Alot of ppl say milk thistle and dandelion roots are good for the liver. I was wondering if there is any studies or facts to back this claim up. And if so, where can i purchase theses items and how would i go about taking them? Is milk thistle a actual Milk? do you just eat the root of dandelions?
Dandelion root:
—Medicinal Action and Uses—Diuretic, tonic and slightly aperient. It is a general stimulant to the system, but especially to the urinary organs, and is chiefly used in kidney and liver disorders.
Dandelion is not only official but is used in many patent medicines. Not being poisonous, quite big doses of its preparations may be taken. Its beneficial action is best obtained when combined with other agents.
The tincture made from the tops may be taken in doses of 10 to 15 drops in a spoonful of water, three times daily.
It is said that its use for liver complaints was assigned to the plant largely on the doctrine of signatures, because of its bright yellow flowers of a bilious hue.
In the hepatic complaints of persons long resident in warm climates, Dandelion is said to afford very marked relief. A broth of Dandelion roots, sliced and stewed in boiling water with some leaves of Sorrel and the yolk of an egg, taken daily for some months, has been known to cure seemingly intractable cases of chronic liver congestion."
milk thistle:
"It is in popular use in Germany for curing jaundice and kindred biliary derangements. It also acts as a demulcent in catarrh and pleurisy. The decoction when applied externally is said to have proved beneficial in cases of cancer.
Gerard wrote of the Milk Thistle that:
‘the root if borne about one doth expel melancholy and remove all diseases connected therewith. . . . My opinion is that this is the best remedy that grows against all melancholy diseases,’
which was another way of saying that it had good action on the liver. He also tells us:
‘Dioscorides affirmed that the seeds being drunke are a remedy for infants that have their sinews drawn together, and for those that be bitten of serpents:’
and we find in a record of old Saxon remedies that ‘this wort if hung upon a man’s neck it setteth snakes to flight.’ The seeds were also formerly thought to cure hydrophobia.
Culpepper considered the Milk Thistle to be as efficient as Carduus benedictus for agues, and preventing and curing the infection of the plague, and also for removal of obstructions of the liver and spleen. He recommends the infusion of the fresh root and seeds, not only as good against jaundice, also for breaking and expelling stone and being good for dropsy when taken internally, but in addition, to be applied externally, with cloths, to the liver. With other writers, he recommends the young, tender plant (after removing the prickles) to be boiled and eaten in the spring as a blood cleanser.
A tincture is prepared by homoeopathists for medicinal use from equal parts of the root and the seeds with the hull attached."
As clinical studies are rarely conducted on homeopathic remedies and supplements, you have two basic choices for a source to purchase:
1. a homeopathic doctor (go by recommendations of success stories from other patients when choosing a healthcare provider of any type).
2. a reliable, local health food store with a reasonable selection and informed staff – privately owned shops are best from my experience (if possible, avoid national chains!). Before you purchase, make sure to educate yourself (i.e. web searches) on the various forms that each "remedy" is available and the effectiveness of the delivery system (liquid, gel caps, tablets, powders etc.) for the supplement you plan to purchase. Personal experience dictates that liquids and gel caps are best, as tablets are not always completely digested and absorbed.
Often, if you feel your liver requires detoxifying, it is also wise to consider a general cleanse, to ensure your digestive system and your body’s abillities to absorb any nutrients is not compromised (candida is a large concern for nearly everyone who eats a North American diet. You might wish to amend your diet if only temporarily to avoid gluten, dairy products, sugar, and meat. Iodized (table) salt should be altogether boycotted, and replaced with sea salt. Do not eat any foods containing hydrogenated fats and oils – and remove them entirely from your diet!
I hope this helps you.
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Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) President Michael 
Mike extols the amazing health benefits of drinking green