Milk thistle: medicinal properties and contraindications

Milk thistle is familiar to almost everyone - these lilac flowers on thin stems with whitish leaves grow along roads, on clearings near water bodies, and in the garden.Many simply remove this weed without thinking that it is he who can give a person health and harmony!

Folk healers say a lot of good about the use of milk thistle, but the official medicine also recognizes the importance and necessity of using this plant in the treatment of the liver.The composition of many medicines includes seeds and oils of milk thistle, although in folk medicine for the preparation of medicinal products use both flowers and leaves of the plant.

Table of contents: Milk thistle - benefits, healing properties Schroth and flour from the thistle seed How and to whom to use thistle Milk thistle recipes Milk throat - harm and contraindications

Milk thistle - benefits, therapeutic properties

Seeds of the plant in question have a whole complexUseful substances: flavonoids, vitamins, antioxidants, enzymes, minerals.And the silymarin contained in them makes the milk thistle an excellent hepatoprotective agent.

What is the use of thistle for the liver:

1. With regular use( courses), the agents on the basis of the plant in question have a protective effect, prevent pathological impairment of the functionality of the liver due to the use of alcoholic beverages, poisonous substances.
2. Regular intake of milk thistle leads to the strengthening of hepatocyte membranes - these are hepatic cells.
3. The risk of obesity of the liver decreases at times.
4. The metabolic processes taking place in the liver are normalized and stabilized.
5. Milk thistle also helps the gallbladder work - this plant can increase and alleviate the outflow of bile.
6. If there is an inflammatory process in the liver or gallbladder, then the use of drugs based on the disease in question helps stop the progression of pathology.
7. The level of self-purification of the liver is increased.
8. If there are destroyed liver cells, the use of milk thistle helps to restore them.

In addition to the fact that the milk thistle is actively used for the treatment and prevention of liver diseases, it is possible to isolate a lot of useful properties of this plant. These include:

1. Drinking milk thistle in the form of a decoction can relieve the condition of pregnant women with powerful early toxicosis.
2. If you have a history of diseases associated with cardiovascular disorders, then for the prevention of strokes and heart attack you need to use the plant in question courses.
3. The use of milk thistle as a medicinal plant will be appropriate for diabetes mellitus, varicose veins, obesity, acquired immunodeficiency, jaundice, liver cirrhosis.
4. Drinking a decoction or tincture of milk thistle will be recommended and those who have recently undergone chemotherapy, radiotherapy, underwent radiation exposure.
5. The use of medicines based on milk thistle, as well as funds from the category "traditional medicine", will provide the necessary help in case of cholecystitis, pathology of the pancreas and spleen, salt deposits, osteochondrosis.
6. Active milk thistle and dermatological practice - it will be an effective remedy for dermatitis, vitiligo, burns, alopecia, psoriasis, acne, neurodermatitis, trophic ulcers, eczema.
7. Fresh milk is made from milk thistle( from leaves and stems) - it is used in folk medicine for the treatment of protracted constipation, and official medicine recognizes the beneficial properties of the juice of milk thistle in the treatment of colitis.
8. Infusions from the seeds of the plant in question and decoctions can and should be used to treat sore throat, pharyngitis, cough of cold origin, stomatitis, periodontal disease.

Seed meal and flour from the thistle seed

When the seeds of the plant under consideration are pressed, the result of this process will be the formation of not only oil, but also meal.Schroth is a powdery substance that is rich in fiber.It is this substance that is considered the best option for the treatment of bowel diseases, the meal cleans it, stimulates normal work, normalizes the microflora.

Flour from a seed of a thistle is simply a powder from the seeds, prepared without preliminary extraction of oil.Flour is usually used to restore the work of the liver - if you mix the flour with the oil of the plant in question, it turns out to be an excellent remedy for the restoration of liver cells - even the most popular, modern preparations of the pharmacological industry can not "boast" such active medicinal properties.

Note: for the treatment and prevention of liver diseases, the benefits of milk thistle shroud are very high, but the harm to the body will not be any at all - you can safely use it daily and for a long time.The only restriction is that the meal can not be taken in any form for pregnant women and children under 12 years of age.If a person has diagnosed cholelithiasis, then the consultation of the attending physician will be required.

In addition to actively helping to solve problems with liver function, it can be useful for joint pain, migraine, heart disease, hemorrhoids, high cholesterol, spleen diseases.It is recommended to take 1 tablespoon of milk thistle meal together with food - this will be enough to normalize the work of organs and systems.

Often, the flour from the seeds of the plant in question is used in cooking - it is added to salads, cereals, pastries, but keep in mind that the product should not exceed 20% of the milk thistle flour.Some people use flour in general to make a drink!And all this use will be useful for the body, only with existing chronic pathologies it is better to consult with specialists.

