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Milk Thistle - Many conditions attack the liver, notably cirrhosis, mushroom poisoning, and hepatitis A, B, and C. Unfortunately, mainstream medicine doesn't have much to offer people with liver disease. Research shows that milk thistle extract can help treat all these conditions safely. The Milk thistle seeds contain a bioflavonoid complex known as silymarin. This constituent is responsible for the medical benefits of the plant. Silymarin is made up of three parts: silibinin, silidianin, and silicristin. Silibinin is the most active and is largely responsible for the benefits attributed to silymarin. Milk thistle extract may protect the cells of the liver by blocking the entrance of harmful toxins and helping remove these toxins from the liver cells. As with other bioflavonoids, silymarin is a powerful antioxidant. Milk thistle also regenerates injured liver cells. Milk thistle extract is most commonly recommended to counteract the harmful actions of alcohol on the liver. Long-term placebo-controlled, double-blind studies have shown milk thistle extracts to be effective in patients with liver cirrhosis,chronic hepatitis, and even diabetes due to cirrhosis. It alters bile makeup, thereby potentially reducing risk of gallstones. Combination of milk thistle with potentially liver-damaging drugs has been shown to protect the liver.
Nettles has been used as a traditional "spring tonic," stimulates the production of interferon. The leaf has been shown to be anti-inflammatory by preventing the body from making inflammatory chemicals known as prostaglandins. The root has complicated effects on hormones and proteins that carry sex hormones (such as testosterone or estrogen) in the human body. This may explain why it helps benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). This has been confirmed using extracts of the roots in double-blind studies. A separate, preliminary study found that capsules made from freeze-dried leaves had an antiallergy action in people. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings.
Papaya - Papaya enzymes aid in digestion.
Parsley - Parsley has been used to cleanse the intestinal tract.
Pau d’arco - Claims have been made that pau d'arco, the bark of a huge tree by the same name that grows in the rainforests of Central and South America, can eliminate any pain you could imagine. We're a bit less optimistic in our own claims, but this herb has been used in a variety of treatments for centuries. A popular folk treatment for cancer, no scientific research has documented its effectiveness. The inner bark of the older trees is thought by advocates to be effective in fighting bacterial, fungal, and viral infections. The evidence is inconclusive, however.
Reshi Mushrooms is claimed to fights tumor growth. The mushroom contains several constituents, including sterols, coumarin, mannitol, polysaccharides, and triterpenoids called ganoderic acids. Ganoderic acids seem to help lower blood pressure as well as decrease low density lipoprotein (LDL) and triglyceride levels. These specific triterpenoids also help to reduce blood platelets from sticking together—an important factor in lowering the risk for coronary artery disease. While human research demonstrates some efficacy for the herb in treating altitude sickness and chronic hepatitis B, these uses still need to be confirmed.
Rosemary extracts have been reported to have both strong antioxidant, antibacterial, and fungi-fighting properties.