The beneficial properties of milk thistle continue to be studied today. This is an amazing plant that can bring significant benefits to the human body. Universal in its properties, it still presents surprises. Rare plant qualities are due to the presence of silymarin in its composition. The use of milk thistle for therapeutic purposes has an effect on many functions of the body, causing an improvement in its work. But today we’ll talk about the features of milk thistle during pregnancy.
general description
Milk thistle is an unpretentious plant that can be found almost everywhere in wastelands. Most notably, the flowers of this plant. They gather in spherical baskets. Color is very different: white, purple or purple.
He began to study the healing properties of this plant in antiquity. Much later, studies were conducted that explained the mechanisms of treatment with milk thistle. About a thousand vitamins and minerals were found in it. Due to this composition, the plant helps in the fight against a variety of ailments, including gallstone disease, diseases of the thyroid gland and spleen, salt deposits and anemia.
Milk thistle during pregnancy is prescribed with caution, but in some cases it has a positive effect on the body of the expectant mother. Another thing is that the impact on the fetus of a huge number of components that are part of this plant is difficult to calculate. It is for this reason that milk thistle during pregnancy is used only after consultation with the attending physician.
Thistle meal
Far from all regions this amazing plant grows. Therefore, they turn to him in specialized networks. In pharmacies, you can often find milk thistle meal. During pregnancy, it, as well as oil, should be used with extreme caution, since the period of bearing a baby is a contraindication to various kinds of experiments.
What is the brown powder we buy under the name meal? These are ground seeds of a plant. They are enriched with fiber and trace elements. Their regular use helps the body to be in good shape and maintain excellent performance.
Healing properties
Speaking about whether it is possible to milk thistle during pregnancy, it is necessary to consider in more detail what the body receives from its use. First of all, it is a source of a large amount of fiber. Therefore, meal cleanses the intestines and normalizes the metabolic functions of the body. But these are not all useful properties.
- Milk thistle cleanses the liver and protects it from destruction.
- Milk thistle during pregnancy is used, since the load on the liver and other organs increases significantly.
- The unique composition allows you to regulate fat metabolism.
- Improves the functioning of the heart muscle.
- Milk thistle improves kidney function and lipid metabolism, stabilizes blood pressure. All this is very important for future mothers, since the body is experiencing significant stress.
Milk thistle during early pregnancy is generally prohibited, unless your doctor has an opinion on this. It is too difficult to say exactly how the active components will affect the formation of the body, in which striking changes occur every day. Therefore, it is better to postpone the course of treatment to the second or third trimester, when all the organs and systems of the child have already completed their formation and will enter the phase of rapid growth. But if the mother suffers from severe intoxication, cannot eat and work normally, then in some cases the plant can provide invaluable help.
Digestive system optimization
Often, women in position experience the greatest problems with metabolic processes. The growing fetus mechanically compresses the stomach and intestines, making digestion difficult and stimulating the development of problems with the exchange of bile, as well as bowel movements. As a result, the expectant mother experiences problems with bowel movements, and also often complains of pain in the right hypochondrium. Another common complaint is the yellow color of the skin. This suggests that the load on the liver is becoming more serious, and it is difficult to cope with. You need to change your eating style and consult about the treatment.
Milk thistle during pregnancy can help alleviate these symptoms and alleviate the patient's condition. In addition, regular use of milk thistle helps strengthen the hepatocyte membrane. These are hepatic cells, which during pregnancy experience a double load due to the need to remove the baby's vital products.
The work of the gallbladder also changes significantly after a course of herbal medicine. This is another area in which milk thistle is used during pregnancy. Reviews of gastroenterologists emphasize that this plant can improve and facilitate the outflow of bile. In addition, milk thistle helps stop the progression of the pathology if there is a history of chronic inflammatory processes in the gallbladder.
Early toxicosis
This condition is characteristic of expectant mothers in the early stages. Milk thistle during pregnancy in the first trimester is used to alleviate the condition of mom, relieve severe nausea. With severe toxicosis, the doctor himself will recommend using milk thistle in the form of a decoction. Usually, by the second trimester, toxicosis weakens, and most often disappears completely. Therefore, further treatment with milk thistle is prescribed if the patient suffers from digestive problems. Again, with a tendency to constipation, meal can increase the manifestation of unpleasant symptoms. Pain, bloating, prolonged lack of bowel movements - all this suggests that this plant is not suitable for you and you need to reduce the dosage or refuse treatment.
Dosage and duration of administration
And here there is no definite answer. Is it possible to milk thistle during pregnancy, only the attending physician decides. Unfortunately, specialists have to be guided only by their own experience and intuition. Doctors calculate the individual dosage based on the characteristics of the body, the presence of a woman's chronic diseases. He prescribes a treatment regimen and sets the acceptable treatment time. Milk thistle is most often prescribed to expectant mothers who suffer from severe toxicosis, lack of appetite and general weakness.
Side effects and contraindications
Milk thistle is considered harmless, but you should always consult your doctor before starting a course of treatment. The plant contains a lot of calcium and phosphorus. Its excess can cause certain changes in the body, which will not always be favorable for the fetus. People with cardiovascular diseases should be especially careful. Trace elements contained in the plant can cause problems with the heart valve.
Milk thistle is contraindicated in:
- Individual intolerance.
- Mental illness.
- Shortness of breath.
Side effects of milk thistle are not too pronounced. They appear quite rarely and manifest as diarrhea. At the same time, mild pain in the liver area may appear. If such problems last longer than two days, the plant should be stopped immediately.
Instead of a conclusion
Milk thistle is not included in the list of drugs that are necessary for expectant mothers. As with the intake of any dietary supplement, with the reception of milk thistle, each doctor conducting pregnancy has different views. Do not self-medicate, because you are responsible not only for your life, but also for the future baby. Therefore, do not neglect the recommendations.
If before pregnancy there were problems with the liver and gastrointestinal tract, it is worth consulting with a hepatologist. He will give individual recommendations on the method of application and duration of treatment courses. Sometimes pregnancy provokes the development of chronic diseases, which requires correction.