Tonic for the Liver: Milk thistle

Milk thistle, a flowering plant, has been known for nearly two millennia as a herb of therapeutic value. This plant belongs to the daisy and ragweed family and is a native to the Mediterranean regions of Europe. It is also referred to as St. Mary's thistle, Marian thistle, lady's thistle and holy thistle. An extract from the fruit of the milk thistle (Silybum marianum) has been know for protecting the liver, the body’s largest internal organ, from damage by chemicals, alcohol, and other toxins. The liver-protecting functions are due to two main actions of Milk thistle: antioxidant and protein-restoring activities. The active constituent of Milk thistle is silymarin- a flavonoid, also an antioxidant ten times more powerful than vitamin E. It fights against oxidative stress and thus inhibits inflammation of liver cells. It prevents toxic and foreign substances from penetrating liver cells by stabilizing the outer membrane of liver cells. Silymarin displaces toxins by binding to proteins and receptors on the cell membrane. Silymarin also has the ability to repair and restore the liver as it stimulates protein synthesis due to which new liver cells are able to grow. 

Extensive research over the past 30 years has shown Milk Thistle extract improves liver dysfunction in patients with acute and chronic hepatitis A, B and C. It helps a variety of liver disease such as gall bladder disease, cirrhosis, gall stones, cholestasis of pregnancy and fatty liver caused by chemical toxin damage. Silymarin has been shown repair liver damage due to indulgence in alcohol, drugs and exposure to toxic chemicals. As silymarin acts mainly on the liver and kidneys, it is an effective antidote against poisonous substances that accumulate in the liver. An interesting study done in 1983 on eighteen patients suffering from poisoning after eating deathcap mushrooms showed that silymarin, taken at a daily dose of 33 mg for every kilogram of body weight for 81.6 hours, prevented severe liver damage. Researchers concluded that silymarin is an effective remedy if administered within 48 hours after eating the mushrooms. Another study done in 1998 focused on thirty workers who had been exposed to toluene and/or xylene vapors on the job for five to twenty years. All the workers had low blood platelet counts and abnormal liver function tests. After taking silymarin for thirty days, researchers reported, the workers all showed a significant improvement in liver function tests and blood platelet counts, although dosages weren’t specified in the study’s translation. 

Milk thistle also helps a variety of other disease other than liver aliments. It helps skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. Medical research also suggests that milk thistle, combined with traditional treatment, can improve diabetes. Studies have shown a decrease in blood sugar levels and an improvement in cholesterol in people with type 2 diabetes. Researchers also have found that milk thistle improved insulin resistance, a key characteristic of type 2 diabetes. By lowering LDL "bad" cholesterol levels, milk thistle may help decrease the chance of developing heart disease. Milk thistle is also effective for less serious problems such as to improve digestion and liver function. It is also effective for digestive discomfort from overeating or eating unsettling food combinations. 

In spite of a large body of evidence the U.S. Food and Drug Administration still neither recognizes nor approves of milk thistle as a food or medicine. But the German Government in 1986 approved the use of Milk thistle extract as a medicine for liver disease treatment and today it is used in large parts of Europe as the herb for liver ailments. Research today shows that milk thistle extracts appear to be safe and generally well-tolerated with negligible, if any, toxicity or adverse side effects. Milk thistle occasionally has a mild laxative effect due to increased bile flow and secretion. It may be taken long-term and may reduce the toxic side-effects of many prescription drugs. Allergic reactions are a concern as anyone with allergies to asters, daisies, artichokes, thistle or kiwi should avoid milk thistle and its constituents. Milk thistle is prepared as a concentrated extract of standardized dried herb (70% to 80%, or approximately 140 mg silymarin). Silymarin must be concentrated because it is poorly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. Recommended dosage ranges from 200 to 400 mg silymarin per day.

Potassium: Salt of Life

A thought to consider, perhaps many of your health problems could be related to simple problem: potassium deficiency? Take a look at the symptoms of potassium deficiency- anxiety, depression, insomnia, constipation, high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney stones, hyperthyroidism, arthritis, obesity, headaches, pain in the eyes, muscle spasm or fatigue, muscle tension, restless leg syndrome.

Now, let us try to understand what potassium is and how our body stays healthy with it. Unlike table salt (sodium chloride), potassium (as its chloride salt) is vital for life. Potassium is the third most abundant mineral in the body. It is present in all cells and is critical for cardiovascular and nerve function. It is a key player in regulating the transfer of nutrients in cells. Potassium is also an electrolyte, meaning it has a high participation in electrochemical activity inside our body. Lack of potassium therefore causes edema (water retention), chronic headaches and pain in the eyes. Potassium helps to regulate blood pressure and more specifically lowers blood pressure. Potassium is vital for the elimination of wastes, is a natural pain killer, promotes faster healing of cuts, bruises and other injuries. The recuperative power of potassium is amazing: for example it aids rheumatic or arthritic condition by causing acids to leave the joints thereby easing stiffness. Getting enough potassium in your diet could be very helpful in preventing and treating heart disease as well as preventing a stroke. A potassium deficiency can lead to lower urine citrate, which in turn can lead to kidney stones. Sufficient amounts of potassium in the diet may also protect you against hypoglycemia and obesity. Potassium is stored in the muscles and controls both voluntary and involuntary muscles in the body. Therefore, low potassium in the diet contributes to muscle spasms and twitches, muscle fatigue, leg cramps, and "restless leg syndrome."