How and to whom to use the milk thistle

In order for the plant in question to really be of use for health, it is necessary to understand and know in which cases and in what form the milk thistle should be used. There are the following recommendations from specialists:

1. If there is excess body weight, the use of decoction from the seeds of milk thistle and the addition of flour to this plant will help normalize lipid metabolism, remove harmful / toxic substances from the body, cleanse the intestinal tract and normalize its functioning.This all leads to a natural loss of extra pounds.
2. In diabetes, it is very important to consume fiber - it prevents sugar leaks in the blood.A huge amount of fiber is contained in the meal from the seeds of milk thistle, so its use is necessary for diabetics.By the way, in the meal there are minerals and vitamins, which are involved in the production of insulin.
3. Broth from the seeds of milk thistle, the flour from them helps to restore the body after stress and stimulates the production of breast milk.It is not surprising that both broth and oil from the seeds of the plant in question are recommended for women in the postpartum period for early recovery and breastfeeding.
4. Douching with a decoction of milk thistle will help to cure vaginitis more quickly, will ease the condition of a woman with erosion of the cervix and colpitis.In the vagina with these diseases, it is possible to inject tampons moistened in oil from the seeds of the plant in question.

Generally, it is considered that the milk thistle should be consumed absolutely for all people:

• will facilitate the condition with alcohol poisoning;
• will help to get a person out of binge;
• is a part of complex therapy for drug dependence;
• facilitates the easier passage of the rehabilitation period;
• quickly restores the body after chemotherapy and irradiation;
• increases immunity and serves as a preventive measure for various diseases( especially important for residents of large cities).

Recipes from the milk thistle

For the competent use of the plant in question as a medicine, you need to know the recipes for the preparation of medicinal products.

For weight loss

You can dissolve 1 tablespoon of meal in 100 ml of warm water and take 2-3 times a day.Flour from the seeds of milk thistle can be added to cereals or pastries, but it will be necessary to adhere to proper nutrition, and to engage in physical training at least in minimal "doses".

Another useful tip for using thistle for weight loss - put 1-2 tablespoons of croutons on a glass of kefir, drink this mixture for the night.Thus, the feeling of hunger will be satisfied, and no fats / carbohydrates will enter the body.

Chronic constipation and intoxication

In 100 grams of natural yogurt or kefir, dissolve 1 tablespoon of meal and drink in the morning on an empty stomach.You need to use this remedy every day for a month.If you add to this recommendation 2 liters of pure boiled water per day, then the body will actively excrete toxins, the intestinal tract will be cleared.

Varicose and elevated blood sugar levels( but not diabetes)

Take 2 tablespoons of milk thistle seeds, grind them into flour( blender or grinder) and consume 1 dessert spoon 4 times a day 20 minutes before eating.The course of use - 30 days, then for 2 weeks a break is made and everything is repeated with one more month course.

To improve liver function and alcohol dependence

It is necessary to take 1 tablespoon of seeds of the plant in question and pour 200 ml of steep boiling water, insist for 20 minutes, strain and drink in small sips of 50 ml 20 minutes before eating.You need a day to drink all the amount of money received, and the first portion should be taken on an empty stomach in the morning, and the last one - just before bed.

Diseases of the joints, trophic ulcers, purulent wounds

It is necessary to make a tincture of 4 tablespoons of milk thistle seeds and 500 ml of alcohol, insist for 2 weeks.Then the drug is taken on 25 drops, diluted in 100 ml of water, before eating.The course of treatment is unlimited - to ease the condition.

Diseases of the liver

Every day you need to consume 1 teaspoon of flour from the seeds of the plant 4-5 times.The course of admission is 40 days, then a break for 15 days is done and everything is repeated again.In general, this way it is possible to be treated within six months - as a rule, this period is enough for the normalization and stabilization of the liver.

Poisoning

Every 3 hours, you need to consume 1 teaspoon of meal until the symptoms of poisoning disappear.

Note: whatever recipe was chosen, in the presence of chronic diseases in the body, it is necessary to consult with a doctor about the advisability of using milk thistle as a medicine.

Milk Thistle - Harm and Contraindications

It is strictly forbidden to use the plant in question as a medicine under the following conditions:

• Mental illness;
• depression;
• epilepsy;
• children under 12 years;
• shortness of breath;
• gestation period.

It is extremely important to use / use the milk thistle-based remedies for the following patients:

• with diagnosed cholelithiasis - treatment should be done only under the supervision of a doctor;
• with disturbed heart rhythm;
• with bronchial asthma - milk thistle can provoke an attack of suffocation;
• with an increased level of calcium in the body.

Often identified and individual intolerance of the plant in question - in this case, any of its use will be prohibited.

Note: if earlier the milk thistle was not used, then for the first few uses a person can note pains in the anatomical location of the liver - this is considered the norm.If after 2-3 days of treatment the treated plant pains and discomfort did not disappear, then it is necessary to interrupt the course and seek the advice of a specialist.

Milk thistle is a weed, but very useful!If you learn to use medicinal products prepared on the basis of milk thistle competently, you can quickly, efficiently and for a long time become healthier, help the body cope with liver, intestine and other diseases.

Tsygankova Yana Aleksandrovna, medical reviewer, therapist of the highest qualification category