Do you suffer from digestive system problems? Reach for milk thistle. This inconspicuous plant supports liver regeneration and regulates digestive processes. What are its other properties? Can everyone use them?

Milk thistle – what kind of plant is it?

Milk thistle (Latin: Sylibum marianum) is a popular herb used for many ailments. It naturally occurs in countries with a Mediterranean climate and in some regions of Asia such as Pakistan and India. In Poland, it is a typically cultivated plant with very characteristic white spots on the leaves.

The herbal raw material are milk thistle fruits, which owe their healing properties primarily to the flavonolignan complex - silymarin.

In addition, milk thistle contains:

-essential oil,
-bitter compounds,
-oil,
-sterols,
-vitamin E,
-sugars,
-amines – histamine and tyramine.

Milk thistle – properties

Due to the content of silymarin, milk thistle has a beneficial effect on the liver:

- supports the regeneration of its cells and prevents the deposition of collagen in them, thus inhibiting necrotic changes;
- protects the liver against toxic factors by sealing cell membranes;
- has a mild choleretic effect.

Due to these properties, it is worth taking milk thistle after long-term antibiotic therapy, hepatitis, alcohol or mushroom poisoning.

In addition, this plant:

1. regulates digestion processes - increases the secretion of digestive juices and improves appetite. This is due not only to silymarin, but also to bitter compounds that stimulate the digestive system;
2. has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties - reduces cholesterol synthesis and lipid oxidation, preventing the formation of atherosclerotic lesions;
3. increases the regeneration capacity of the kidneys and prevents the breakdown of red blood cells.

Moreover, one of the compounds isolated from this plant - taxifolin, probably has a beneficial effect on the treatment of osteoporosis.