Benefits of Artichoke for Digestive Disorders The artichoke plant is best known for its heart, the bottom part of its spiky flower bud that many of us have learned to appreciate as both a delicacy and a nutritious vegetable bloating-foods-that-cause-bloating However, other parts of this tall thistle-like plant, which never reach reach the dinner table, have proven to be even more beneficial for our health bloating-foods-that-cause-bloating Clinical studies show its large basal leaves to be effective for improving digestion and liver function as well as cholesterol levels bloating-foods-that-cause-bloating Since ancient times, humans have looked to nature for help to cure diseases bloating-foods-that-cause-bloating Up until modern times, most remedies were derived from the plant kingdom, and even today a large percentage of our current pharmaceutical drugs are based on plant extracts from various parts of the world bloating-foods-that-cause-bloating Many old herbal remedies, however, have fallen into oblivion with the development of modern medicine bloating-foods-that-cause-bloating medicine bloating-foods-that-cause-bloating Artichoke extract is one of the few phyto-pharmaceuticals whose experiential and clinical effects have been confirmed to a great extent by biomedical research bloating-foods-that-cause-bloating Its major active components have been identified, as have some of its mechanisms of action in the human body bloating-foods-that-cause-bloating In particular, antioxidant, liver-protective, bile-enhancing, bile-enhancing, and lipid- lowering effects have been demonstrated which correspond well with the historical use of the plant bloating-foods-that-cause-bloating More research is needed to determine in detail the mechanisms of action for these effects bloating-foods-that-cause-bloating However, there appears to be evidence enough to suggest a potential role for artichoke extract in in some areas where modern medicine does not have much to offer bloating-foods-that-cause-bloating Artichoke has a long history bloating-foods-that-cause-bloating Used as a food and a medical remedy as early as the 4th century B.C., the artichoke plant has a long history bloating-foods-that-cause-bloating At the time, a pupil of Aristotle by the the name of Theophrastus was one of the first to describe the plant in detail bloating-foods-that-cause-bloating Enjoyed as a delicacy, an appetizer, and a digestive aid by the aristocracy of the Roman Empire, it later seemed to fall into oblivion until the 16th century, when medicinal use of the artichoke for for liver problems and jaundice was recorded bloating-foods-that-cause-bloating In 1850 a French physician successfully used extract of artichoke leaves in the treatment of a boy who had been sick with jaundice for a month and had made no improvement from the drugs used at that time bloating-foods-that-cause-bloating This accomplishment inspired researchers researchers to find out more about the effects of this extract, and their research resulted in the knowledge we have today about the constituents of the extract and its mechanisms of action bloating-foods-that-cause-bloating Artichoke leaf extract is made from the long, deeply serrated basal leaves of the artichoke plant bloating-foods-that-cause-bloating This This part is chosen for medicinal use because the concentration of the biologically active compounds is higher here than in the rest of the plant bloating-foods-that-cause-bloating The most active of these compounds have been discovered to be the flavonoids and caffeoylquinic acids bloating-foods-that-cause-bloating These substances belong to the polyphenol group and | 