Chardon-Marie

How many capsules ?

• Children: Not recommended.
• Teenagers: Not recommended.
• Adults : 2 to 4 capsules per day.
• Pregnant and breastfeeding women: The Milk Thistle & Artichoke Detox requires the advice of a health professional.

Duration of a shot 

• The Detox Milk Thistle & Artichoke is taken over a period of 15 to 30 days to renew as needed.

How to take The Milk Thistle & Artichoke Detox :

• The capsules are to be taken with a large glass of water, quite simply.

Duration of a vial :

• A bottle of Milk Thistle & Artichoke Detox lasts between 15 and 30 days.

Precautions of use : 

• To be consumed as part of a healthy and balanced diet.
• Do not exceed the recommended daily doses.
• Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking medications at the same time.
• Pregnant or breastfeeding women should seek the advice of a doctor before any supplementation.

Storage conditions :

• Store in a dry place away from light and heat.

  Keep out of reach of children.

1.A summary function:

• It produces bile, a secretion allowing the digestion of lipids (fats) and the elimination of waste from the body,
• It synthesizes cholesterol, 
• It synthesizes many functional proteins: albumin, ferritin, lipoproteins... 
• It produces blood clotting factors. 

2. A storage function :

• It stores glucose as glycogen to provide energy to the body. 

3.A conversion function:

• It is involved in the conversion and regulation of certain hormones. 

4.A nutrient metabolizing function :

• It metabolizes carbohydrates, proteins and fats so that these nutrients are distributed to the body. 

5.An elimination function :

• It breaks down unwanted substances in the body: detoxification. 

All of these non-exhaustive roles demonstrate that the liver is a key organ and that liver problems can be the cause of many physiological disturbances. 

Focus on the detoxification process

The body is daily exposed to various xenobiotics: that is to say foreign or exogenous substances capable of interacting with it and its physiological and cellular processes. These include: pollutants, pesticides, certain compounds of food origin (alcohol or additives for example) and drugs. 

The main mission of the liver is to maintain a healthy state of the body by allowing it to eliminate these xenobiotics through a key process: detoxification (or detoxification). Practically, the liver is supplied with blood by the portal vein. Circulating blood comes from the esophagus, stomach and intestines, and carries nutrients and waste products from digestion. The liver filters this blood by processing the xenobiotics, then the waste-laden blood is then evacuated from the liver through the hepatic vein. The waste is then excreted, this is the principle of detoxification.

More specifically, this detoxification process is ensured by liver cells and aims to “treat” xenobiotics (or harmful foreign compounds) via specific enzymatic pathways making the xenobiotics initially fat-soluble (therefore difficult to eliminate by the body). ), water-soluble (easier to remove). We are talking about a physiological process of biotransformation.

Three main phases characterize this toxin treatment process:

Phase I : called activation. This is a phase of transformation of xenobiotics by cytochrome P450 enzymes. Cytochrome P450 enzymes are enzymes produced by liver cells and have a “depolluting” function. By associating with the compound to be eliminated, they neutralize it to better eliminate it afterwards.

Phase II : called conjugation. At the end of phase I, detoxification by-products with deleterious effects for the body may appear, such as free radicals. Phase II overcomes these recalcitrant compounds. Our antioxidant mechanisms then intervene with specific enzymes (UDP-glucuronosyl transferases, glutathione S-transferases, etc.). 

Phase III : called excretion or elimination. It is during this phase that the compounds made hydrophilic are transported through the cell membrane [5,6] and then be definitively eliminated. 

In a simplified way, the role of the liver is to transform xenobiotics in order to be able to eliminate them. It is the true operator of detoxification and contributes to the drainage of the body.

Depending on the nature of the xenobiotics, other organs intervene and take charge of their elimination. These organs are called emunctories. Among them, the kidneys with the elimination by the urine, the skin with the elimination by the sweat, or the gallbladder with the elimination by the stools.

Liver Benefits and Clinical Dosages of Milk Thistle 

Mode of action of milk thistle:

A recent review of scientific work on silymarin reports that it would act on the activation of phase II enzymes of detoxification, which would increase the conjugation, and therefore the excretion of xenobiotic substances [7]. Also, silymarin would have a protective action by limiting oxidative and cellular damage [8–10]. 

Etudes cliniques :

If milk thistle seems well documented and its health potential well described, additional clinical studies would make it possible to better reveal its mechanisms of action.

The doses most commonly used in food supplements and having demonstrated good efficacy vary between 240 and 800 mg of silymarin per day in divided doses. Nevertheless, existing clinical data demonstrate the good tolerance and safety of oral intake of silymarin at high doses (up to 1,200 - 1,500 mg per day). 

