Milk Thistle
Parts Usually Used
Fruits (contain the highest concentration), seeds and leaves
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
A stout, annual or biennial plant, grows to 6 feet in height; the branched, shining-brown stem grows 1-3 feet high and bears large, alternate, dark green, shiny leaves with spiny, scalloped edges and white spots along the veins. The upper leaves clasp the stem. The small, composite, solitary, spherical, reddish-purple flower heads at the ends of the stalks, subtended by spiny bracts with a silky crown of hair, which is soon shed, appear from June to August.
Where Found
Found in dry, rocky soils in southern and western Europe and in some parts of the United States. Common in California.
Medicinal Properties
Cholagogue (stimulates flow of bile), liver tonic, stimulant, demulcent, antidepressant, galactagogue
Biochemical Information
Active flavonoid silymarin (a unique type of flavonoid with antioxidant ability).
Legends, Myths and Stories
Milk thistle helps regenerate liver cells and helps cleanse the liver of dangerous toxins. In several European studies performed in the 1970’s on rats, animals who had their livers partially removed experienced a regeneration of liver cells after receiving milk thistle extract. This herb is extremely popular in Europe as a tonic for the liver, the body’s second largest organ. This herb contains a flavonoid called silymarin that has been shown to have a direct effect on liver cells.
Known as vitamin P, flavonoids are substances found in plants that often work in conjunction with vitamin C and offer many other health benefits. Often referred to as the body’s “chemical factory,” the liver plays a critical role in maintaining good health. It produces bile, which is necessary for the break-down of fats. It detoxifies poisons that enter our bloodstream, such as nicotine, alcohol, and pollutants such as carbon monoxide.
It breaks them down from potentially lethal substances into those that are less destructive to our bodies. The liver is also the site where vitamins A, D, E, and K are stored. Numerous European studies sow that this herb enhances overall liver function, as well as stimulates the production of new liver cells. The herb is beneficial for those suffering from hepatitis, inflammation of the liver, or cirrhosis of the liver (a condition often caused by excessive alcohol intake).
This herb is also recommended for all smokers or anyone exposed to pollutants in the workplace.
Uses
Historically, the young leaves of milk thistle were consumed as a vegetable. Herbalists considered the plant to be a general tonic with purported effects on the heart, brain, and kidneys, and it was traditionally reputed to aid memory impaired by aging or illness. Folk traditions frequently employed it for hepatic complaints, including jaundice and gallstone colic, while modern herbal sources attributed protective qualities to the liver and kidneys, alongside applications for skin conditions such as psoriasis.
The leaves were commonly administered for digestive complaints, including dyspepsia and poor appetite. Later research and clinical observations also explored the use of milk thistle preparations for Amanita mushroom poisoning and liver cirrhosis.
How Sold
Commercial preparations of the seed extracts are manufactured in Europe.
Bibliography
The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974. The Complete Medicinal Herbal , by Penelope Ody, Dorling Kindersley, Inc, 232 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, First American Edition, copyright 1993 Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants , by Steven Foster and James A. , Houghton Mifflin Company, 215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10000 The Magic of Herbs , by David Conway, published by Jonathan Cape, Thirty Bedford Square, London, England.
, Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. , Copyright 1988, published 1992 Prescription for Nutritional Healing, Fifth Edition: A Practical A-to-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & Food Supplements , by James F. D. and Phyllis A. , Garden City Park, NY Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary , 15th Edition, F. A. , 180 Varick Street, New York, NY 10014, first printed by the United States Government Printing Office, Washington, in 1928, this Dover edition 1974 The Healing Plants , by Mannfried Pahlow, Barron’s Educational Series, Inc.
, Hauppauge, NY 11788, 1992