InterNutritionals, LLC.

     Milk Thistle, known by many names, including Blessed Milk Thistle and Marian Thistle (Silybum marianum, Carduss marianus), was once commonly eaten as food in Europe and has been used medicinally for centuries. Its leaves have milk-white veins which, along with the stem, were both eaten. Also known as wild artichoke, its young buds may also been eaten.

     With a long history of medicinal use from Europe to the Middle East, it is one of the oldest known herbal medicines and is mentioned in the writing of Dioscorides (40 – 90 AD), Pliny the Elder (23 – 79 AD), Theophrastus (371 – 287 BC), and John Gerard (1545 – 1611 AD), to name a few.  Germany research in the 1950’s discovered the active component, silymarin, found in Milk Thistle seed, and later that  silymarin is actually a mixture of compounds known as flavonolignans, which have a liver protective effect.

     Milk Thistle is grown commercially for its therapeutic use, but  here in Highland  County, we are fortunate to have an abundant natural supply on our farm.  Known as  Virginia’s “Little Switzerland”,  the clean air and water, and chemical free environment in our pristine mountains and valleys, allows our bees a plentiful supply of pure, unadulterated nectar which they convert into a  beautiful  therapeutic honey.

     In addition to raw honey's extensive health benefits, milk thistle honey helps in  the  detoxification of the liver, and  aids in the digestive process.  The color ranges from a light pale yellow to light amber, with a mild and sweet flavor, and a fresh floral aroma with woody undertones.  This also makes it delicious to eat, even for those who do not generally like the taste of honey.  In fact, we've converted many of our customers into avid honey lovers!

     We pride ourselves in providing a pure, non-toxic, chemical free environment for our beekeeping, from the construction and location of our beehives, to managing the health of our bees (we only use natural products and essential oils), as well as the process of gathering the raw unrefined bees products, including honey, beeswax, (which are used in our therapeutic balms, ) propolis, pollen and venom.