Milk Thistle is a flowering herb, originating in the Mediterranean. The active ingredient is called silymarin. If you want to consume the herb directly, you harvest the seeds. It can also be taken in supplements or in tea, and it can be combined with other herbs for beneficial effects.
There haven’t been extensive studies on the medicinal value of this herb, but it’s been used with great affect by people for several conditions which afflict the liver including cirrhosis, jaundice, hepatitis, and gallbladder disorders. It can be helpful in detoxing the liver, and can reverse liver damage, and protect against damage from agents such as alcohol or other toxins that tend to lodge themselves in the liver.
Milk Thistle has also been credited with improving blood sugar levels and cholesterol levels in people with type two diabetes. Benefits may also include improvement of adrenal disorders such as Addison’s Disease or Cushings, and improvement of IBS (inflammatory bowel syndrome). This herb has been shown to be an anti-inflammatory and it’s an antioxidant. Antioxidants are more powerful than many vitamins and are able to remove free radicals from the body which cause cell damage, and which cause disease and symptoms of aging.
A word of caution is warranted. If you are allergic to ragweed, you should probably avoid ingesting milk thistle. Furthermore, this herb can act similarly in the body to estrogen, so some women should avoid taking this. Women with fibroid tumors, endometriosis, a history of breast, uterine or ovarian cancers should avoid milk thistle. It might also be safest to avoid taking it if you are pregnant or nursing. That being said, the same estrogen-effect could be helpful for men with prostrate cancer.
Everyone knows that leafy greens are important, but often, we don’t really know why they are, we’re not sure which greens are best, and we wonder how much of them we should eat on any given day. Standard American Dieters often try to have a daily salad, but it’s often a fairly small one that is generally drowned in store-bought dressings made with soybean oil (one of the most genetically modified crop in the US), cottonseed oil (a very pesticide heavy crop), white sugar, artificial colorings etc. and iceberg lettuce is a SAD favorite.
Green juices don’t have to mean shots of wheatgrass. They can be delectable when made properly, and they are quick to make, too. For green juices to be palatable, you need to add the secret ingredient: fresh lemon juice. Lemon juice will take away the green taste and add a refreshing lemonade like flavor to the juice. Adding a little spiciness with ginger juice will make your green juice even better. By drinking 30 ounces of green juice a day, you can consume a whole head of lettuce on average without even noticing it! Don’t forget to add dark leafies such as kale.
People on the SAD (standard American diet) often equate salads with boring. Growing up in Europe where bottled salad dressings are hard to come by, I had to learn to make my own. Try your hand at new recipes such as sweet dressings with mangoes, or spicy dressings with mustard, or even fat free dressings with blended tomatoes and fresh herbs! When I don’t have time to make an exotic dressing, I simply mix olive oil and raw apple cider vinegar at a 2:1 ratio, add a pinch of sea salt, a little mustard, and sometimes a little crushed garlic.
When I eat out at restaurants, I’m often disappointed by the salad selection. You can make large, delicious and satisfying salads without having to resort to the traditional iceberg lettuce, cucumber and tomato. Try layering lettuce with peeled citrus fruits and avocado, or tossing spinach with strawberries! Try different greens, such as arugula (also called roquette) with fresh mushrooms. The possibilities are endless.
