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.
| 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 ratio45% 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.
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.