Potassium does not work independently. There is a strong relationship between potassium, sodium, calcium and magnesium. Maintaining a balance between these four minerals is crucial to good health. Today very often our diet contains high levels of sodium causing imbalance. An renowned nutritionist Adelle Davis  points out that people eating excessive salt (sodium chloride) excreted nine times more potassium than people with a restricted salt intake. Further human volunteers kept on diet deficient in potassium retained so much salt that they developed high blood pressure.

The daily potassium requirement of an average adult is between 3,200 and 41,00 mg per day. But today the average intake of potassium is only 1,500 to 2,100 mg  per day. According to Dr. Jane Higdon of Linus Pauling institute of Oregon State University, there is considerable evidence that a diet supplying at least 4700 mg/day of potassium is associated with decreased risk of stroke, hypertension, osteoporosis and kidney stones. Fruits and vegetable are among the richest source of dietary potassium. Banana, potatoes with skin, prune, oranges peaches, tomatoes, raisins, artichokes, lima beans, acorn squash, spinach, sunflower seeds, almonds, molasses, cantaloupe, salmon and chicken are some natural sources. That being said the alarming fact is that fruits, vegetable and grains now are being cultivated on lands that no longer contain enough of certain minerals. Thus no matter how much of them we eat today we lack minerals required for perfect health.

Dietary supplement of potassium is the best way to ensure that the body need is met. Important to note that the American FDA and the Australia AMA limits over the counter potassium supplements to 99 mg per serving. This amounts to 2.8% of the FDA’s own recommended daily allowance. Supposedly this limit is due to concern over potassium overdose. But FDA freely allows medication that deplete potassium to be sold. Drugs that deplete potassium include diuretics, laxatives, cortisone, aspirin, cardiac drugs, steroids, certain therapies used to treat advanced liver disease. While quite rare it is possible to overdose on potassium with fatal consequences. Normal route for potassium to enter body is by the way of mouth, either from food or solution made up if 100% water soluble potassium chloride dissolved, which is the safest. Healthline.com states although there is no established safe upper limit potassium toxicity appear to develop with an intake of approximately 18,000 mg and may lead to cardiac arrest. Considering this information you can see that while possible it would be very difficult to overdose

 Again it is rare and when it does occur it usually caused by underlying medical conditions. Therefore if you have any of the conditions mentioned in this article or are currently on medication it is strongly encouraged to do further research on potassium deficiency and your specific condition.

Alpha-Lipoic Acid: A Genuine All-Rounder

Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) is probably the most amazing nutritional supplement no one has heard of. Scientific research into ALA has exploded over the past decade. Today, ALA is recognized as the key nutritional supplement in the prevention and therapy of many chronic degenerative conditions including diabetes, obesity, heart disease, premature aging and cancer. 

ALA is a powerful anti-oxidant and is naturally produced in the human body. Anti-oxidants assist the body from oxidizing too much too quickly due to over-production of free radicals - a very common physiological phenomenon that results from stress, metabolic waste and physical exercise. Presence of free radicals in the body causes inflammation, heart disease and premature aging. The sure way to halt damage caused by free radicals is to ensure the body gets plenty of bio-available anti-oxidants. 

The power of ALA comes from it's multiple capabilities. It is not only an universal anti-oxidant but also a protector of other water-soluble and fat-soluble anti-oxidants including Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Glutathione and Coenzyme Q10. ALA is easily absorbed and transported across cell membranes. This unique quality offers protection against free radicals both inside and outside the cell, whereas other anti-oxidants only provide protection outside the cell and not inside, where a lot of key processes take place.Additionally, ALA encourages the body to convert food into energy efficiently, thus helping to prevent what we eat from being deposited as fat on the body.  ALA has also been shown to prevent cataracts of the lens of the eye. Today, humans are exposed to more toxic chemicals than at any other time in their evolution on this planet. ALA is an indispensable ally in our attempt to keep ourselves healthy in a world whose stresses and pollutants work to make us ill.  It is a powerful protector of the liver, where it fends off alcohol’s toxic effect. It is also useful as a chelating (binding) agent, helpingß to rid the body of excess copper.

ALA is of great value to someone who has either Type I or Type II diabetes and is a major treatment for diabetic neuropathy. Several studies have shown that ALA fights insulin resistance and markedly stimulates the cell’s uptake of glucose. It also protects the pancreatic cells that manufacture insulin. Thus ALA can be a valuable adjunct in treating diabetes especially for early stages of Type I diabetes where the body still manufactures some amount of insulin. In diabetic patients, excess sugar in the bloodstream can lead to nerve fiber damage. ALA helps stave off many of the repercussions of high blood sugar such as diabetic retinopathy.

