EDIBLE PLANTS

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Milk Thistle

The Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum)

Milk Thistle is an ornamentally attractive, edible and medicinal plant with remarkable health properties.

Other Names

Marian thistle, St. Mary's thistle, Carduus marianus, Blessed Milk Thistle, Variegated Thistle, Marian Thistle, Mary Thistle, Mediterranean Milk Thistle.

Sometimes mistaken for

Cnicus benedictus (Blessed Thistle or Holy Thistle)

Edibility

Edible Parts - Flower head, Leaves, Root, Stem, Seeds (coffee, oil)

Around the 16th Century this plant became quite popular and almost all parts of it were eaten. The roots can be eaten raw or boiled and buttered or par-boiled and roasted. The young shoots in spring can be cut down to the root and boiled and buttered. The spiny bracts on the flowerhead were eaten in the past like globe artichoke, and the stems (after peeling of course) can be soaked overnight to remove bitterness and then stewed. The leaves can be trimmed of prickles and boiled and make a good spinach substitute, they can also be added raw to salads.

Note: The leaves can become bitter in hot dry weather.

A good quality oil can be made from the seed. The roasted seed has been used as a coffee substitute.

Nutritional Content Includes

Flavonolignans, Flavonoids, Betaine, Silymarin, Silybinin, Isosilibinin, Silychristin, Silydianin.

Milk Thistle Supplements

Silymarin, Milk Thistle Extract, Milk Thistle Super Complex, Milk Thistle Phytosome, Alcohol Free Milk Thistle Seed, Milk Thistle Plus, Silymarin Milk Thistle, Milk Thistle Power, Time Release Milk Thistle Power, and Thisilyn Standardized Milk Thistle Extract.

Medicinal Properties and Health Benefits

Always seek advice from a qualified professional before using a plant medicinally

The Milk Thistle is highly regarded amongst herbalists and health supplement stores, due to the reputation it has for protecting and repairing the liver. Milk thistle has long been used as a remedy for depression and liver problems. Scientific studies have recently confirmed that an extract, Silymarin, can indeed protect the liver from the damaging effects of alcohol and other types of poisoning. Silymarin is an extract from the seed, this substance acts on the membranes of the liver cells and prevents the entry of virus toxins and other toxic compounds. This action gives it the remarkable quality of preventing damage to the liver cells. It has also been found to dramatically improve liver regeneration in hepatitis, cirrhosis, mushroom poisoning and other diseases of the liver. Research in Germany suggested that Silybin or Silibinin (as it is also known) is clinically useful in the treatment of severe poisoning by Amanita mushrooms. Now, chemically modified silibinin, (silibinin dihydrogen disuccinate disodium - trade name Legalon SIL) is a solution applied by injection, used in the treatment of severe intoxications with the death cap mushroom (Amanita phalloides) and other hepatotoxic substances. Clinical tests have also shown its ability to protect against certain types of cancer (skin and prostate), probably due to its antioxidant properties. Regeneration of the liver is particularly important in the treatment of cancer. Cancer is always characterized by a severely compromised and often partially destroyed liver.

Other potential benefits of milk thistle include lowering cholesterol, stimulating milk flow in nursing mothers, treatment for minor hypotension, stimulate adrenal functions, reduce sorbitol accumulation, treatment of jaundice, colitis, and pleurisy, diseases of the spleen.

Homeopathic Remedies

A homeopathic remedy is made from equal parts of the root and the seed with its hulls still attached. This is used in the treatment of liver and abdominal disorders.

Milk Thistles Known Hazards

Spines need to be removed to make the plant safe to eat!

The extracts silymarin and silybin have been shown, in clinical trials to have a very low toxicity.

There are studies which show that in areas that have been heavily fertilised, especially with chemicals, nitrates have become concentrated in the milk thistle plants growing there. This has been noted as a potential hazard due to links between high concentrations of nitrates and stomach cancer.

Milk Thistle has been found to be toxic to cattle and sheep. This is due to the potassium nitrate content in the plant reacting with a bacteria in the animals digestive system. This poisons the blood resulting in a form of oxygen deprivation.

Cultivation details

Succeeds in any well-drained fertile garden soil. Prefers a calcareous soil and a sunny position for optimum results. Hardy to about -15Ðc. Young plants prone to slug and snail damage. Self sows freely.

Propagation

Seed - if sown in situ during March or April, the plant will usually flower in the summer and complete its life cycle in one growing season. If the seed is sown later, from May to August, the plant will usually flower the following year. To get the best edible roots sow seeds between May to June. To ensure a good all year round supply of edible leaves sow the seed successively from spring through to summer.

Other Species in the Genus

References

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