Milk Thistle to Heal Damaging Effects of Alcohol Consumption

Dearest Readers: Indeed we live in a toxic world, and most of these toxins are completely legal, widely available, and even celebrated as commonplace or even necessary for social interaction. I met a really cool interesting guy on my way back to DC from NYC last week, and we had a great conversation about health. Whenever I explain why I do not drink alcohol, people tend to look at me cross-eyed, but he seemed to get the logic. If you are committed to truly living a long healthy life and respecting your body temple, it is imperative that you take a look at EVERYTHING you are consuming, not just food. Cigarettes, alcohol, etc, may be legal and widely available, but they do just as much damage as consistently eating processed foods. People may look at you funny now, but years later, your body will thank you for abstaining from these legal poisons. Remember that the liver is the chief detoxifying agent in your body; a healthy liver also keeps toxins from floating around in your blood which can lead to acne or other conditions. Milk Thistle is beneficial for cancer, diabetes, many skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis, and for acne specifically for that reason. Here’s to discipline, a healthy liver, and vegan swag by any means necessary. -XoXo Raw Girl

Drug addiction in all it’s forms is a chronic illness that we seldom talk about yet is so relevant to the toxic world we live in. Some of the most dangerous drugs are not the illegal street drugs that we hear about on the news, but the many poisons in the legal drugs that are widely available, and foods that you see stacked on shelves in your local “convenience store.” Alcohol addiction is the 4th leading cause of death for males aged 25-44. The degenerating effects that alcohol has on the liver makes this substance a truly damaging vice especially when it becomes a chronic issue. Some studies say that drinking alcohol in moderation may actually have positive benefits on the respiratory system, but this refers more specifically to red wines, and in moderation not excess. Many of the hard liquors and beers that many people consume many times as a go-to in order to wind down and relax can cause serious long term issues like cirrhosis of the liver, liver failure, and eventually premature death. There is however, a powerful herb that mother earth has to offer which is a superhero for reversing and rehabilitating serious damage to the liver, milk thistle.

Milk thistle contains two powerful substances silymarin and silybin, which effect the way in which alcohol is metabolized in the body. For chronic drinkers this is good news because milk thistle is actually more effective in these cases, because milk thistle acts on the enzyme system by neutralizing toxic byproducts. Milk thistle has a hepatoprotective (liver protecting) effect, and numerous studies have reported significant improvements in the liver health of patients which used milk thistle consistently. Not only is milk thistle wonderful for the liver, but it also protects the gall bladder by increasing bile solubility. Milk thistle contains bioflavonoids which not only protect the liver against alcohol but carbon tetrachloride, acetaminophen, and other toxins. Our livers are an extremely important organ which metabolize fat and purifies our blood. If you know someone who has at one point or currently suffers from excessive alcohol consumption, please, please, do them a favor and alert them to this powerful and amazing substance. It’s best to take milk thistle as a dry extract because it is more likely to contain more silymarin than seed powder. You can purchase Look into milk thistle to protect your liver, and remember that mother nature has your back, it’s just up to you to make the lifestyle changes to support your own process! -XoXo Nicola, signing in for Raw Girl