Milk Thistle - Marian Thistle, Herb profile And Uses

Milk Thistle is native to the Mediterranean region and has distinctive white veins on it's leaves. According to legend, these white veins that mottle the leaves are believed to have occurred when the Virgin Mary was nursing baby Jesus, and a few drops of her milk fell onto the leaves, hence the alternate names given to the plant, Marian Thistle or Mary Thistle.

Milk Thistle has been used medicinally for thousands of years and it's use was recorded in the 1st century AD, notably for it's ability in protecting the liver. It was also used to increase breast milk production and for depression (referred to then as melancholia, a condition that was traditionally associated with the liver). In Gerard's Herball written in 1597, he wrote, "My opinion is that this is the best remedy that grows against all melancholy diseases". In Europe the flower heads were boiled and eaten and regarded as a spring tonic after winter when fresh vegetables were scarce.

Today, Milk Thistle has been proven to protect the liver from damage through toxins, alcohol, drugs and chemotherapy. The seeds of the plant contain a substance called silymarin which is the collective name for silybin, silidianin and silicristin. It is thought that silybin is the most active and is largely responsible for the benefits attributed to silymarin.

The plant is also a powerful antioxidant, even more so than vitamins C and E. It helps to prevent damage from free-radicals and promotes the regeneration of new liver cells. Marian Thistle is used for a range of serious liver problems including viral hepatitis and cirrhosis. Due to it's antioxidant properties it has also been found useful in the treatment of psoriasis.

Common Uses:

Protects the liver from toxins
Cirrhosis of the liver
Hepatitis
Gallstones
Psoriasis

Preparations:

Decoction
Tincture
Capsules
Tablets