Milk Thistle Extract & Silymarin Content, How to Choose the Best Supplements
Filed Under Anti Aging Supplement, Anti Aging Vitamin, Enteric Coating, Herbal Supplements, Liver Health, Milk Thistle, Natural Supplements, Nutritional Supplements, Silymarin, Total Balance Supplements | Leave a Comment
The consumer needs some information when shopping for milk thistle extract. This article provides that information. Herbal supplements are not well regulated. There are no specific standardized formulas that supplement manufacturers must use, even though it is known which formulas are most effective. Here’s how to identify an effective product and get the most benefit for your money.
To start with, the label should list the silymarin content, not just the amount of extract that is included in each capsule. Silymarin is believed to be the active component of the herbal remedy. The best supplements provide 85mg of silymarin per 100mg of extract.
The supplement should be derived from the seeds of the plant. Some wholesale manufacturers process the entire plant, roots and all. The stems, roots and other parts of the plant have no medicinal value. The seeds must be ripe when they are processed. The silymarin content rises, as the seeds ripen naturally on the plant. If the manufacturer harvests the seeds too early, they will be less effective.
The benefits of milk thistle extract have mostly to do with the health of the liver. They are beneficial to people with diseases that affect the organ, but new research has shown that the extracts have anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-cancer activity. They were recently shown to protect the cells of the heart from damage, as well.
Many plants and nutrients have similar health benefits. It appears that we may be able to avoid a host of diseases and live a much longer life, if we strive to include more plant foods in our daily diets and take a variety of supplements. But, the supplements must be properly formulated or there will be no benefit.
The silymarin in milk thistle extract has low bio-availability, meaning that it is not readily absorbed in the bloodstream. When you are comparing supplements, you should be sure that the manufacturer includes an enteric coating on the tablet to protect it from stomach acid and lecithin should be an added ingredient.
Lecithin, found in soy and other foods, may help reduce the risk of heart disease. It is beneficial for depression, anxiety, gallbladder disease, hepatitis, cirrhosis, eczema, and brain function. It also enhances the bio-availability of silymarin.
Before you buy milk thistle extract, check out the manufacturers’ website. They should test each raw ingredient for contaminants. If the farmers use pesticides or herbicides, the residue may remain on the seeds. They should test each batch for purity and potency. At times, supplements have had to be recalled because they caused serious illnesses. Recalls are only necessary when manufacturers do not test each completed batch for purity.
The best supplements provide a variety of different nutrients, because man can not live on silymarin, alone. You may be surprised by how much better you feel if you start to increase your nutrient intake. While there are many things that milk thistle extract may be able to do for you, it is only one of many important ingredients to look for. Take the time to learn about some of the others.
Valerie Rosenbaum has spent years researching the claims of anti aging supplement products and skin care products to find out which ingredients and products are the most effective at slowing or even reversing the aging process. If you are interested in restoring your youthful vigor and appearance then visit her website http://www.NaturalBalanceSupplements.com to learn more.
Single Ingredient Milk Thistle Capsules - What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You
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Before you buy a single-ingredient milk thistle capsule, it is worth your while to learn some facts about the supplements currently on the market. While I am a strong believer in the need to increase your nutrient intake, there are some supplements that are simply a waste of money. The issue has to do with bioavailability.
If the nutrients are not absorbed into the bloodstream, then they are of no benefit. In order to be bio-available, some nutrients must be coated to prevent them from being broken down by stomach acid. Others must be combined with other nutrients. Otherwise, they will pass through the intestinal wall unchanged. Other nutrients must be provided in specific forms to insure their bioavailability.
For example, l-glutathione supplementation is highly beneficial. A shortage of the nutrient causes premature aging, plays a role in heart disease, increases your risk of cancer and causes many other health problems. But, supplements are only effective if they contain the “reduced” form of l-glutathione and they have an enteric coating.
A single-ingredient milk thistle capsule is worthless. Even some of the multi-ingredient formulations may as well not include it, because it will not be absorbed. It has very low bio-availability. It must be protected from stomach acid and the nutrient lecithin must be taken along with it, to increase its bioavailability.
Nutrients work most effectively when they are combined. Even the standard vitamins A, C and E are best absorbed when they are taken at the same time or when we eat a dish that contains all three.
As a side not, when you take a vitamin A supplement, it should be the vegetable form, either beta-carotene or other carotenoids. The animal form of vitamin A, which is found in cod liver oil and is known as retinol, is toxic. At high doses it can cause death. The liver can only store so much and when that amount is exceeded it causes cells to swell with fluid and rupture.
While a single-ingredient milk thistle capsule is a waste of money, it is a beneficial ingredient to look for in a multi-nutritional supplement. It supports liver health and function. It has been used for thousands of years by herbalists and traditional healers to treat cirrhosis and other diseases of the liver. Modern research has shown that it is a beneficial adjunctive therapy for people with chronic hepatitis.
