Milk thistle (Silybum marianum (L.) Gaert.) is the yearling plant from family Asteraceaewhich occurs in moderate belt of northern hemisphere from the Middle East trough the Balkan Peninsula up to Western Europe.

This plant has been used for its healing effects since time immemorial. It was described for the first time in the 4th century B.C. by Theophrast under the name “Pternix” and later, in the 1st century A.D. also by Dioscoride in the manuscript Materia medica as well as by Plinius in the manuscript Historia naturalis, while both of the authors call this plant species already by the same name as “Sillybum”. During the centuries, milk thistle used to be described in all significant herbal books of healing plants as a plant the fruits of which promote healing of some diseases of the liver and spleen.

Currently, milk thistle is grown artificially in field production and it is classified as the medicinal herb described in pharmacopoeias of various countries for its healing characteristics, especially as regards liver and digestive tract diseases. This biological activity is attributed to substances from the category of flavonolignanes, contained especially in the fruit of milk thistle (achenocarp). However, we now know that the fruit also contains other biologically valuable substances, which are no longer commonly used in the pharmaceutical industry. This especially means the fatty oil, with content fluctuating around 20-25 percent.

More information may be found on our webpage dedicated to Milk thistle here.