Milk Thistle
Latin name:
Silybum marianum
Common names:
Silver thistle, Wild artichoke, Notre Dame thistle, White thorn
Family:
Asteraceae
Origin:
Southern Europe, Northern Africa, Western Asia
Part of the plant used:
Fruit
Description
This plant is best suited to the dry, rocky areas of southern Europe, northern Africa and western Asia. The active ingredients contained in the fruit are molecules (flavanolignans) whose mixture is called silymarin. It is this substance that gives milk thistle its hepato protective properties.
The benefits
- Helps to relieve digestive and hepatic disorders.
Note that milk thistle is often used in combination with liver "drainers" (artichoke, fumitory, black radish).