Unlike a milk thistle capsule, a multi-nutritional supplement that includes it will prevent your risk of vitamin deficiencies. It has been noted that vitamin D deficiencies are on the rise. Low levels of vitamin D and calcium were recently connected to cancer and heart disease.
Scientists thought they had nailed down how much we need of essential vitamins and minerals every day, but they are finding that many of those recommended daily intakes are too low. They have also found that some nutrients that, at one time, were not considered essential are, in fact, essential for human health. So, instead of buying a milk thistle capsule, why not buy multi-nutritional supplements that contain the extract, instead? They cost about the same and are better for your health.
Valerie Rosenbaum has made it her mission to provide the public with information supporting the use of natural and clinically tested ingredients in their anti aging supplements. It is very important to include milk thistle to nourish a healthy balance of nutrients and antioxidants within the body. If you want to look and feel younger then visit http://www.NaturalBalanceSupplements.com to learn how.
The Many Benefits of Milk Thistle in Anti Aging Supplements
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Here’s a look at the milk thistle benefits. Most consider it a weed, but herbalists and people “in the know” realize that it is a natural medicine. The benefits of milk thistle seeds have been recognized for over 2000 years. Modern research is beginning to support what traditional healers have always known.
Thousands of years ago, the healers in a society tested the safety of new plants on themselves. There is no way to determine how they learned about milk thistle benefits, probably through trial and error.
The most advanced of the traditional healers were the Ayurvedic practitioners that originated in India. They recognized the role played by various organs of the human body. One of the benefits of milk thistle is to promote liver health. It is prescribed by some herbalists to treat cirrhosis, jaundice and hepatitis. Ayurvedic practitioners also recommend turmeric and black cumin seed for that purpose. Typically, they used a combination of herbs, rather than a single ingredient.
Other benefits of milk thistle have to do with the gall bladder. The gall bladder is considered a “non-vital” organ. People can easily live without it. But, the bile that is stored in the gall bladder is more concentrated than that found in the liver. Therefore, it is more effective for breaking down fats.
Removing the gallbladder, which is the mainstream medical treatment for diseases that affect it, puts more stress on the liver. Modern researchers have not looked at how milk thistle benefits the gallbladder, because diseases that affect it are not life-threatening. Most of today’s research is focused on cancer and heart disease.
A 2007 study showed that the benefits of milk thistle include protecting the cells of the heart from damage. Unlike some other cells of the body, when heart cells are damaged they do not regenerate. If too many cells die, we end up with heart failure. Another compound that is known to prolong the life of heart cells is resveratrol, a compound found in red wine, red grape skins and certain medicinal plants.
As for the milk thistle benefits in cancer prevention or treatment, research is still ongoing. Other plants, including green tea and curcumin are being studied as well. As most people know, the drugs that we have to treat cancer are not that effective and are accompanied by numerous side effects. Researchers are turning, once again, to ancient herbal remedies to find new solutions.
The benefits of milk thistle are believed to be due to the silymarin that it contains. Silymarin is a flavonoid that has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant activity. The value of natural anti-inflammatories cannot be overstated. Most people know that inflammation causes pain. But, chronic inflammation plays a role in heart disease and cancer.
The typical Western diet contributes to and increases inflammation. Most health experts recommend increasing your intake of natural anti-inflammatories to take some of the burden off of your body. Fruits, vegetables and plants of all kinds contain anti-inflammatory compounds. In effect, milk thistle benefits all of the cells of the body, by reducing inflammation.
Valerie Rosenbaum has spent years researching the claims of anti aging supplement products and skin care products to find out which ingredients and products are the most effective at slowing or even reversing the aging process. If you are interested in restoring your youthful vigor and appearance then visit her website NaturalBalanceSupplements.com to learn more.
Not Just For Cleansing - Use Milk Thistle to Support Healthy Liver Function
Filed Under Anti Aging Supplement, Anti Aging Vitamin, Enteric Coating, Herbal Supplements, Liver Health, Milk Thistle, Silymarin, Total Balance Supplements | Leave a Comment
As a liver cleanse milk thistle is often recommended. But, what exactly does it do? What medicinally active components does it contain? Here you can learn what various sources have to say about it.
The mainstream medical community challenges the benefit of colon and organ cleansers. There is a long standing debate about if these are necessary for everyone or only for certain people. There are two sides to the argument, each of which has merit.
The body has the ability to remove toxins and waste products, if it is well nourished. If a person drinks plenty of water and gets plenty of fiber in their diet, their digestive system will not be sluggish. The problem is that many people today do not drink enough water. Other beverages are more popular. Most people do not get enough fiber in their diet, so they suffer from chronic constipation, bloating and stomach pain.
