Bio-Milk Thistle is a western herbal medicine that is used to support liver function in adults 18 years and older. In addition, BIO-MILK THISTLE may help to relieve digestive disturbances or indigestion, including discomfort following overindulgence.
Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) is a medicinal plant with a rich history of use which started in the Mediterranean over 2000 years ago. In Greco-Roman times the leaves were used as herbal remedy for a variety of ailments, particularly liver complaints. Since the latter nineteenth century, eclectic physicians in the USA recognised the clinical benefits of preparations from milk thistle seeds (technically the fruits) for “congestion of the liver, spleen, and kidneys”.
Today milk thistle is used for its medicinal benefits in support of liver function, detoxification, and healthy digestion.
The active components in milk thistle extracts are a group of chemical compounds collectively known as silymarin. Silybin is considered one of the most active constituents of silymarin. Silymarin and silybin are antioxidants, in other words, they protect cells from damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals are toxic by-products of oxygen metabolism in living cells. These free radicals can cause significant damage to living tissues when produced in quantities that exceed the body’s neutralising mechanisms. Stress, medicines, injury, alcohol consumption, and infections can all lead to increased generation of free radicals.
Due to its antioxidant properties, silymarin helps to protect cell membranes from damage induced by free radicals. Silymarin also stabilises liver cell membranes and prevents binding and penetration of toxins, such as ethanol, paracetamol, Amanita phalloides from poisonous mushrooms, and others. In addition, silymarin may help the liver to generate new cells and proteins to recover from injury. Apart from its benefits as antioxidant, silymarin also has anti-inflammatory properties. It may reduce the damaging effects of inflammation and prevent scar tissue formation.
