Thorny, Yet Friendly
It's thorny and unpleasant to encounter, but it's healthy for the liver, tasty in a salad, and found everywhere. Meet the milk thistle.
Do you know the thorny shrub with the purple flower that can reach a height of over a meter and is often found along roadsides and near trash bins throughout the country? Its leaves are thorny, its stems and flowers are thorny, making it not the most pleasant to encounter. However, did you know that you are facing one of the most important plants for our health?
Well, this plant is called "Milk Thistle." Its medicinal properties are primarily focused on liver health. Milk thistle has the power to protect the liver from various toxins that enter the body, and it can even help regenerate liver cells damaged for different reasons. It helps treat acute and chronic liver inflammations, along with other liver diseases. This plant has been heavily researched, and many studies have been published about it. The most important and useful part for treatments is the seeds found in the flower. The seeds are collected, ground, soaked in alcohol for several days, and the active substances are then extracted into the alcohol. Afterwards, it is consumed based on a practitioner's recommendation.
Its leaves are also very tasty, and like the seeds, they contain medicinal properties that promote liver health. The leaves can be picked (preferably with gloves), the thorny tips can be trimmed with scissors, and they can be added to a salad – similar to lettuce. From experience, I can affirm they are very tasty. The stem is also sweet and tasty. A piece can be cut, peeled, and eaten. Of course, the leaves and stem can be included in a "green smoothie" (which we discussed in the previous article), along with other green leaves, thus benefiting from the many advantages found in the plant.
Those who look at milk thistle flowers can notice their close resemblance to artichoke flowers. Indeed, they belong to the same family – the Asteraceae – and have similar properties. The artichoke is also an efficient plant for liver health. It stimulates bile secretion from the liver, thus aiding in situations of constipation. It has other benefits as well, and it's also very tasty. In conclusion, Hashem has provided a remedy before the ailment. He placed in the plants around us many advantages for our health.
Eliyahu Schechter is an iridologist and natural therapist
