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.
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.
Our experts recommend milk thistle for the following disorders:
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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.
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