Belonging to the same botanical family as milk thistle and daisy, the artichoke can grow as high as two metres and produces large purple flowers in late autumn. The health benefits of artichoke were first documented by pupils of Aristotle in around the 4th century BC. And since ancient times the artichoke has been used for liver and gallbladder conditions, ‘…cleaning the blood as well as the bladder’. The Egyptians valued it as a health and diet food. It is one of nature’s best-kept secrets when it comes to digestion and liver and kidney problems.