Milk thistle
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 Silybum marianum
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- This is an article about the true milk thistles. For another plant that is sometimes referred to as a milk thistle, see sow thistle.
Milk thistles are thistles of the genus Silybum Adans., flowering plants of the daisy family (Asteraceae). They are native to the Mediterranean regions of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.
Members of this genus grow as annual or biennial plants. The erect stem is tall, branched and furrowed but not spiny. The large, alternate leaves are waxy-lobed, toothed and thorny, as in other genera of thistle. The lower leaves are cauline (attached to the stem without petiole). The upper leaves have a clasping base. They have large, disc-shaped pink-to-purple, rarely white, solitary flower heads at the end of the stem. The flowers consist of tubular florets. The phyllaries under the flowers occur in many rows, with the outer row with spine-tipped lobes and apical spines. The fruit is a black achene with a white pappus.
Only two species are currently classified in this genus:
- Silybum eburneum Coss. & Dur., known as the Silver Milk Thistle, Elephant Thistle, or Ivory Thistle
- Silybum eburneum Coss. & Dur. var. hispanicum
- Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertner, the Blessed Milk Thistle, which has a large number of other common names, such as Variegated Thistle.
The two species hybridise naturally, the hybrid being known as Silybum × gonzaloi Cantó , Sánchez Mata & Rivas Mart. (S. eburneum var. hispanicum x S. marianum)
A number of other plants have been classified in this genus in the past but have since been relocated elsewhere in the light of additional research.
S. marianum is by far the more widely known species. It is believed to give some remedy for liver diseases (e.g. viral hepatitis) and an extract, silymarin, is used in medicine. The adverse effect of the medicinal use of milk thistle is loose stools.
[edit] Health Benefits
Milk thistles are believed to have protective effects on the liver and to improve its function. They are typically used to treat liver cirrhosis, chronic hepatitis (liver inflammation), and gallbladder disorders. Treatment claims also include:
- Lowering cholesterol levels
- Reducing insulin resistance in people with type 2 diabetes who also have cirrhosis
- Reducing the growth of cancer cells in breast, cervical, and prostate cancers[1]
- Milk Thistle is also used in many products claiming to reduce the effects of a hangover.
- Milk Thistle can also be found as an ingredient in some energy drinks like the AriZona Beverage Company Green Tea energy drink.
- Milk Thistle is known for its ability to enhance milk production in nursing women.
[edit] See also
- Blessed milk thistle
- Cnicus (Blessed thistle)
[edit] External links and references
- Milk Thistle - General Information on Milk Thistle
- Milk thistle (Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn.) - information at the site of Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board
- K. Flora, M. Hahn, H. Rosen and K. Benner. Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum) for the Therapy of Liver Disease. Am. J. Gastroenterology 93, 139-143.
- Milk Thistle Summary Report - Information on uses, both historical and medical, with online discussion forum
