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Benefits |
Preparation |
Medicinal Uses |
Side Effects |
Plant |
Folklore |
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| Common Names |
| Milk Thistle , |
| Botanical Name |
| Silybum marianum L. |
| Family |
| ASTERACEAE or COMPOSITAE Sunflower family |
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This handsome plant has been used for liver ailments for a couple of thousand years, but until recently was one of herbal medicine's best kept secrets. Silymarin, a constituent of milk thistle is now listed in The Mereck Index as a liver protector. Whole seeds of Milk Thistle or a tincture made from them are now used in the United States as well as Europe, for both protection and regeneration of the liver. Powdered seeds are also available in capsules. |
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Prep Methods :1 teaspoon of mashed seeds in a cup of hot water, alcohol tincture, capsules. Alcohol tinctures allow for a quick release and absorption of silymarin.
 Remedies using Milk Thistle
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 Fresh seeds from the milk thistle can be toasted in a skillet and eaten as a healthy food |
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| Liver Support | | Unlike any other synthetic or natural substance know to science, the silymarin in milk thistle ( found mostly in the seeds) regenerates liver cells and guards the organ from damage by pollutants, other toxins, and viral invaders. 465
(Duke, James A, Ph.D. ) | | This herbs seeds have a long history of use in protecting the liver. It contains silymarin, which has been shown to protect the liver against a number of toxins, including alcohol. A frequent drinker or recovering alcoholic should take milk thistle extract on a daily basis. 643
(White,Linda B., M.D. ) |
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| Side Effects: |
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| Milk thistle seed can cause mild diarrhea |
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Native to Europe, milk thistle now grows along both coasts of North America where some consider it little more than an invasive weed. The weblike pattern on the surfaces of the leaves distinguish milk thistle from its many thistle cousins. It can grow up to 7 feet tall with white to purple disk flowers. Attractive and edible, milk thistle has earned an honored place in the herbal medicine garden and is cultivated in much of the world for its medicinal seeds.
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 Mary, it is said, sat among green thistles to nurse the infant Jesus and spilled milk on the leaves |
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Essential Oils
