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Article: Milk thistle's not 'just' for the liver any more
- Article from:
- Better Nutrition
- Article date:
- July 1, 1997
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright Intertec Publishing Jul 1997. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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The fact that milk thistle is called milk thistle is somewhat of a mystery considering that the Latin name, Silybum marianum, means Mary thistle or Marian thistle; it is also referred to as wild artichoke.
Aside from folk use involving breastfeeding mothers (in stimulating milk output), studies over the past 20 years have mostly focused on liver-protection and protection from toxins.
In fact, Steven Foster's 1996 book, Herbs for Your Health, reminds us that "more than 300 studies conducted since the late 1960s provide an experimental basis for the effectiveness and safety of silymarin, the main chemical complex of milk thistle seeds in the treatment of liver disease." Milk thistle has ...