Milk thistle

the fruit of milk thistle (Silybi mariani fructus)

Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) is a spiny annual or biennial growing to a metre and a half. It is recognised by its large, glossy leaves with white streaks along the veins, which gave it its name, and by its violet, spiny flower head. It is native to the Mediterranean; here it is sown in gardens and fields.

The fruit, that is the seeds, is gathered when the heads dry and begin to open, usually at the end of summer. The head is cut with a piece of stem, dried in the shade on paper and then threshed so that the seeds fall out; the downy tufts are winnowed away. The seeds are kept in a tight container, because they take up moisture quickly.

Tea from ground seeds and a standardised dry extract are not interchangeable: the extract is a concentrated preparation, the tea the traditional form made at home. In Ašič's collection the fruit of milk thistle appears in the HepaSIT blend.

Use and evidence

The EMA monograph rests above all on traditional use for dyspeptic complaints and for supporting the function of the liver once serious disease has been ruled out. It does not support the claim that the plant is a unique remedy for the liver or a treatment for mushroom poisoning. EMA.