MILK THISTLE

                                                                                                                  Milk Thistle

The medicinal parts of the plant are the seeds & the dried flower, which contains silymarin. This bioflavonoid stimulates the liver to produce healthy liver cells & acts as an antioxidant to protect the liver from damage from free radicals.

Boosts the immune system.
Used for diseases of the liver & gall bladder.

Milk thistle is used to treat gallstones  & psoriasis.
Milk thistle may prevent liver damage in people undergoing chemotherapy.

Milk thistle can help protect the liver from damage caused by alcohol,chemicals, drugs, diseases & toxic plants. 

Milk Thistle has been shown to work at preventing liver damage associated with anti-biotics, anti-depressants & anti-psychotic medication.
Milk thistle can also be used as part of a detoxifying health program to tonify & nourish an overworked liver.

Milk thistle reverses alcohol damage,speeds recovery in viral & alcohol-induced hepatitis,slows progression of cirrhosis & extends life expectancy.

Also promotes bowel movement via an increase in blood flow & improves kidney function & urination.
Clears the skin of rashes & some skin diseases.
Assists in countering the pain & discomfort of menstrual & premenstrual problems.

Milk thistle protects against gallstone formation.
Milk thistle can help treat cirrhosis & chronic hepatitis, which can be caused by alcohol abuse, autoimmune disease, or viruses.
Milk thistle, in combination with medical treatment, may help improve blood sugar & cholesterol in people with type 2 diabetes.

Milk Thistle extract is absorbed into the blood very quickly & reaches its full potential one hour after it has been taken.
Depending upon the type & severity of a patients disease, a course of treatment that includes Milk Thistle may start to show significant results in as little as seven days, but in severe cases of cirrhosis & chronic hepatitis, full remission may take two years.
In cases of general debility & biliousness, an improvement will be felt after a week to ten days. 

If the skin has a jaundiced hue, this will eventually disappear.

Milk thistle supplies an antidote to the death cap mushroom (Amanita phalloides), which kills its victims by destroying liver cells.

                                                                                                                   Creeping Thistle

Creeping thistle root of first year plants can be eaten raw or cooked. Nutritious but rather bland, they are best used in a mixture with other vegetables. The root is likely to be rich in inulin, a starch that cannot be digested by humans. This starch passes straight through the digestive system & in some people, ferments to produce flatulence. Stems  peeled & cooked like asparagus or rhubarb. Leaves  raw or cooked.Prickles need to be removed before the leaves can be eaten. The root is tonic, diuretic, astringent, antiphlogistic & hepatic. It has been chewed as a remedy for toothache. A decoction of the roots has been used to treat worms in children.
PRECAUTIONS:

It may cause loose stools in some people, but this effect usually disappears in 2-3 days.
People who are allergic to artichokes, kiwi, ragweed, daisies, marigolds & chrysanthemums are at higher risk at getting the allergic reaction.
Those who have diabetes, endometriosis, breast cancer, uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, or other hormone dependent diseases should check with a doctor before using milk thistle.
Milk thistle is not recommended for children.

RECIPES:

The dried, powdered seeds can be made into an infusion:
2 to 3 tsp steeped in 2 cups of boiling hot water for 10-15 minutes
or added to food
1 tsp 3 times daily.

People sometimes eat the stem & leaves of milk thistle in salads.
The flower heads were once boiled & eaten like artichokes.

Milk thistle tincture:

1:3 extraction ratio
45% alcohol vol.
1-2ml up to 3 times per day

Standard infusion: 

Collect ripe seeds & cut whole plants when flowering.
All parts are dried.
3 handfuls of fresh plants/30g dried to 2 cups of water.
Take up to 1 cup a day.


Roots, young leaves (remove spines) & young stems (peeled & soaked to remove bitterness) can be used in salads.
Cook leaves like spinach.
Cook flower buds like small globe artichokes.
Cook young stems like asparagus or rhubarb.
Roasted seed is a coffee substitute.

MAGIC:

The Anglo Saxons recorded the fact that if the milk thistle was hung around a man's neck,all snakes in his presence would begin fighting.