To eat thistle leaves, all the spines need to be removed. Lastly, milk thistle has been found to possibly mimic the effects of estrogen. For over 2,000 years people around the world have enjoyed milk thistle in their diet. Can you eat a weed? Ground milk thistle seeds can be used as a substitute for coffee. All rights reserved. All parts of the milk thistle plant are edible, from the roots to the flowers. In rare occasions it has been found to cause nausea, upset stomach, bloating and gas. Just amazing and timely information at your fingertips. Let us send you our special 15% discount! Receive the latest, most useful health and wellness articles, tips, special discounts on nutritional supplements and so much more. Pancreatitis Users are advised to seek the advice of their physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. You can enhance the effectiveness of a milk thistle detox by drinking lots of water, exercising, and using a sauna. Join 45,000+ subscribers and receive the latest, useful and exclusive health and wellness articles, health tips, special offers and more - delivered direct to your inbox. In some cases, milk thistle can cause an allergic reaction, including anaphylactic shock. Once you cook them, the thorns soften, and you can eat them, thorns and all. Milk thistle seeds can be easily ground and incorporated into … Our Milk Thistle … Silibinin, which is derived from milk thistle, seems to help treat Amanita (death cap) mushroom poisoning by preventing the amatoxins from reaching your liver and damaging it. 2. About identification of milk thistle: There are lots of thistles, but it’s easy to tell milk thistle apart from them – it has large, distinctive, “milky white” veins. It's simple to use milk thistle as a medicine or a food, though you should always consult your doctor before beginning any herbal regimen. Take some fresh milk thistle extracts and boil it with water and sugar. Place … Along with liver benefits, Milk Thistle also benefits heart, diabetic patients, cancer, skin related problems and several other body issues. Seeds – You can ground the seeds into a powder and use them to make tea, soup or cereal. Last Updated: September 9, 2020 Their stalks can also be … But if you want all of the benefits of milk thistle and may not have the time to cook, consider Natural Wellness’s UltraThistle. Milk thistle is considered a medicinal plant; milk thistle seeds have been used to treat extreme cases of hepatitis and liver degeneration with remarkable effects. • As Smoothie ingredient: Milk thistle can be made into a delicious smoothie. Milk Thistle is a natural remedy for liver related problems. People sometimes eat the stem and leaves of milk thistle in salads. If you do not, please check your spam/junk folder. % of people told us that this article helped them. Your doctor can also discuss any possible side effects and drug interactions with you. Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals Time of Day to Take Milk Thistle. Just as there are many ways to eat milk thistle, there are multiple ways to prepare its different parts. With over 10 years of experience, Susannah specializes in adult primary care, holistic medicine, and women’s healthcare. Expert Interview. This article has been viewed 17,654 times. Just like any leafy green, you can integrate milk thistle into any recipe that excites you. Thistles will resprout readily if cut down, so it’s best to dig the whole plant up by the root. The seeds can actually be eaten completely raw, too, but usually people prefer to take a milk thistle … Scoop 1 tablespoon (5 g) of ground milk thistle seeds into a tea bag or filter and put it in a tea pot. The liver is a major digestive organ, which helps process nutrients and toxins that enter our body through foods, water and air. Milk … If the activity of these enzymes are reduced, then drugs remain in the blood longer than they otherwise might. Where to find thistles. But there are some basic guidelines on using milk thistle for cats and dogs. I’m using my Milk Thistle seeds … Susannah also serves as an adjunct faculty member for NYU. People trying to lose weight should remember that it’s not just important what they eat, but also what they drink. Toasted seeds can be refrigerated for 1 to 2 weeks or frozen for 1 to 3 months, as long as they're in an airtight container. You'll also receive our newsletter including exclusive health and wellness articles, tips and special offers. Milk thistle can occasionally have a laxative effect, or produce other gastrointestinal symptoms such as stomach upset. One of the most common uses of milk thistle is to treat liver problems. Its larvae eventually hatch and eat the thistle plant's seeds, which prevents the plant from self-sowing. Improved Liver Health – Our poor livers are under siege from the amount of toxins in our food and our environment. You can harvest these and extract the seeds by removing the fluffy fibers surrounding them. Humans have used milk thistle for medicinal purposes for over 2000 years … particularly its roots and seeds. For a healthy, tasty breakfast smoothie, put 113.4 g (1/2 cup) of frozen blueberries, 1 large banana, 5 grams (1 teaspoon) each of Maca powder, powdered milk thistle seed, and chia seeds, 118 mL (1/2 cup) of water or nut milk, and a handful of