Does Milk Thistle Really Cleanse Blood?

“Does milk thistle really cleanse your blood?”

No, milk thistle, or Silybum marianum, won’t actually “cleanse” your blood but it seems to support the health of the organ that does—your liver.

For centuries, milk thistle has been lauded as a tonic for the liver. And because so much of Western herbal medicine is focused on “cleansing” the blood, it’s no wonder that milk thistle also gained a reputation as a blood cleaner.

But the truth is, few (if any) herbs actually “scrub” your blood. What milk thistle (and herbs like it) really does is protect the liver from damage. And it may actually help the liver heal after damage occurs, too.

Milk thistle contains something known as silybin. A 2009 study found that silybin helped protect against damage caused by X-ray radiation. And a 2006 study of the use of silybin for a variety of liver issues found that it actually help regenerate liver tissue, increased insulin sensitivity and reduced inflammation.

So, to answer your question, milk thistle doesn’t “scrub” your blood but it supports the cleansing action of your liver.

References:

Fu, H., et al. (2009). Free radical scavenging reactions and antioxidant activities of silybin: mechanistic aspects and pulse radiolytic studies. Free Radical Research.

Pradhan, S., et al. (2006). Hepatoprotective herbal drug, silymarin from experimental pharmacology to clinical medicine. The Indian Journal of Medical Research.

Propolis for Heat Stroke

“Can taking bee propolis really protect you from heat stroke and would you recommend it for kids in sports?”

Propolis might offer some protection, at least in theory.

What has people talking about propolis and heat stress is a report published online at the site of the Journal of Food Science. This study found that when competitive cyclists were given propolis, the cells of their body weren’t damaged by heat stroke.

If this does actually work, researchers believe that a substance known as CAPE, or caffeic acid phenetyl ester is the “active” ingredient. This is also the component that probably makes propolis anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory.

Only your doctor can give you medical advice and no one is suggesting at this stage that propolis can replace common-sense advice when it comes to exercising or training in heat.

Oh, and are you wondering what propolis is? It’s a sticy resin that bees make. It’s not beeswax but it’s often used with beeswax. Bee keepers have long known about its anti-inflammatory actions and often recommend using a piece of it like a lozenge or cough drop for sore throats.

Source:

Chen, Y., et al. (2009). Caffeic Acid Phenethyl Ester, an Antioxidant from Propolis, Protects Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells of Competitive Cyclists against Hyperthermal Stress. Journal of Food Science.

Is Black Tea Good For You?

“I know everybody’s talking about green tea but what about black tea? Does it have any health benefits?”

Yes, it does, and for people who just can’t develop a taste for the green stuff, black tea is absolutely a healthy alternative.

Remember, the 4 major varieties of tea are all made from the same part of the same plant. All true (non-herbal) tea is made from the leaves of Camellia sinensis. The only difference is in the amount of fermentation the leaves undergo. Here’s what I mean:

• White teas are just immature leaves. Other being picked early, they’re produced just like green teas.
• Green teas are picked and then very lightly steamed or “fired” to arrest the process of oxidation then dried and packaged.
• Oolong teas are produced by taking tea leaves and “bruising” them to release the oxidizing chemical but they’re not allowed to oxidize fully before they’re dried and packaged.
• Black teas are bruised just like oolongs but they’re allowed to oxidize, or “ferment”, fully. Then they’re dried and packaged.

A lot of my “natural” peers seem to forget that oolong and black teas also have significant health benefits associated with them. All teas, for example, are rich sources of a group of chemicals called flavonoids—and that includes the plain old black tea that most of us grew up drinking.

It’s true that the flavonoids vary from one type of tea to another but all teas have them and both green and black teas have demonstrated anti-cancer activities in numerous studies involving animals.

Tea is also a rich source of natural fluoride and the amount of fluoride in green and black tea is just about equal.

So the next time you pass that big display of green tea in the supermarket, don’t feel guilty.

Sources:

Emekli-Alturfan, E., et al. (2009). Fluoride levels in various black tea, herbal and fruit infusions consumed in Turkey. Food and Chemcial Toxicology.

Fukushima, Y., et al. (2009). Coffee and green tea as a large source of antioxidant polyphenols in the Japanese population. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.