Even though our bodies are capable of manufacturing ALA, we still need to get additional supply from our diet or from supplements. In nature, the richest food source of ALA is red meat, organ meats such as kidney and heart, spinach, broccoli and Brewer’s yeast. But there is a clear advantage in adding ALA supplements to our health regime. Taking a little extra ALA would prove beneficial for anyone who desires wellness and longevity. In absence of any medical problem, a dosage of 100-300 mg of ALA along with vitamin B1 is beneficial. For conditions such as obesity where in a full antioxidant response is needed to over come metabolic resistance, 300-600mg of alpha-lipoic acid is suggested. Except for rare skin reactions alpha-lipoic acid has no adverse effects and no drug interactions. People with diabetes may need to take ALA under medical supervision as the use of ALA will reduce their dependence on insulin and other anti-diabetic drugs. 

Black cohosh

Black cohosh is a member of the buttercup family, a plant native to North America. Medicinal extracts from black cohosh are made from its root and rhizome (underground stem). The effect of the active ingredient (fukinolic acid) in black cohosh strongly resembles estrogen’s influence in the body. 

Effective for: 

Menopausal problems 

Menstrual cramps 

Muscle pain from fibromyalgia 

Nervous system tonic 

Recommended Dose: 

16 mg capsule daily 

Side effects and precautions: 

Black cohosh should not be used during pregnancy until just before birth or in the presence of chronic illness.

Yohimbe

Yohimbe (Pausinystalia yohimbe) is an evergreen tree native to Zaire, Cameroon and Gabon. The bark of yohimbe contains a chemical called yohimbine used for medicinal purposes. Yohimbe is used both as an over the counter dietary supplement in herbal extract form and as a prescription medicine in its pure form. Only prescription drug yohimbe contains enough active ingredient for therapeutic benefit. Yohimbe is used for the treatment of sexual dysfunction. 

Effective for: 

• Erectile dysfunction 
• Sexual problems caused by selective-serotonin inhibitors (SSRIs) 

Side effects and precautions: 

• The therapeutic index of yohimbe is very low i.e the range between an effective dose and a dangerous does is very low. 
• Yohimbe should be used with great caution if you have hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, a thyroid disorder, a kidney disease, or a mental illness. 
• Yohimbe can raise blood pressure in healthy individuals.

Pygeum

Pygeum africanum is an evergreen tree native to Africa. The dark brown to gray bark of the trunk is used for medicinal purposes. The major active components of the bark are fat soluble compounds- pantacyclic triterpenes, sterolic triterpenes, fatty acids and estres of ferulic acid. The powdered bark of Pygeum is used by the natives of tropical Africa as a treatment for urinary problems. 

Effective for: 

• Benign prostrate enlargement 
• Prostatitis 
• Male infertility 
• Impotence 

Supplements: 

A pygeum extract standardized to contain 14% triterpenes and 0.5% n-docosanol. 

Recommended Dose: 

100 mg of pygeum extract daily 

Side effects and precautions: 

Pygeum extract have no significant toxicity or side effects.

Saw palmetto

Saw palmetto is a small palm tree native to the West Indies and the Atlantic coast of the United States. The berries of this plant are used for medicinal purposes. These berries contain about 1.5% oil made of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids and sterols. For centuries the American Indians used saw palmetto berries in the treatment of genitourinary tract problems and as a tonic to support the body nutritionally.

Effective for:

• Benign prostrate enlargement 
• Disorders of the mammary gland 
• Mild aphrodisiac 
• Relieve irritation in the genitourinary tract 

Supplements:
For therapeutic purpose it is essential that fat-soluble saw palmetto extract standardized to contain 85-95% fatty acids and sterols be used.

Recommended Dose:
160 mg twice daily

Side effects and precautions:
Saw palmetto extract is completely safe with no significant side effects.

Night-blooming Cereus (Cactus)

Night blooming cereus is a type of cactus also known as Cactus grandiflorus native to deserts and semi-desert regions of Mexico, the southern USA, Cuba and Jamaica. The flower, stem and young shoots of this plant is used for medicinal purposes. The main constituents are biogenic amines -methyl and dimethyl tyramine, phenylethylamine and flavonoid glycosides. 

Effective for: 

• Angina 
• Cardiac rhythm disorders 
• Mitral valve prolapse 
• Strengthening of heart muscle 

Supplements: 

The value of cactus is therapeutic not preventive, only people diagnosed with heart disease should use it. 

Recommended Dose: 

½ teaspoon daily 

Side effects and precautions: 

People suffering from any heart condition should use under doctors supervision.

Guggulipid

Gugulipid is an extract from an Indian gum called “guggul” from a small thorny tree (Commiphora mukul), native to Arabia and India. Guggulipid is a highly valued botanical medicine in the Indian system of medicine, Ayurveda. The Ayurvedic texts describes in detail the usefulness of guggulipid in the treatment of obesity and other disorders of fats including “coating and obstructions of channels”. 

Effective for: 

High cholesterol levels 

High triglyceride levels 

Supplements: 

Use guggulipid the standardized extract of the gum guggul. 

Recommended Dose: 

50-100 mg twice daily 

Side effects and precautions: 

Guggulipid has not displayed any untoward side effects.