5. Milk thistle (Silybum marianum)
—Genesis 3:18
Used for: The effects of alcoholism, asthma, cirrhosis, hepatitis, jaundice, kidney and urinary tract stones, psoriasis
We aren’t certain that milk thistle is one of the thorns, thistles, and briers referred to in the Bible, but it could be. We know that milk thistle grows among shrubs that are common in Samaria and parts of Israel today.
Milk thistle has been used as a liver remedy for 2,000 years. Liver disease (often a deadly side effect of alcoholism) attacks the blood’s filtration system, allowing dangerous toxins to accumulate in the body. Milk thistle, which contains silymarin, seems to be the most promising natural compound both for preventing damage to the liver and for repairing existing damage.
Studies show that milk thistle can regenerate damaged liver cells. Research studies have led Commission E, the German expert panel that judges the safety and effectiveness of medicinal herbs for the German government, to approve milk thistle seeds and seed extracts as supportive treatment for cirrhosis and chronic inflammatory liver conditions. Silymarin also helps protect the liver from many industrial toxins, such as carbon tetrachloride. Even if you don’t have liver damage or disease, milk thistle helps improve liver functions by aiding the removal of toxins from the body.
Recently, silymarin has shown great promise as a diabetes fighter. In 1998 an Italian scientist suggested that taking 600 mg of silymarin substantially reduced diabetic symptoms and complications. An article in the Journal of Hepatology said that taking silymarin lowered blood sugar and insulin levels.