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It’s that time of year again. The Silly Season. What a great deal of joy (and silliness) it brings. The lead up to Christmas is a time of laughter, frivolity, friends, family, champagne and beautiful food. And of course lets not forget the office Christmas party. This is a time of year for the soul, where everyone drinks much more than they should and eats all the foods they know they shouldn’t.

The down side of this time is of course the rocketing stress levels…ever tried shopping for the family’s Christmas presents on Christmas eve? On top of this there is the much punished organ, the liver. All the rich, beautiful food and alcohol unfortunately can take their toll on the body and often the liver is in the immediate line of fire.

However, there is a solution to this time age old dilemma. Hence, this article. What follows is a brief outline of two herbs which are useful for surviving the silly season with a minimal amount of damage.

St. Mary’s Thistle (Silybum marianum)

This herb is also known as Milk Thistle, and is much used by herbalists in any conditions involving liver functioning. It is said to be both heptoprotective and a hepatic trophorestorative, meaning that it protects the liver from further damage as well as repairing any damage that has been done. Numerous in vitro (test tube) tests have shown that 2 active constituents of Milk Thistle (Silymarin and Silybin) alter the structure of liver cell membranes, thereby providing protection. (Parasassi et al, 1984, Koch et al, 1985) In addition to this Silymarin has also been shown to stimulate protein synthesis, which accelerates liver repair following damage. (Kropavoca et al, 1998). The standard dose of this herb is 12-15g daily, usually comprising of 200-400mg of Silymarin.

Valarian (Valariana officinalis)

This is an extremely useful herb for treating anxiety, stress, and restlessness. While many people are aware of Valerian as a herb which induces sleep, it has a much wider application than this. It is extremely calming to the nervous system. Unlike other medication for insomnia, Valarian induces a state of calmness, rather than immediate inducing sleep. For this reason Valarian can be safely taken throughout the day without fear of drowsiness. A study involving Valerian and another herb, St. John’s Wort found that this combination was more effective in treating patients with moderate anxiety then a diazepam (a conventional drug prescribed for anxiety) (Bone, 2005). Generally a dose of between 100-600mg of Valarian is prescribed.

On a final note, although herbal medicine is generally well tolerated, self diagnosis and self-treatment can result in adverse effects. . Herbal medicine may also interact with pharmaceutical medication. It is best to consult a qualified herbalist when considering herbal medicine. The National Herbalists Association (www.nhaa.org.au) provides a listing of qualified herbalists free of charge.

Lastly, enjoy this wonderful time of beautiful food and sparkling wines. Long live frivolity! And please remember that little silliness and some good herbal medicine can do wonders for the soul! Enjoy!

References

Bone, A Clinical Guide to Blending Liquid Herbs, Churchill livingstone, St Louis, 2003

Koch, HP., et al, Silymarin: potent inhibitor of cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase, Methods Find Exp, Clin Pharmacol 7.8, 1985:409-413 [cited Braun et al, Herbal & Natural Supplements:An evidence based guide, Elsevier, Marrickville, 2005]

Kropacova K. et al, Protective and therapeutic effects of Silymarin in the development of latent liver damage, Radiat Biol radioecol 38.3, 1998, 411-415 [cited Braun et al, Herbal & Natural Supplements:An evidence based guide, Elsevier, Marrickville, 2005]

Parassi T. et al, Drug membrane interactions: silymarin, silybyn and microsomal membranes, Cell Biochem Funct 2.2, 1984: 83-88 [cited Braun et al, Herbal & Natural Supplements:An evidence based guide, Elsevier, Marrickville, 2005]


Sarah Buskens
NATUROPATH
B.H.Sc. (Nat)) N.H.A.A
Five Elements
348 St Georges Rd
Fitzroy, Victoria
Ph: 0403 200272
www.sarahbuskens.com.au