fresh mint leaves into your blender and puree until smooth. Just about all parts of the plant have been used as food with no reports of toxicity. By using our site, you agree to our. Milk thistle is drought resistant and needs very little watering. Milk Thistle Tea; Where to buy? If you're allergic to other plants in the asteraceae family, such as ragweed, daisies, marigolds, and chrysanthemums, you're more likely to be allergic to milk thistle. Susannah Kerwin is a board certified Adult Nurse Practitioner in New York, New York. Nurse Practitioner. There are no other food sources of this herb. Milk thistle can also intensify the effect of drugs that lower blood sugar, so consult your doctor about what dosage of milk thistle to take if you are being treated with hypoglycemic medications. Mayo Clinic Milk thistle has some estrogen-like effects that may stimulate the flow of breast milk in women who are breast-feeding infants. Retrieved from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320362.php In a nutshell, all of it! All parts of these tall and thorny biennial flowering plants can be eaten. Just eat some seeds (ideally before and) after to help keep your liver moving along happily. One of the beverages that are worth noting is an infusion of milk thistle. Just eat, encapsulate, or tincture the powdered seeds! Check with your doctor before discontinuing any medicine. Take a look at those spikes, most of them are about 1 cm long and surprisingly rigid. Research also suggests that milk thistle could potentially protect brain functioning, stimulate bone mineralization, improve the effects of some cancer treatments, boost milk production in lactating women, and decrease acne lesions. Milk thistle … About Milk Thistle. The amount of milk thistle you should take depends on the type of product. Get more information on https://www.facebook.com/mymagickalcupboard/Milk Thistle tea is used as an antioxidant and liver detox beverage. 10 potential health benefits of milk thistle. *These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Once the flowers have finished blooming, they will leave behind seed clusters. Compounds found in milk thistle -- sylibin, ... Well, enzymes in the liver break down many of the substances that we eat and drink, including medications. Click here to get your FREE Sugar Detox Guide + Sugar-Free Recipes! Milk thistle could also cause additive effects when taken with other diabetes medications. Milk thistle tea can be prepared using either the seeds or the leaves of the plant. DVM, C. S. (n.d.). [2] X Research source The scientific evidence behind many of the medicinal uses of milk thistle is still inconclusive. Silymarin, which is itself a combination of several other active compounds, has been extensively studied around the world, and has been shown to be safe and effective in treating a variety of liver diseases and other conditions. Healthy Skin. Seeds. Leaf stalks can be eaten raw, as a snack. BUT if you eat milk thistle with your meal, the iron gets bound up with the polyphenols, and your body can't absorb those iron-polyphenol compounds. ©2020 Natural Wellness®. With over 10 years of experience, Susannah specializes in adult primary care, holistic medicine, and women’s healthcare. Eating milk thistle chokes would of course prevent you harvesting the exceptional liver-supportive medicine found in the seeds. Then pour it in a container and you can enjoy the soothing drink, which takes care of your liver health. How to Give Milk Thistle to Pets. They’re quite thin, so you’d think they’d be weak and flexible, but not exactly. A 2016 … To increase bioavailability the dosage schedule should be broken down into 3 dose regimens . Go to source 2. Poisons are usually used to erradicate. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. You should carefully trim off the spines on the foliage and stems before eating them. Milk thistle is generally available to the public in capsule form, although some herbalists make milk thistle … Seeds – You can ground the seeds into a powder and use them to make tea, soup or cereal. In foods, milk thistle leaves (cooked)and flowers are eaten as a vegetable for salads and a substitute for spinach. Retrieved from https://www.milkthistle.com/milk-thistle-recipes/cooking-with-milk-thistle References. Milk thistle might have estrogenic effects. It is not easy to eat without processing, as the thistle seeds are hard and tasteless. If you make any of the items on the list below, simply … You can enhance the effectiveness of a milk thistle detox by drinking lots of water, exercising, and using a sauna. Milk thistle seeds are also edible. There are a variety of milk thistle products available, and the seeds and leaves of the milk thistle plant can be consumed either in pill, powder, tincture, extract or tea form. While you can already get milk thistle in a supplement form, like Natural Wellness’s UltraThistle, did you know that you can also cook with it and integrate it into meals and snacks? Tip: Sometimes, … Because milk thistle increases bile secretion, the optimum time of day to take it is in the morning. It’s native to the Mediterranean regions of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. If you prepare milk thistle tea from seeds, drink one cup 30 minutes before each meal and one