Is it okay to take milk thistle supplements if you're allergic to ragweed?
I tested at about a 2 or 3 (out of 7, 7 being the worst) for a ragweed allergy. I'm also receiving allergy treatments and am currently in the latter stages of the treatment. Milk thistle could greatly help benefit my medical condition so I'm wondering if it would be okay to take it at this point?
I forgot to include that on the side of the milk thistle bottle it says: "consult your physician before taking this product if you're allergic to ragweed".
I can't take it, I'm ragweed allergic. I also can't do wheat grass. Nothing will help you if you're allergic to it.
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Animals' Apawthecary Milk Thistle Dog and Cat Reme Sale Price: $8.87  |
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Protects the liver against toxins (including some drugs and heavy metals), activates protein synthesis, and stimulates growth of new liver cells to replace those that are dead or damaged. Milk Thistle also has strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions... |
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Milk Thistle Seeds - Silybum Marianum - 2 Grams - Approx 80 Gardening Seeds - Herb Garden Seed List Price: $3.95 Sale Price: $2.69 Average Rating:  |
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Milk thistle is a large flowering plant that is popular for home remedies. The plant grows purple flowers up to 2" across. |
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Animals' Apawthecary - Dandelion/Milk Thistle - Herbal Tincture for Dogs and Cats - 1oz bottle Sale Price: $8.87 Average Rating:  |
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To support healthy liver structure and functions in dogs, cats and other animals that exhibit signs of liver stress or toxicity. |
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Liver Flush |
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Don't Let a Sluggish Liver Zap Your Energy, Keep Yours in Tip-Top Shape with Liver Flush |
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21st Century Standardized Herbal Extract Capsules, Milk Thistle Extract, Maximum Strength, 200-Count Bottles (Pack of 2) List Price: $29.98 Sale Price: $23.90 Average Rating:  |
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21st Century's Milk Thistle Extract (Silybum marianum) is grown wild in Europe and America and has been used as a powerful health tonic for over 2000 years. Silymarin, the active complex found in Milk Thistle Extract, is standardized to 80% and is a power |
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Milk Thistle 500 mg 100 Caps Sale Price: $3.49 Average Rating:  |
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Swanson Milk Thistle is the ultimate in liver health. Silymarin, a powerful antioxidant flavonoid, contains specific protective benefits for liver tissues, making milk thistle a premier liver tonic. Our convenient capsules deliver 500 mg of milk thistle nutrition that won't put a dent in your pocketbook. |
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Milk Thistle - Standardized Extract Average Rating: |
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Milk Thistle - Standardized Extract |
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Oregon's Wild Harvest Milk Thistle Seed, organic Sale Price: $33.86 |
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Alvita Tea Bags, Milk Thistle, 24 Tea Bags (Pack of 6) Sale Price: $31.99 |
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Caffeine free. Native to the Mediterranean region, Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum) is indigenous to both western and central Europe and is now found in the United States. An annual or biennial herb growing up to 10 feet tall, Milk Thistle has a large bright purple flowering head... |
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Seelect Tea, Tea Bags, Milk Thistle, 24-Count Boxes (Pack of 6) List Price: $59.52 Sale Price: $45.78 |
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Seelect Tea, Tea Bags, Milk Thistle, 24-Count Boxes (Pack of 6) |
Milk Thistle Extract: What Are The Benefits?
What are the milk thistle benefits to the liver and other cells of the human body? How can milk thistle extract help your health? How often should I take milk thistle herb?
Benefits of Milk Thistle
Some of the benefits of the milk thistle herb have been known for centuries. Others have been discovered more recently. Most of the traditional uses and some of the newer ones have to do with the benefit to the liver.
Milk thistle extract was recognized as a liver tonic by a variety of different traditional healers. In the herbal community, it is still used for this purpose and there is scientific evidence supporting this use.
Silymarin-Active Ingredient
The active compound in the milk thistle herb is known as silymarin. Studies concerning the medicinal uses of silymarin have been conducted in numerous countries since the 1970s. There are over 300 published studies concerning milk thistle benefits on Pub-Med and another 800 concerning silymarin. Why all of this interest? There are several reasons, here's one.
Milk Thistle vs Prescription Drugs
We don't have good prescription drugs to treat cirrhosis, hepatitis or toxin-induced liver damage. These diseases are considered chronic and degenerative. If the milk thistle herb can protect the liver from these diseases, then we have a new choice of treatment. Several clinical trials are on-going. The results of one were published in late 2008. The researchers concluded that milk thistle benefits and improves liver function in people with HIV and hepatitis C. Other researchers have disagreed, but at the very least, it seems to be a beneficial health supplement.
Many prescription drugs are toxic to the liver and some of the chemicals that people are exposed to in their workplaces, including toluene, are known to cause liver-toxicity, as well. In one study, workers who had been exposed to these chemical vapors for 5-20 years were given milk thistle extract. There was a significant improvement in the functions of their liver. This study and another like it seem to prove the effectiveness of the milk thistle herb for supporting the health of the liver.
Cancer & Milk Thistle
But, many of the recent studies concern milk thistle benefits for treating or preventing cancer. It has been shown in the laboratory that silymarin targets a number of different molecules that play a role in the development of and the progression of cancer. This is not unlike the anti-cancer activity of other plant extracts.
Eventually, researchers may be able to tell us what ingredients to look for to greatly reduce our cancer risk. They have already come up with a short list, including green tea, resveratrol, turmeric, grape seed and milk thistle extract. Then there are the nutrients that also reduce the cancer risk. Those include vitamin D and calcium. There were many studies suggesting that vitamin C and E were beneficial for that purpose, too, but large scale trials indicate that they are not effective. Some antioxidants, such as those found in grape seed extract are much more potent than vitamin C or E.
Acting as an antioxidant is one of the milk thistle benefits to everyone. Our bodies really can't get enough of them. For more information please see http://www.HealthyBodySupplements.com/Milk_Thistle_Extract.html Larry L. Taylor
About the Author
Please visit http://www.HealthyBodySupplements.com for Larry's recommended Nutritional Supplements that contain Milk Thistle Extract and many other Herbal Extracts.