Most in the mainstream medical community would say that toxins do not build up in the body, unless a person is chronically exposed to them. For example, if a person ate the same kind of fish on a daily basis and that fish was contaminated with mercury, they would begin to suffer from mercury poisoning, because the body can only rid itself of so much at a time.
On the other side of the debate are groups that have shown that chemicals, such as parabens and other artificial preservatives build up in the body’s tissues. This has been proven through the examination and analysis of removed tumors. Many researchers believe that continuous exposure to low levels of environmental toxins over the course of one’s lifetime places a heavy burden on the liver and increases our risk of various diseases, including cancer. But, instead of advising a liver cleanse, milk thistle or another remedy, they advise us to avoid exposure to these toxins.
Of course, that can be difficult to do. They are in our water, the food that we eat and the air that we breathe. We can make an effort to eat more organic foods. A recent study indicates that eating only organic foods can increase your lifespan by 10 years. There are two reasons for that.
First, the farmers and ranchers do not use chemical herbicides, pesticides, hormones or other toxic substances when raising the food. Second, organic foods contain more nutrients than those grown through traditional methods. Many health experts believe that increasing your nutritional intake without increasing your caloric intake can help you live a longer healthier life.
For many people, supplementation is the easiest, if not the only way to do that. The best supplements contain 100mg of milk thistle extract, along with lecithin to increase its bioavailability, and over 70 other nutrients that are known to contribute to good health.
The better supplement manufacturers do not refer to it as a liver cleanse; milk thistle is included to support healthy liver function. It has been used for that purpose for thousands of years. If you aren’t taking a good multi-nutritional supplement, now might be the time to start.
Valerie Rosenbaum has made it her mission to provide the public with information supporting the use of natural and clinically tested ingredients in their anti aging supplements. It is very important to include milk thistle to encourage healthy liver function. If you want to look and feel younger then visit http://www.NaturalBalanceSupplements.com to learn how.
Does Milk Thistle Cleanse the Liver?
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Does milk thistle cleanse the liver of toxins and heavy metals? How does it work? Here’s a look at the subject of toxins and how the body rids itself of them.
The liver performs many important functions in the human body, including the breakdown and removal of toxic substances, which are then excreted in bile or urine. Many nutrients are needed to support healthy liver function, including niacin, selenium, n-acetyl cysteine and choline.
For thousands of years, people have relied on milk thistle to support healthy liver function and treat various disease that affect the organ. Modern day researchers have found that the active component of milk thistle is silymarin. Recent studies indicate that silymarin is beneficial for improving liver health in people with HIV and hepatitis C. The HALT-C trial showed that the supplement reduced fatigue, nausea, liver pain, anorexia, muscle and joint pain in patients with hepatitis C.
But, assuming you are a healthy individual, does milk thistle cleanse the liver?
The idea of “cleansing” the body’s organs of toxins is not a new one. It has its roots in Ancient Egypt. They believed that food enters the intestines and rots; that toxins form as a result, and move from there into the circulatory system. Later the idea was adopted and expanded upon by the Greeks. They came up with a phrase that in English is “auto-intoxication”.
The theory is that the body cannot fully dispose of its waste products and toxins. They accumulate in the organs and intestines. The theory has been discredited by modern-day physicians, because it cannot be supported by scientific facts.
However, toxic heavy metals are known to build up in the body’s organs over time. So, does milk thistle cleanse the liver of toxic heavy metals?
Heavy metals are broken down and removed from the body through the action of chelating agents. Many nutrients are chelating agents, including simple vitamin C. Potent chelating agents include resveratrol and curcumin. Silymarin has not been shown to have chelating activity.
It’s mechanism of action for supporting liver health has not been fully explained. It is known to have antioxidant activity and antioxidants are important to good health and longevity. They reduce our risk of cancer and heart disease by neutralizing free radicals.
There are studies indicating that silymarin protects that liver from damage and is beneficial for treating gallbladder problems. It is been study for its affect against prostate cancer. It also has some anti-inflammatory activity.
As a daily health supplement, it is one ingredient to look for, but it must be accompanied by lecithin to insure bioavailability; the body’s ability to absorb it. There are some excellent multi-nutritional supplements on the market that include all of the nutrients mentioned in this article, including the chelating agents and those that support healthy liver function.
But, getting back to the original question of; does milk thistle cleanse the liver. The liver cleanses itself, if a person is well nourished, drinks plenty of water and avoids exposure to toxic heavy metals.
Valerie Rosenbaum has spent years researching the claims of anti aging supplement products and skin care products to find out which ingredients and products are the most effective at slowing or even reversing the aging process. If you are interested in restoring your youthful vigor and appearance then visit her website NaturalBalanceSupplements.com to learn more.