cup just before going to bed. Milk thistle not only helps treat and prevent liver disease … it has so many other uses! Leaves – The leaves can be eaten raw, like spinach, and added to salads. Native to the Mediterranean, it now grows widely across many regions of the globe. … Milk thistle may have been combined with other plants or extracts in a specific preparation to treat these conditions. Milk thistle is used internally in the tre… The amount of milk thistle you should take depends on the type of product. Easy-to-make thistle chewing gum—it even cleans your teeth. When to take milk thistle powder, and how long to take it for. After sticking to this for three days, reduce your intake to three cups per day. Retrieved from https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/milk-thistle-benefits-and-side-effects#2-8, Requirements for using and reposting articles. Generally, milk thistle tea is safe to drink in moderation. Milk thistle taken with the Hepatitis C medication simeprevir (Olysio) could increase the concentrations of the drug in your blood plasma. Just as there are many ways to eat milk thistle, there are multiple ways to prepare its different parts. If an infection has damaged your dog’s kidney … milk thistle has shown to decrease the amount of time it takes your dog to heal. Although it can be used as food, milk thistle is better known as having medicinal benefits. unlocking this expert answer. Milk thistle has also been found to be effective in protecting the liver against amatoxin which is found in a deadly mushrooms known as the death cap. Indigestion (dyspepsia). Milk thistle is a plant of the Asteraceae family, originating from Mediterranean region. Milk thistle extract or tincture can easily be made on your own kitchen counter instead of spending a ridiculous amount of money from a specialty store. Grind the seeds and leaves into a powder with a coffee grinder if you don't have a mortar. Susannah Kerwin, ANP-BC, HNP. We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. Milk thistle is an amazing herb, used to treat diabetes and IBD but its benefits to the liver are responsible for its inclusion in numerous medical research trials. Milk Thistle Benefits. If you have an estrogen-sensitive condition, including breast cancer, uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, endometriosis, or. In traditional medicine it is used for over 2000 years. Most popular drink at the local market—a thistle root chai tea recipe. With an affinity for the liver, milk thistle really is like a food, helping to build and rejuvenate this vital organ. The main reason why milk thistle is thought to be therapeutic is due to its high content of a compound called silymarin. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. Milk thistle comes in powder, capsule, pill, or liquid extract forms. Milk thistle has many benefits including: • It acts as a liver detox in addition to having anti-cancer properties. Added to salads. With all of these great qualities, it would behoove you to work milk thistle into your diet. If … One key factor to look for is the amount of silymarin in your chosen product. Other uses not proven with research have included treating malaria , mushroom poisoning , spleen or gallbladder problems, menstrual problems, liver problems (such as … You can enhance the effectiveness of a milk thistle detox by drinking lots of water, exercising, and using a sauna. Cooking with Milk Thistle. This article was co-authored by Susannah Kerwin, ANP-BC, HNP. Its active ingredient is silymarin, which is said to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. X Apart from a little-upset stomach if you take too much, there are no known side effects. The weevil is also non-native. One of the primary and most vital active ingredients in milk thistle is silymarin. Yum… a delicious thistle chocolate truffle recipe. … Further studies, especially in human rather than animal populations, are needed. By increasing protein synthesis, milk thistle’s effects also lead to the growth of healthy new liver cells. When to take milk thistle powder, and how long to take it for. Can you eat a weed? Milk thistle should be taken on an empty stomach without any other concurrent medications or food . Supports liver health. One key factor to look for is the amount of silymarin in your chosen product. Cooked or raw, like spinach. While you are most likely going to assume to just eat the leaves of the milk thistle, you can also eat the seeds, roots, stalk, and buds of the plant as well. Creeping thistle will grow in all manner of waste-ground, grasslands, verges and field edges. Recent studies have shown that milk thistle helped improve inflammatory skin conditions as well as provide an antioxidant and anti-aging effect. • Milk Thistle as Salad Ingredient: Add milk thistle stalks, leaves, flowers, and roots to your diet as an ingredient in salads and cooked meals. Milk thistle is often promoted for its liver-protecting effects. Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/c\/c1\/Take-Milk-Thistle-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Take-Milk-Thistle-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/c\/c1\/Take-Milk-Thistle-Step-1.jpg\/aid10606717-v4-728px-Take-Milk-Thistle-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"