For ages, milk thistle has been found to be a natural remedy for many health ailments. Among its many important uses, the one that stands out most is detoxification. Many research has been done and are still in progress to learn and understand the full extent of its usefulness. While such research is still ongoing, it has already been proven that milk thistle is packed with numerous health benefits that are definitely worth your while.
The skin is the largest organ in the body so removing toxins from the skin is of utmost importance. Milk thistle helps detoxify the liver and keeps the colon clean to encourage the elimination of toxins which leads to healthier skin.
As we pointed out above, milk thistle detoxifies the liver. This helps to support the liver’s natural functions by facilitating the growth of new liver cells. With new and functional liver cells, the liver will be better equipped to handle and remove new and incoming toxins.
Some drugs and medications such as antidepressants and cholesterol reducing prescription can harm the liver cells. Using milk thistle can help the liver to regenerate new cells. This is because milk thistle has a particular compound called silymarin which has the ability to promote the regeneration of damaged cells.
The gallbladder stores bile in the body and is located under the liver. Bile helps in digesting fats and is very important in maintaining the general well-being of the body. Milk thistle helps in detoxifying the gallbladder and prevents the formation of gallstones, which are formed when bile hardens. The presence of gallstones is harmful as this can lead to blockage of the gallbladder passageway causing pain and gallbladder attack. Thus, milk thistle helps prevent this.
Besides helping the body to remove toxins, the liver also has another function, which is remove excess hormones that are not needed by the body. This helps to balance the hormones level in the body, because the presence of any more, or less, hormones than needed can cause negative effects to the body. Furthermore, some females need to produce breast milk for their children, and hormones control that ability to produce breast milk.
Although it’s still not clear how milk thistle does this, medical researchers suggest the antioxidants, silymarin and fatty acids contained in milk thistle helps in regulating the body insulin levels. As a result, blood sugar levels are balanced.
Many people tend to develop some seasonal allergies such as sinuses, histaminic reactions, and inflammatory reactions. Milk thistles can help get reduce these disturbing symptoms of allergies and maybe even keep the sniffles away.
Milk thistle helps to promote good intestinal health and treat some digestion problems like irritable bowel syndrome, and constipation due to food indigestions. Milk thistle helps to soften and moisturise the mucous membrane and heals the intestine walls, thus helping to remove symptoms of some gastrointestinal problems.
Many people are constantly being affected by intense heartburn and chest pain after eating certain foods. This happens when the acids present in the stomach goes into the food pipe and esophagus. Since milk thistle has anti-inflammatory properties, it can help to prevent and reduce the effect of heartburn.
Milk thistle helps to protect the kidney and restore damaged cells in the kidney due to use of pharmaceutical drugs. Happy kidney, happy life!
Despite all the great benefits of milk thistle, there can be some side effects if the herb is taken in excess or without medical supervision. Before you try the herb, it is important to do more research to make sure you are suitable for taking milk thistle as a supplement, or even simply to use it.
If you have any doubt, consult a medical specialist. The last thing you can want to have are the following symptoms that can make your life miserable:
"When life gives you lemon, make lemonade."
This proverbial phrase has stuck around since time immemorial - and for a good reason. Few fruits can be as versatile as lemons. On their own, they might be a bit too sour to the taste, but when paired with sweet or savoury flavours, they spice things up a notch.
Apart from their culinary uses, lemons actually house a multitude of health benefits. Starting your day with a glass of warm water with lemon can go a long way in protecting your health. Read on to find out how incorporating lemons into your diet can offer a plethora of various health benefits!
Although lemons are high in citric acid, once digested, their minerals are dissociated in our bloodstream, which actually helps to alkalise our bodies. More often than not, our bodies are more acidic due to the large amount of meat and carbohydrates we consume. Consuming insufficient fruits and vegetables, which are alkaline in nature, can also result in an imbalanced body pH. A body pH that is too acidic can result in various diseases - such as eczema, acne, and premature aging.
Lemons are high in pectin fiber, which can help to fight cravings and make you feel full for a longer period of time. Thus, before every meal, drink a glass of lemon water with honey to prevent over-eating, and prevent the extra pounds from packing on!
Lemons have a high vitamin C content, which are powerful in boosting the immune system. By enhancing T-cell proliferation, Vitamin C helps to prevent allergies. However, since Vitamin C is not synthesised by our bodies, we have to religiously ensure that we hit the daily requirement of 500mg a day. While Vitamin C tablets can help to do the trick, turning to natural fruits and vegetables is still the best way.
A cup of warm lemon water can go a long way in clearing up your skin and giving you that fresh, clear complexion you have always wanted. The high Vitamin C and antioxidant content in lemons help to reduce skin aging by improving collagen production. No wonder Vitamin C facial products are always such a hit!
Incorporating lemons into your diet, be it through eating them directly or adding them to a glass of water, can help to improve digestion by increasing bile production, and flushing out toxins and unwanted materials out of the body. Lemons can also reduce symptoms of indigestion such as bloating.
The high content of citric acid in lemons can help to lower the risk of kidney stones, a study conducted at the American Urological Association reveals. Citric acid can help to eliminate or slow down the formation of kidney stones by forming urinary citrate, which helps to reduce the formation of crystals.
Although scurvy is no longer as prevalent as it was before, it still affects some adults, who are severely deficient in Vitamin C. In order to keep this debilitating disease at bay, ensure that you consume a sufficient amount of Vitamin C a day!
Lemon has always been known for its naturally detoxifying properties - many people add lemons into their detox plans to help them flush out toxins from their body. By acting as a gentle and natural diuretic, lemons increase the rate of urination and helps to increase the rate of toxin removal from our body.
Vitamin P, which are bioflavonoids that help Vitamin C perform its function, are found in lemons. Vitamin P can help to strengthen blood vessels and therefore improve blood circulation, reducing the risk of high blood pressure.
Lemons are also high in potassium, which works hand-in-hand with sodium to transmit signals from the brain to the nervous system. Low potassium levels in the body can actually result in anxiety and depression.
As seen above, a small, unassuming lemon can actually house so many health benefits - there's no reason now to not incorporate lemons into your diet! If you are finding difficulty doing so, try the Floral Blossom Tea, or the Lemon Chamomile Tea from Nilufer Tea for an all-natural way of incorporating lemons into your diet. Nilufer Tea only uses lemons sourced from Setouchi, a quiet city in the Southern Okayama Prefecture in Japan. These lemons are organic and 100% pesticide and impurity free.
Acai berries? Nah, lemons are a much cheaper and accessible alternative. Be it directly from the fruit, or from herbal teas, be sure to get your fix of lemons today and reap the multitude of health benefits!
