A Hangover Recovery Remedy
What are some of the remedies that you turn to for a hangover from alcohol?
I usually drink a lot of water or sports drink during and after alcohol consumption. Also, I sleep a lot on the next day to recover from a hangover.
One of my friends eats fried chicken and cheese pizza — he believes it might be helpful to break down the alcohol in the body. As many people have their own ways to recover from the hangover symptoms, I thought it would be great to introduce a herb, Milk thistle, that can be useful for hangover recovery, whether it’s a hangover from alcohol, sugar, or too much caffeine.
What is Milk thistle?
Milk thistle is a tall, thorny plant with a purple flower originally from South Europe, but now found throughout the world.
The name ‘milk thistle’ derives from its characteristic spiked leaves with white veins, which, according to legend, were believed to carry the milk of the Virgin Mary.
It has a long history of traditional use since ancient times. Over the centuries, it has been touted as a remedy for snakebite, melancholy, liver conditions, and promoting lactation. Its botanical name is Silybum marianum and its qualities include cooling, moistening, and relaxant. Milk thistle tastes like salty, sweet, and nutty. Seeds are taken for medicinal uses.
Common Preparations
Although many people usually much prefer to work with herbs in tea or other liquid preparations, Milk Thistle is most commonly taken in capsule form due to its efficacy.
You can have tea daily that is specifically targeted to the recovery and add milk thistle capsules for extra support. In most clinical trials the effective daily doses of silymarin range from 420 to 600mg.
Does Milk Thistle Protect Your Liver?
One study addresses Silymarin and silibin have hepatoprotective effects. Silybum marianum achieves many of its pharmacological actions via its antioxidant mechanisms. It protects the liver by preventing the uptake of toxins and viruses through the stabilization of cell membranes, reducing the oxidative stress caused by the metabolism of toxins and reducing hepatic inflammation fibrosis, and aiding hepatic repair and regeneration.
If you are heading to a party, take two milk thistle capsules before you go and tow more when you get home. Then, take two more the next morning. Hangover symptoms will be reduced or may not happen at all!
What Other Health Benefits You Can Get from Milk Thistle?
1. Helps with Diabetes
Research shows that silymarin provides a positive effect on the body’s insulin level due to its anti-inflammatory properties.
A 4 month randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 51 types 2 diabetes patients receiving silymarin 200mg three times a day as an adjunct treatment to their conventional therapy showed a significant decrease in HbA1c, fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol, LDL, and triglyceride levels compared with placebo.
2. Lowers Cholesterol
People who are taking milk thistle found their cholesterol levels down especially those who are using it to treat diabetes.
Several vivo studies confirm that it increases LDL cholesterol clearance and raises HDL cholesterol levels however only one clinical trial is available to determine whether the effect is clinically significant. Therefore, further studies need to be done.
3. Benefits The Skin
The ingredient of milk thistle has been discovered to have anti-aging effects due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Therefore, it protects the skin from free radical damage.
At the same time, it can be used to treat acne-related problems. One study addresses that people with acne who took 210 mg of silymarin per day for 8 weeks experienced a 53% decrease in acne lesions.
4. Inhibits Cancer
In the past two decades, silybin has demonstrated cancer chemopreventive efficacy in preclinical cell culture and animal models including skin, breast, lung, bladder, colon, prostate, lung, and kidney carcinomas.
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 37 men, 2–3 months after radical prostatectomy showed the combination of silymarin and selenium significantly reduced two markers of lipid metabolism associated with prostate cancer progression.
However, the studies in humans are very limited and have yet to show meaningful clinical effects in humans.
5. Protect Bones
Milk thistle has been shown in an experimental test tube and animal studies to stimulate bone mineralization and potentially be protective against bone loss.
As a result, it could be useful for preventing or delaying bone loss in the elderly. However, further clinical studies in the human need to be done for its clinical use.
Toxicities
Milk thistle is considered safe and well-tolerated when taken within the recommended dose range. One study showed that oral doses up to 2100mg oral silymarin were non-toxic.
However, it is possible to cause side effects such as diarrhea, gas, bloating, upset stomach, and nausea. It is contraindicated in people with known allergy to the Asteraceae family of plants. One case of exacerbation of hemochromatosis due to the ingestion of milk thistle has been reported. There is no data on whether it is safe in pregnant women.
Summary
Milk thistle is a safe herb for people who are chronically stressed, overworked, whose liver is overloaded. Many times, extra load on the liver shows up on the skin in the form of acne, rashes, or eczema. Therefore, it can be used for patients who have skin and liver problems. In addition, it is useful for patients with diabetes and hypercholesterolemia. However, further clinical studies need to be done for confirmation of its medicinal uses.
