Dr. Weil on Milk Thistle

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Unless you have had a liver problem, chances are that you barely give the organ much thought. A liver is easy to ignore. It never grumbles, thumps, burps or makes itself obvious like other organs. However polite it may be, do not underestimate your liver's importance. This organ performs an amazing assortment of tasks as your body's manufacturing plant. Through eating, breathing and even absorption through the skin, we all take in quite a smorgasbord of substances, ranging from life-sustaining foods to toxic chemicals. The liver's role is to break down and neutralize a wide array of potentially toxic chemicals, including such things as food additives, environmental pollutants, petroleum, paint and solvents. Even many natural substances, such as hormones, need to be broken down. Toxic levels of the hormones estrogen and testosterone circulate through the blood and increase the risk of hormonally related cancers if they are not transformed by the liver.

The liver also converts protein into usable amino acids. Nutrients such as fats, A, E, K and PMS and menstrual irregularities are just a few examples. However, if you ask an herbalist for advice on how to clear up chronic skin problems, including rashes, boils, eczema and psoriasis, she will probably give you a list of herbs for the

liver. Hepatitis and cirrhosis are two diseases that can badly damage your liver. Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver brought on by certain viruses or by overexposure to a toxic substance. This disease commonly causes a fever that is often accompanied by vomiting. About 20 percent of alcoholics can count on developing hepatitis after five to ten years of too much alcohol, but the disease can also result from poor nutrition, a viral or bacterial infection or toxic poisons. Cirrhosis is a serious disease that changes the structure of the liver so that it cannot function properly. One of the biggest problems with cirrhosis is that less blood flows through the liver, and the toxins that are normally eliminated can now poison the body. About 20 percent of heavy drinkers eventually develop cirrhosis, and alcoholic hepatitis is often a precursor of cirrhosis. This condition can also be caused by poor nutrition

(especially too little protein), poisonous substances, or a previous viral or bacterial infection that inflamed and weakened the liver. The good news is that even a damaged liver retains an incredible ability to regenerate itself. The even better news is that herbs can help. Thanks to many scientific studies, mostly from Germany and the United States, we know that burdock, licorice and especially Milk thistle most impressed the medical world when G. Vogel, M.D., used it to save lives in the 1970s. A leading silymarin that was extracted from milk thistle called flavonoids are some of the most potent liver-protecting substances known. (vitamin E. So do garlic, according to the results of numerous studies conducted all over the world. Similar flavonoids that improve liver function are also found in antioxidants is to protect the liver against damage from heavy metals and other toxic substances in the air and the food we eat. In case you think that heavy metal exposure is nothing to worry about, consider that more than 600,000 tons of lead are put into the atmosphere every year in the United States alone. Heavy metals are all around us—lead solder in tin cans, lead and cadmium in cigarette smoke, mercury in dental fillings and some cosmetics, and aluminum in antacids. Research conducted in Germany has

shown that milk thistle is the basis for a number of German drugs used to treat liver problems. milk thistle powder, buy whole seeds and grind them in a Milk thistle is not the only member of the thistle family to come to the aid of the liver. If you like artichokes, you are in luck. While few American doctors consider artichoke a medical herb, European doctors regularly prescribe artichoke extract for two years. The results of this study were presented in 1960 at the Symposium on Drugs Affecting Lipid Metabolism in Milan, Italy. Because of the artichoke, the workers did not experience the changes in their blood that would normally occur from inhaling this pollutant. The researchers found that artichoke

is also useful in treating hepatitis because it helps reduce bile levels in the liver, thus decreasing congestion in the liver and the consequent risk of damage. licorice to treat the liver. In modern times, licorice to treat chronic hepatitis. In Japan, glycyrrhizin, a compound extracted from licorice increased the production of interferon, which is commonly used to treat hepatitis B. The Chinese herbs shizandra and

bupleurum also neutralize liver toxins. Studies conducted in China show that all these herbs work in several ways, including serving as antioxidants, to protect your liver and keep it healthy and strong. In one clinical study with vitamin E and a shizandra had normal blood tests, indicating that their problems were over. Those taking the liver extract improved only half as quickly and not as much. Of the more than 100 people who took Shizandra was recently developed into a new drug by the Pharmaceutical Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. This herb has been proven to diminish hepatitis B in less than a month. Bupleurum has also been the subject of some study. The organizers of one study described a compound found in this herb as remarkable in its ability to stop liver damage. Because of these findings, Japanese physicians who use modern Western medical methods have recently taken a hint from Japan's herbal doctors—they are now turning to traditional formulas that contain bupleurum. Their renewed interest in this herb has sparked several studies, which have shown that bupleurum can even help people who have had hepatitis for several years. A whole list of herbs used in the Orient—turmeric, ginseng (especially red psyllium seed—have been shown to reduce liver damage. In one Chinese study, about 75 percent of a group of people with chronic hepatitis were successfully treated with reishi

mushroom, Ginger actually gives other herbs a boost by improving the body's ability to assimilate them. Since the liver is responsible for breaking down substances in the blood, it eventually deactivates medicinal compounds in herbs. ginger is found in so many traditional Ayurvedic and Chinese formulas. Research has shown that Turmeric is what gives the Eastern spice known as curry (which is actually a mixture of several different ground herbs) its yellow color. You get a healthy medicinal dose of this herb every time you eat foods seasoned with curry powder. Because the compounds found in ginseng can lower the alcohol level in your blood in 40 minutes, according to research on alcohol-lowering enzymes done by the Korean GLA) from borage and GLA also encourages regeneration of alcohol-damaged liver cells. Also, many herbalists have found that dandelion root, sarsaparilla root, ginger rhizome 1 quart water Combine ingredients in a saucepan and simmer for a couple of minutes. Turn down heat and let steep for about 15 minutes. Strain and drink at least a cup a day.

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thanks dorothy,, this was a great article!Dorothy <dorv@...> wrote: http://www.drweil.com/u/QA/QA365823/Jackie

[Guest guest]

thanks dorothy,, this was a great article!Dorothy <dorv@...> wrote: http://www.drweil.com/u/QA/QA365823/Jackie