Silymarin has low bioavailability. Two approaches are possible to ensure good intakes and therefore overcome this obstacle :

Increase its dosage based on clinically evaluated dosages. The scientific literature shows that the dose of 420 mg of silymarin per day is effective on liver function parameters, over variable periods ranging from 4 weeks to 4 years [10,11]. Dosage may be increased as long as safety is clinically demonstrated. 

Improve its bioavailability by complexing it (in phospholipids or beta-cyclodextrins) or by encapsulating it in a liposome. 

Finally, it should be noted that studies of milk thistle extracts standardized in silymarin are generally carried out on very specific populations presenting a proven liver problem, or even a pathology where the detoxification pathways are solicited. Thus, if these studies give an essential clinical indication to conclude on an effective dosage, they must however be considered with caution.

The artichoke 

Like milk thistle, the artichoke (Cynara scolymus or Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus) has been known for over 2,000 years. Native to the Mediterranean region, it is one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world. It is related to milk thistle and is also part of the same botanical family Asteraceae. This plant was used as early as the Roman Empire, but also by the Greeks and Egyptians for its medicinal properties on digestion and the liver. It was at the end of the 19th century that the potential of an artichoke extract was really discovered to treat a liver problem, which then inspired scientific research... 

The artichoke derives its benefits from its richness in phenolic compounds, mainly mono and dicafeoylquinic acids as well as flavonoids. It is mainly in its leaves that we find the active molecules of interest in the artichoke. The latter are mainly represented by chlorogenic acid (also called major mono-caffeoylquinic acid or 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid), cynarin (also called major di-caffeoylquinic acid or 3-O-dicafeoylquinic acid) and cynaroside (flavonoid also called luteolin-7-glycoside) [12,13]. 

Benefits of artichoke on the liver 

The artichoke has been studied in the context of numerous digestive and metabolic issues. Through its traditional uses, the artichoke is known to contribute to the body's elimination and drainage functions (via the urinary and biliary tracts). Data from the literature show that the artichoke has a wide spectrum of functions in the body. Its active compounds have been the subject of numerous preclinical studies, in particular highlighting [13,14] : 

antioxidant activity, 

involvement in the inflammation process, 

hepatoprotective effects. 

Chlorogenic acid is the predominant bioactive polyphenol recognized for its antioxidant properties. Its rapid absorption has been clinically demonstrated and its relatively high bioavailability has also been proven [15]. 

The proper functioning of the liver thanks to Nutra: the Nutri&Co choice

Self-assessing the proper functioning of your liver is almost impossible. Apart from a medical diagnosis and proven problem, taking a nutraceutical for this sphere must be thought of as a preventive measure against known exposure to the various xenobiotics in our environment. By combining milk thistle and artichoke in the right doses, our formula contributes to detoxification, the proper functioning of the liver and promotes digestion, thanks to the use of extracts standardized in active compounds. 

Just the essentials for the liver 

The hepatic sphere and detoxification are among the most traditional subjects of study in the scientific literature. To address the hepatic and detox issues, we have focused on the one hand on the best-referenced essential plants, and on the other hand on dosages of active ingredients whose effectiveness is clinically established: a milk thistle and artichoke. Our formula primarily targets the proper functioning of the liver, the central organ for detoxification, nutrient metabolism and digestion. 

An extract of milk thistle highly dosed in silymarin 

Milk thistle stands as the most established and documented solution for liver detoxification. Its benefits on the hepatic sphere are attributed to silymarin, the dosage of which is a real criterion of choice. There are a variety of extracts and their silymarin concentration is more or less important depending on the extraction method and the solvents used. The milk thistle extract that we have specially chosen comes from an extraction with water and ethanol and concentrates 50% silymarin. 

Taking 4 capsules of our formula provides 420 mg of silymarin, an exceptional high dosage referenced and documented by safety and tolerance data. 2 capsules, however, allow an effectiveness demonstrated in the literature. 

A patented artichoke extract 

Standardized in chlorogenic acid (and derivatives) at 10%, our artichoke extract provides a significant supply of active compounds. It is supported by a clinical study that validated that the intake of 150 mg daily over a period of 6 months significantly improves parameters related to the proper functioning of the liver in subjects with metabolic problems [16]. 

If our formula promotes, from 2 capsules per day, digestion and the proper functioning of the liver, 3 capsules provide the clinical dose studied, i.e. the equivalent of more than 7 g of artichoke leaves.