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If you’re looking for a nice addition to your Valentine’s Day dinner table, add a Globe ARTICHOKE (Cynara scolymus). It’s not only a nutritious vegetable, but in many countries, Artichoke is considered a fine aphrodisiac. If you’re looking for an important aid to digestion and a tonic for kidney, gallbladder and liver insufficiency, supplemental Artichoke extracts may be just what you need. New research tells us that Artichoke extract also helps to reduce cholesterol and may help prevent arteriosclerosis.
Disclaimer:
The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, cure, treat or prevent disease. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.
The Globe Artichoke is a perennial, thistle-like plant that is widely cultivated in Mediterranean countries, adjoining parts of central Europe and the United States, but it appears to have it origins in parts of Asia. The Artichoke is a member of the daisy family and has a strong, erect stem and its edible flower bud is purple-green in color with scales or bracts that enclose it.
It is one of the world's oldest cultivated vegetables, grown by the Greeks and Romans at the height of their power and used for food and medicine. In ancient Greek mythology, the god Zeus was said to love the Globe Artichoke, which gave rise to its nickname "Vegetable of the Gods." In the first century A.D., Dioscorides recommended applying mashed roots on the body to sweeten offensive odors.
Globe Artichokes were first cultivated in Naples around the middle of the fifteenth century, and are said to have been introduced to France by Catherine de Medici in the sixteenth century. During the same century, the Dutch introduced Artichokes to England, and the plants were then brought to the United States in the nineteenth century Louisiana by French immigrants and to California by Spanish immigrants.
The name appears to have originated with the Arabic words, ardi shauk, meaning "ground-thorn," via an Italian word, articiocco. The botanical specific is derived from the Greek word, skolymos, which means “thistle," describing the spines found on the bracts (they are not leaves) that enclose the flower heads forming the edible portion of the plant.
The Artichoke is not easily grown, since it is exacting in its soil and climatic requirements and thrives in deep, rich, well-drained soil in sun. It requires good soil, regular watering and feeding, plus frost protection in winter. Its leaves, flower heads and root are used medicinally, and the leaves are cut just before flowering for use fresh or dried in liquid extracts, syrups and capsules. In recent years the Globe Artichoke has become important as a medicinal herb, following the discovery of its cynarin content. The French have long used Artichoke juice as a liver tonic, because of the herb's abilities to break down fat and improve bile flow.
Read on for some of the ways that ARTICHOKE may promote your own health and well-being:
The Artichoke has been used as an aid to good digestion and a means to improve liver health. It is a "cholagogue," and due to its cynarin content, it stimulates the flow of bile from the liver into the intestines, assisting the body in blood fat metabolism. The choleretic (bile stimulating) action of the plant has been well documented; and in clinical tests, administration of standardized artichoke extract directly into the duodenum increased liver bile flow significantly. This choleretic effect has led to the popular use of Artichoke extract in Europe for the treatment of mild indigestion, particularly following a meal high in fat. Artichoke extracts are commercially available in Germany and Switzerland as a remedy for indigestion and in the U. K., as over-the counter digestive supplements. The cynarin compound, which is found in the leaves, stimulates the gallbladder and improves liver function. Artichoke has been used traditionally and in alternative medicine for treating dyspepsia, indigestion, nausea, flatulence, as well as liver and gallbladder ailments, including jaundice and hepatitis.
By helping the body to metabolize blood fat, the cynarin content in Artichoke is also believed to reduce blood lipids, serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels and is thought to be helpful in controlling arteriosclerosis. While scientists are not certain how Artichoke lowers cholesterol, test tube studies have suggested that the action may be due to an inhibition of cholesterol synthesis and/or the increased elimination of cholesterol because of the plant’s choleretic action. In test tube studies, the flavonoids from the artichoke (e.g., luteolin) have been shown to prevent LDL cholesterol oxidation, an effect that may reduce risk of arteriosclerosis. In 2008, U.K. research confirmed that Artichoke leaf extract can reduce cholesterol levels in healthy adults. The studies determined that when Artichoke leaf extract was administered to otherwise healthy adults with raised cholesterol, levels dropped six percent. The university researchers concluded that the study provided further evidence that Artichoke leaf extract may help reduce plasma total cholesterol in adults with mild to moderate hypercholesterolemia.
This highly nutritious plant is considered a diuretic, promoting the flow of urine and appears to be effective in improving kidney function. Artichoke is also frequently used to relieve excess water weight and peripheral edema, a condition in which the peripheral body tissues contain an excessive amount of tissue fluid.
Tradition in some countries speaks of the Artichoke as an aphrodisiac food. Interestingly, European women weren't allowed to eat artichokes in the sixteenth century because of their purported aphrodisiac properties.
Other qualities attributed to Artichoke use include hypoglycemic activity that may assist in lowering blood glucose levels. Artichoke has had traditional uses in the Americas and Spain for treating diabetes. It is also said to be useful in cases of postoperative anemia.
Valentine’s Day may call for something special on the menu, so you might want to add a “romantic” Artichoke to your special dinner, but don’t forget healthful supplemental ARTICHOKE extract in your daily regimen for supporting healthy cholesterol levels, improved gallbladder, liver and kidney function and a great nutritional boost.
Below, you may order ARTICHOKE directly, or for more detailed information and interesting facts about this herb, visit our Artichoke web page, and you will find important, additional facts concerning the herb’s benefits, botanical constituents, dosage, pricing and ordering options.
Artichoke is our Herb of the Month for February, 2010! The retail prices are shown below but when you add any Artichoke products to the shopping cart, you will see the 10% Herb of the Month Discount applied. This offer is valid only on our Artichoke single herb products for the month of February, 2010.
Ordering Information
Item # S110 (capsules)/100400 (bulk) |
30 Capsules |
$9.18 |
1150 Capsules |
$155.93 |
| 60 Capsules |
$13.79 |
1400 Capsules |
$174.64 |
| 90 Capsules |
$18.62 |
1/4 lb. Powder |
$26.59 |
| 450 Capsules |
$69.83 |
1/2 lb. Powder |
$53.18 |
| 700 Capsules |
$101.25 |
1 lb. Powder |
$106.36 |
Recommended Dosage:
Take two (2) capsules, two (2) times each day with water at mealtimes.
Contraindications:
Artichoke is not recommended for those who are allergic to artichokes or other members of the Compositae (daisy) family. At the recommended amount and according to the German Commission E Monograph, there are no known side effects or drug interactions. Those who have any obstruction of the bile duct (gallstones) should not take Artichoke.
Capsule Information:
Our Artichoke supplements are encapsulated in 100% Gluten-free, Vegetable Cellulose, Certified Kosher, size "00" Capsules. (click here for size comparison) Each capsule contains approximately 600 mgs. |
