2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29
Donkey thorn / Silybum marianum Asteraceae / is a thorny herb that is widespread in our country. Found in southern Europe, it grows all the way to temperate climates in continental Asia. The donkey thistle is artificially imported to North and Central America, as well as to New Zealand and Australia, where it grows aggressively and is known as a weed. Donkey thistle is also known as Mediterranean thistle, milk thistle and others.
The donkey thistle belongs to the family Compositae. Its stem is grayish and erect, with a height of about 100-200 cm. Its leaves are consecutive, oblong and sessile. The baskets of the donkey thorn are hemispherical, single or 2 to 5 in bundles. The flowering time of the donkey thorn is from June to September.
Composition of thistle
Thistle seeds contain unsaturated fatty acids, essential fats, flavonoids and polyacetinils under the common name silymarin. This is an ingredient that is insoluble in water, so the liquid form of thistle extract is not as effective. The most active biological component of silymarin, which is largely responsible for its effects, is called silibinin.
Thistle seeds also contain protein, oil and starch. The content of fatty acids varies between 20-25%, of which about 50% are linolenic acid and oleic acid. Flavonoids, which contain between 2-5%, act as powerful antioxidants.
Selection and storage of thistle
The donkey thistle grows in grassy dry places, such as stormy villages, roads and abandoned places. It is often seen as a weed among crops. The usable parts of the plant are the above-ground part with the baskets and leaves, but without the lower stem part.
Donkey thistle can be purchased in pharmacies and specialty stores in the form of various preparations. In addition to a stand-alone formula, thistle can be found in combination with other vitamins and herbs in complex formulas for cleansing the body and liver detoxifying supplements.
Benefits of donkey thorn
The mode of action of silymarin is very simple, but effective. It changes the structure of the membranes of liver cells, thus preventing toxic substances from entering them. In addition, silymarin regenerates damaged cells and stimulates cell division. Silymarin absorbs free radicals and neutralizes toxins.
In just one hour, silymarin is absorbed by the body through the intestines, and its processing takes place in the liver, which guarantees its high content in it. In this process, thistle neutralizes toxins.
Donkey thistle is used for the prevention and treatment of chronic hepatitis and liver inflammation. Several different studies have shown that oral silymarin has a beneficial effect on different types of hepatitis.
Donkey thistle has not yet been fully proven, but thistle is thought to have an anti-carcinogenic effect. Experiments in this direction are still at an early stage, but there is a suggestion that there is a link between silymarin intake and the delay of prostate tumors, breast cancer and other cancers.
Donkey thistle cleanses the body of harmful substances, which inevitably has a beneficial effect on the condition of the skin.
Folk medicine with thistle
Bulgarian folk medicine recommends taking the extract of thistle as an invigorating and toning agent. Applied in small doses, the extract excites the central nervous system, and larger doses suppress it. It is believed that the plant has a certain antimicrobial action.
To make an extract, soak three colored baskets of donkey thorn in 400 ml of boiling water for several hours. Then the prepared extract is filtered and one cup of coffee is drunk 4 times a day.
Harm from donkey thorn
People who suffer from allergies to complex flowering plants, daisies, artichokes and more. may be allergic to flavonoids in the silymarin complex, so they should be careful about the occurrence of an allergic reaction to thistle.
Possible side effects when taking thistle are itching and rashes, gastrointestinal irritation, sneezing, headache and more. It is theoretically claimed that the herb can lower blood sugar levels, so diabetics and people with low blood sugar should take it very carefully.
Another suggestion about donkey thorn intake is that women with unstable hormones should not take silymarin due to the presumed estrogenic effect.
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