Milk Thistle

By Gudrun Maybaum

Common name: Milk Thistle
Botanical name: Silybum marianum
Family name: Asteraceae

Milk thistle originates from the Mediterranean Sea region, basically northern Africa and southern Europe. Dating back more than 2000 years, it was first recorded in AD 23 as a plant that was excellent for healing liver damage.

Ancient Greek texts refer to the medicinal uses of milk thistle as a liver protectant, and the Romans used it to restore liver function. Early Christian tradition dedicated milk thistle to Mary, calling it Marian thistle and it is still called by this name in some languages. In the last century, milk thistle was used to treat varicose veins, menstrual problems, liver, spleen and kidney ailments.

Today milk thistle is native and grows wild in the Mediterranean area, throughout Europe, North America and Australia. For medical purposes, seeds from the dried flowers are used.

One of the most active ingredients found in milk thistle is the silymarin complex, which is a composition of the flavonolignans silibinin, silybin, silychristin and silydianin. The silymarin complex puts up an amazing protective "shield" against a variety of liver-damaging substances and effects. Silymarin has been the
subject of more than 300 scientific studies, with the results of most published in Europe.

The Germans were the first to discover that some of the flavonolignans of the silymarin complex are beneficial in treating liver disease. Studies have shown that milk thistle has positive effects in treating nearly every known form of liver disease, including cirrhosis, hepatitis, necroses, and liver damage due to drug and alcohol abuse. The effects of environmental toxins, alcohol, drugs and chemotherapy can be countered with milk thistle.

Silymarin is part of the cell membrane that increases resistance against harmful influences by altering the membrane structure and thus blocking the absorption of toxins. It also promotes the growth of new liver cells and helps with the digestion of fats.

Silybin is a proven antidote to poisoning by the Deathcap
mushroom (Amanita phalloides). Clinical trials have proven silybin to be effective in treating chronic liver diseases by stimulating some of the RNA to activate the regeneration capacity of liver cells. Its main function is to protect, restore, rejuvenate and rebuild the cells of the liver.

Milk thistle not only prevents and stops liver damage, it can even reverse the effect of alcohol, recreational drugs,
pesticides, some poisons, or hepatitis by stimulating the
production of new liver cells to replace the old, damaged ones. These days it is very easy to overload the liver, because our environment is filled with harmful chemical and other harmful substances. Supplementing the birds and our food with milk thistle every so often helps the liver to deal with this load. It is also important to use it during and after a course of antibiotics to help the liver restore its function.

From http://health-pages.com/mt/index.html
A favorite national pastime in Germany is mushroom collecting, a practice with inherent risks, such as Amanita phalloides - the Death Cap mushroom. Consuming the Death Cap mushroom results in severe, usually deadly, liver damage - in fact, those who survive Death Cap poisoning have been so badly damaged that they most often require liver transplants to survive.

Miraculously, silymarin binds to the liver cells preventing the mushroom poisons from also binding, blocking their poisonous effect. The silymarin is also able to directly neutralize the poison itself, making it effective even though it has been taken after the mushroom poison has been ingested. Milk thistle
extract, for this very reason, is kept on hand in German
hospitals where it is administered on an emergency basis for treating otherwise fatal Death Cap poisonings.

Case studies:
When I met "Tiger," a two-year-old Senegal, I thought he was a mutant. His back was almost black because the feathers were more black than green. His diet was mostly seeds and table foods. The owners loved their bird, did not eat a very healthy diet themselves and did not know better. I suggested cutting back on seeds, adding fresh vegetables and fruits to his daily diet and giving him table food only when it was steamed vegetables without salt, butter, etc. In addition, I recommended giving
him milk thistle daily. The owners did what I suggested and Tiger had more green feathers on his back every time I saw him. After six months, he looked like a Senegal again.

Fancy is a Quaker that had an overgrown beak. It was almost visible how fast the beak was growing. He was given some drops of milk thistle every day. To every bodies surprise his beak looked normal again after only about three weeks.

If you have further questions regarding the use of Milk Thistle, please e-mail Gudrun at gudrun@yourparrotplace.com.

References:
Herbal Medicine from the Heart of the Earth by Sharol Tilgner N.D.
The Way of Herbs by Michael Tierra, L.A., O.M.D.
Today's Herbal Health by Louise Tenney, M.H.
http://health-pages.com/mt/index.html
http://www.kcweb.com/herb/milkt.htm
http://www.healthestores.com/racer/milkthistle.html

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