The liver is a very special organ – even if it’s damaged by more than 50%, it can be fully restored.
The mechanism of liver regeneration is still not completely clear.But one thing is clear – thisability is crucial for our health.The liver is the most important metabolic organ in the body.Among other tasks, the liver has the role of purifying the blood of toxins and poisons.
Our Liver Health Is Compromised
Today’s world is different from the world in which we used to live. A hundred years ago all foreign matter which man met, came from the plant world.
In the modern times, we have created thousands of new chemical compounds that otherwise would not exist in nature.
Many of the chemical compounds are part of our diet (preservatives, flavors, colors). The others, weingest with drugs that many of us use every day.
Chemicals are used in cosmetics, cleaning products, the textile industry and so on.
These chemicals pass through our liver every day, and it has to find a way to cope with them.In most cases, our liver manages to cleanse the blood of these toxins.
However, there are situations when the liver is actually overloaded and in need of help, for example:
- Liver diseases;
- Liver poisoning;
- Excessive use of medication;
- Excessive use of alcohol;
- Improper diet for a long time.
Plants Useful For Liver Regeneration
Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum)
So far,the milk thistle has shown the best results in the prevention and treatment of liver injury.
The main active ingredient in milk thistle is silymarin.
Silymarin is a complex made out of of different compounds (silybin A and B isoforms of silybin, silicristin, silidianin, flavonoids such as taxifolin, etc.).
These compounds, participate in liver regeneration as well as its protection.
Studies were conducted with Amanita phalloides – one of the most poisonous fungus that causes dangerous liver damage and kills about 30% of its victims.
In the study, silymarin was given before eating these mushrooms and 10 minutes after consuming them. In both of the groups, the milk thistle was proved to be 100% effective in protection against the effects of toxins Amanita phalloides.
Silymarin is a powerful anti-oxidant (10 times stronger than vitamin E). It increases the level of glutathione in the liver by 35%.
Glutathione is responsible for cleaning the liver from a wide range of toxins. With increasing levels of glutathione, the liver has more power to cleanse the blood of toxic compounds.
This way the consumption of milk thistle has both a protective, and a regenerating effect on our liver.