two ways of knowing

here’s a little test. milk thistle has a number of benefits and properties. here’s one: “A recent review and analysis found that people routinely taking silymarin experienced a significant reduction in their fasting blood sugar levels and HbA1c, a measure of blood sugar control.” Here’s another: “The virgin Mary, traveling with the infant Jesus to escape Herod, hid her child in a thistle patch with the intention of giving him the breast. In the process several drops of her milk spilled onto the plants, and ever since, milk thistles have been identified by the prominent white vein running down their stems.” OK now walk away for five minutes and then come back . . . Are you back? OK, which feature of milk thistle do you remember? And are you any more willing to think of stories not just as entertainment, but as ways of learning about the world?

chardon-marie (milk thistle) Silybum marianum