Artichokes look interesting, though… How does this thistle (edible flower) help my body?
Artichokes are helpful for digestion, nutrient absorption, toxin elimination, lowering cholesterol, managing blood sugar, cancer fighting, etc. Also, most people favor, or focus on, the heart of the artichoke, though the leaves are actually found to have the highest antioxidant properties.
Artichokes stimulate the liver to release bile, which helps carry away toxins. It increases the flow of bile from the liver because the liver uses bile as a transport medium for toxins that it has broken down that need to be removed from the body. Bile is also involved in the digestion and absorption of fat, therefore an increase in bile will aid in digestion when alongside a fatty meal. The cholesterol-lowering effect may also be due to artichoke’s ability to speed up the movement of fatty material (which is the material used to make cholesterol) out of the liver. Artichoke is also believed to be an ideal diabetic food. This is because it is high in a special kind of sugar known as inulin. Inulin is believed to play a beneficial role in blood sugar management, helping other sugars consumed alongside it to be released into the bloodstream at a far slower pace.