Globe artichokes are prickly plants with partly edible leaves enclosing a tasty ‘heart’. Their most important nutrients are vitamin C and iron. Says research published in the ‘Journal of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan’, cynarin might be beneficial in lowering blood levels of cholesterol, and that cynaropicrin, a form of cynarin found in artichoke leaves, might act as an anti-inflammatory agent, improving liver function, and reducing the effects of stress-related gastritis. Cynarin is a compound which supports the liver in producing bile. Bile is essential to the detoxification process as it is used to carry toxins out of the liver and into the gut for elimination. Because of its natural diuretic action, artichoke tea can trigger the elimination of excess body fluid, which can contribute to weight loss.
