ARTICHOKE TEA POSITIONED AS MAJOR HEALTH IDEA
It’s only a short hop across, or under, the channel and yet our food and drink cultures still remain very different. Whilst we may have embraced Bordeaux, Camembert and baguettes, Sunday lunch and the old English cuppa still remain firmly off the menu in France, and we may be missing out on some serious health benefits having not embraced one of France’s major vegetable exports…the artichoke.
We are told Natur Boutique hope the launch of their artichoke tea will allow us Brit’s to enjoy the health benefits of this unusual ‘flower’ in a way we’re more accustomed to.
It is reported that the Globe Artichoke is actually a member of the sunflower family whose use originates in Southern Europe (around the Mediterranean), the flowers of which develop in a large edible bud. The main producers are now France, Italy and Spain where they are eaten in varying ways from deep frying and barbecuing to pizza toppings, but for some reason they have never caught on the UK.
The idea is that we’re missing out on some serious health benefits though. Artichoke’s have been heavily researched and are seen to be hugely helpful in aiding the digestive system, reducing cholesterol, and improving liver function and detoxing.
It is thought that one of the main factors thought to be behind its benefits is that the Artichoke is seen to increase bile production. Bile is an extremely important substance in the body, produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder. It is secreted into the small intestine, where helps digestion, emulsifies fats and fat-soluble vitamins and improves their absorption.
It is suggested that artichoke’s effects on digestion have been seen in numerous studies, including one 3 that looked at 417 participants with liver or bile duct disease. The patients suffered from upper abdominal pain, bloating, constipation, lack of appetite and nausea. After just one week of being treated with artichoke extract around 70% of patients experienced an improvement of their symptoms and after four weeks this had increased further to around 85%.
The suppliers say perhaps even more impressive, given that nearly a quarter of the UK’s population are thought to suffer from IBS, another recent study in the UK 7 showed that 96% patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) rated artichoke leaf extract as better than or equal to previous therapies administered for their IBS symptoms.
The study indicates good bile flow is also essential for detoxification, which is one of the major tasks of the liver. Bile serves as a carrier for toxic substances, delivering them into the intestine for further elimination from the body. This is also the major route for excretion of cholesterol. When the excretion of bile is inhibited for various reasons, toxins, including cholesterol, stay in the liver longer with damaging effects.
The publicity suggests that the artichoke is seen to have a significant effect on cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood 4. Although the mechanism for artichoke reducing cholesterol is not 100% clear it is thought that on top of increasing the breakdown of cholesterol to bile salts and enhancing its elimination through increased bile production and flow, it also inhibits internal production of cholesterol in the liver 5.
One of the more recent studies 8, published in 2000, was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study. For six weeks, 143 patients with high cholesterol were given a dry artichoke extract. The results showed a decrease of 10-15% in total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL), and ratio of LDL to high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.
Artichoke extracts are also seen to help protect the liver, the body’s detoxifier, not in a dissimilar manner to Milk Thistle, protecting it from the damaging effects of toxins and helping stimulate the regeneration of damaged liver tissue 6.
We are told that the artichoke’s liver protective properties are partly attributed to its documented antioxidant actions. The antioxidant properties were confirmed in a 2000 study 9 that focused on human white blood cells under various induced oxidative stresses.
It seems that artichokes can be difficult to get hold of in the UK and even harder to know what to do with once you do have them, but a company called Natur Boutique have just launched one of the UK’s first artichoke teas.
It could be that a herbal tea with a twist, Artichoke tea is a tasty alternative to tea or coffee and has real benefits.
For further information or to buy visit www.drinkherbaltea.co.uk or ask at your local health store.
Pregnant and breast feeding women should seek advise from their doctors before using artichoke extracts. Artichoke leaf extract should not be taken in the presence of gallstones or other bile duct occlusion, due to its bile stimulating effects.
References
1. CAB Abstracts
2. Inhibition of Cholesterol Biosynthesis in Primary Cultured Rat Hepatocytes by Artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.) Extracts
3. Held C: Artischocke bei Gallenwegsdyskinesien. Neue Aspekte zur Therapie mit Choleretika. Z. Klin. Med. 47:92, 1992.
4. Fintelmann V: Therapeutic profile and mechanism of action of artichoke leaf extract: hypolipemic, antioxidant, hepatoprotective and choleretic properties. Phytomed. 1996. Suppl 1: 50.
5. Gebhart R: Inhibition of Cholesterol Biosynthesis in Primary Cultured Rat Hepatocytes by Artichoke (Cynara scolymnus L.) Extracts. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 286: 3, 1998.
6. Maros T et al.: Wirkungen der Cynara scolymnus-Extrakte auf die Regeneration der Rattenleber. Arzneim-Forsch/(Drug Res) 18: 184, 1966.
7. Phytother Res. 2001 Feb;15(1):58-61. Artichoke leaf extract reduces symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome in a post-marketing surveillance study. Walker AF, Middleton RW, Petrowicz O.
8. Arzneimittelforschung. 2000 Mar;50(3):260-5. Efficacy of Artichoke dry extract in patients with hyperlipoproteinemia. Englisch W, Beckers C, Unkauf M, Ruepp M, Zinserling V.
9. Free Radic Res. 2000 Nov;33(5):661-5.Activity of artichoke leaf extract on reactive oxygen species in human leukocytes. Pérez-García F, Adzet T, Cañigueral S.
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