|
| |
| |
 |
| |
|
| |
What is Milk Thistle?
Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum) is a member of the Compositae family. It is found growing throughout Europe and was introduced to North America by European colonists. Now it grows abundantly throughout North and South America, particularly in southern locations with sunny exposures and well-drained soils. Milk Thistle is also grown commercially in the United States. The plant has a long stem which branches upward and can reach a height of 5 feet. The leaves are broad and wavy with lance-shaped pointed tips. They are shiny green with numerous vein-like white markings. The stem terminates in a spiney, spherical head bearing thick, reddish-purple flowers.
The Milk Thistle seeds and fruit contain the highest levels of medicinally active constituents. Extracts of various parts of the plant have been popular medicines since ancient Greece. Milk Thistle has been used in traditional medicine to treat a variety of ailments—from snake bites to liver diseases. Its use in treating liver disorders goes back to the late sixteenth century. A recent survey in a hepatology clinic in Oregon revealed that 30% of patients were using naturopathic remedies (mostly Milk Thistle) to treat their chronic liver disease. Today Milk Thistle extracts have become extremely popular throughout Europe.
Look out for our pocket-sized Milk Thistle 4’s pack, available at your nearest forecourt convenience stores and selected Dis-Chem Pharmacies
(Western Cape only).
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
