Milk thistle may be a pest for some gardeners, but for many people this plant is a prized possession thanks to it’s powerful healing abilities. Milk thistle helps to keep our blood clean and strong by providing support to our liver, the organ most responsible for blood cleansing.

The Healing Properties of Milk Thistle

The milk thistle plant is loaded with a chemical substance called silymarin. Silymarin has a number of different health benefits, all of which help to provide support to the liver to keep it healthy and functioning properly.

Silymarin works in one way to help encourage cell growth within the liver. When the liver is able to continuously change the outer layer of the livers cells with new healthy cells, it is better able to keep harmful toxins out that can cause liver damage.

Another property of silymarin is that it works as an anti-inflammatory to keep liver cells stable and prevent swelling of the cells should an injury occur to the liver. The chemical also has antioxidant properties which help to reduce and prevent damage caused by free radicals which help to protect the liver from damage that can be caused by degenerative diseases.

Many natural health practitioners and herbalists use milk thistle to treat and protect the body from liver damage that can occur from a variety of factors including drugs, alcoholism, chemicals and diseases. The medical practitioners have noted significant improvements to patients suffering from liver pollution from these conditions, as the milk thistle helps to repair damage that has already occurred.

Milk Thistle as a Blood Cleanser

Our liver is like a small washing machine in our body. Polluted blood goes in, is “washed” by the liver and comes out clean. Healthy, clean blood is essential for good health since our blood is what keeps our body going. If our blood becomes polluted with toxins, the rest of our body will quickly start to show the affects and our health will decline.

In order for us to have clean and healthy blood, the liver must be kept healthy so that it can perform it’s job as the “washer.” When we keep our liver healthy, we ultimately help to ensure the rest of us stays healthy as well thanks to the clean flow of blood that is traveling to all of our cells and organs.

Taking a Milk Thistle Supplement

Milk thistle provides the best results when a supplement is taken daily. Fortunately, there are no known or reported side effects of taking milk thistle though it is always recommended to consult with your physician before you begin taking any herbal supplement. This is especially important if you are on prescription medications to ensure there are no drug/herbal interactions.

Milk thistle can be purchased to take by itself in capsule form such as the Milk Thistle Extract capsules available by Nature’s Way or you can also find milk thistle that is blended with other beneficial cleansing herbs like the Milk Thistle Liver Cleanse by Nature’s Secret that contains a blend of 20 cleansing botanicals.