ingredients:
- Plant seeds - 30 g.
- Boiling water - 500 ml.
How to cook: Pour boiling water over the seeds, put on low heat, bring to a boil and cook until half of the liquid has evaporated.
How to use: Take the decoction three times a day, one tablespoon.
Oil decoction for diabetes
The drug improves metabolic processes in the body and reduces blood sugar levels.
Ingredients:
- Crushed seeds - 5 teaspoons.
- Olive oil - 500 ml.
How to cook: Mix milk thistle seeds with oil and cook for 15 minutes in a water bath. Leave for 30 minutes.
How to use: Take 1 teaspoon of oil three times a day.
Tincture for weight loss
Milk thistle regulates metabolic processes in the body, improves digestion and cleanses the intestines of waste and toxins. Thanks to the complex effect on the body, weight loss occurs. For weight loss, take an alcohol tincture of milk thistle seeds.
Ingredients:
- Milk thistle seeds - 50 g.
- Vodka - 500 ml.
How to cook: Fill the raw material with vodka, leave for 1 week in a dark place, shaking occasionally. Strain the tincture before use.
How to use: Take 25 drops of tincture with water 30 minutes before meals.
Milk thistle oil
Milk thistle oil is obtained from the seeds of the plant by cold pressing. The drug has high anti-inflammatory and wound healing properties. It is used to improve the condition of the skin of the face and body, hair, as well as to treat dermatological diseases, burns, abrasions.
The oil in its pure form is used for douching in the treatment of female diseases - fibroids, cervical erosion. Before using the product for medicinal purposes, you should consult your doctor.
The medicine is also available in capsules. Milk thistle in capsules is taken orally for the treatment of peptic ulcers, pancreatitis, and diabetes mellitus. The medicine is used to increase the elasticity of blood vessels, improve heart function, lower cholesterol levels and increase blood clotting.
The price of milk thistle oil is 40−50 rubles. for 100 ml. The price of oil in capsules is 30−50 rubles. for 100 pcs.
Milk thistle meal
Meal is crushed milk thistle seeds from which the oil has been previously pressed. Meal is an excellent source of fiber, which is necessary for cleansing the body and proper functioning of the intestines. Meal is also used in the treatment of diseases of the liver, pancreas, spleen, and heart.
Instructions for using the meal: 1 teaspoon three times a day before meals, washed down with water. Before use, be sure to consult your doctor.
The price of milk thistle meal is 20−30 rubles.
For more information about the drug, watch the video:
Milk thistle tablets
Milk thistle in tablets is used to treat liver diseases and cleanse it of waste and toxins. Depending on the purpose, it is recommended to take 1 tablet 1-2 times a day.
The price of milk thistle tablets is 50−70 rubles.
Milk thistle powder
Milk thistle powder is the crushed seeds of the plant; this form of the drug can also be purchased at the pharmacy. The drug is used for intoxication, liver diseases, and atherosclerosis.
How to take milk thistle powder - 1 teaspoon with water, 5 times a day for 1 month. Consult your physician before use.
The cost of milk thistle powder is 50−100 rubles. for 100 g.
Milk thistle extract
The extract, like the oil, is produced in capsules. The drug is a complete source of flavonoids; it is prescribed to protect the liver from toxins and other harmful effects. The extract should be taken 1 capsule 1 time per day.
The cost of the plant extract is 90−130 rubles.
Contraindications
Contraindications to the use of medicines with milk thistle:
- individual intolerance;
- children under 12 years of age;
- cholelithiasis;
- kidney stone disease;
- acute lesions of the bile ducts;
- pregnancy (can cause premature birth during pregnancy).
The benefits and harms of milk thistle depend on compliance with the dosage of the drugs. Before using medications, be sure to consult your doctor.
Classification
Taxonomic position:
- department: Angiosperms;
- class: Dicotyledons;
- order: Astroflora;
- family: Asteraceae;
- genus: Milk thistle;
- species: Milk thistle.
Varieties
The milk thistle genus includes two species of plants - milk thistle and coss thistle. & Durieu (Silybum eburneum Coss. & Durieu).
Milk thistle infographics
Photo of milk thistle, its beneficial properties and uses: 
Milk thistle infographic
What to remember
- Milk thistle is a medicinal plant with beneficial properties. It is used to treat diseases of the liver, pancreas, diabetes and other pathologies.
- Milk thistle is used in the form of decoctions, infusions, tinctures, oils, meal, powder and extract.
- Before using milk thistle-based medicines, you should consult your doctor.
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For about 2,000 years, people have known such a unique plant as milk thistle and its positive effects on the body. Externally, this plant is not very tall, grows for 1-2 years, has a branched stem.
Milk thistle has leaves and spines, with pink flowers at the end. Milk thistle begins to grow in July or August, as a result of which a fruit is formed in the form of an achene with a tuft. Many people do not notice such a plant, considering it a weed of little benefit to humans.
Another name for milk thistle is milk thistle; even in past centuries it was used for medicinal and health purposes, because the fruits have incredible healing properties aimed at most human organs.
Where does it grow
People know two types of this milk thistle - silver milk thistle and spotted milk thistle. The second is more popular and occurs more often. Milk thistle is actively growing in most regions of Russia; many people specifically grow the plant for further medicinal use. It is unpretentious to the weather, often found in vacant lots and along roads, and tolerates dry and cold weather well.
It is considered a weed, but a very useful weed that has truly unique properties. That is why an interesting fact is the deliberate cultivation of the plant; in Russia it is located on an area of about 10,000 hectares.
Milk thistle has been known for more than 2,000 years; now it is a real set of useful components that effectively help against many diseases. It has a minimum of contraindications and will become the best assistant in the fight against liver diseases. And the cost of milk thistle in the store is low and affordable for anyone.
