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Milk thistle

Milk thistle ( Silybum marianum or Cardus marianum ) is a plant used for treating liver disorders, breast feeding problems, and other illness. The active ingredient of the herb, silymarin, is found in the ripe seeds of the plant. The milk thistle plant has a long stem, green leaves with white spots, and pink to purple spiky flowered head ( which true to its name, resembles a thistle ). The plant is native to Europe and grows in the wild in the United States and South America. Other common names for the plant include Mary thistle, St. Mary thistle, Marian thistle, and lady’s thistle.

The medicinal benefits of milk thistle have been valued for over 2000 years. Written records show that as early as the first century, Romans were using the plant as a liver-protecting agent. The plant was also frequently used throughout the middle Ages, and it is in the herbal literature of this period that the medicinal properties of milk thistle seeds are first noted. Nicholas Culpepper, a British herbalist, wrote about the value of the herb in treating diseases of the liver and spleen in the late eighteenth century, and by the end of the next century, records show that American physicians were also prescribing the substance. The active ingredient of milk thistle, silymarin, was first isolated from the milk thistle plant by German scientists in the 1960’s.

The leaves and stem of the milk thistle plant are edible, and can be used in salads or eaten raw. The plant was cultivated as a vegetable in Europe through the end of the nineteenth century.

Milk thistle is prescribed for a number of medicinal uses, including liver disease treatment and prevention, HIV treatment, lactation problems, gallbladder disorders, mushroom poisoning, and psoriasis, a chronic skin disease characterized by reddish patches.

Milk Thistle is thought to promote the growth of new liver cells, and to prevent toxins from penetrating through healthy liver cells by binding itself to the cell membranes. It is prescribed for cirrhosis, hepatitis, and other liver disorders. Several clinical studies have demonstrated that individuals with cirrhosis who take daily doses of milk thistle extract have a lower mortality rate than those who took a placebo ( or sugar pill ).

In addition, milk thistle may behave a protective effect on the liver, and is sometimes prescribed for patients who take medications that can cause liver damage ( e.g., Thorazine, Haldol ), or those who are exposed to liver-damaging substances such as lead.

Another important ingredient: Psyllium.