Milk Thistle
Milk Thistle
Carduus marianus or Silybum marianum
AKA: Blessed thistle, Mary thistle, St. Mary’s thistle
Portrait: Annual or biennial. Native to the Mediterranean and western Europe. Naturalized throughout its native land, California, and Australia. Leaves are dark green and white-veined; large, solitary purple flowers appear from June to August. Seeds are collected in late summer as flowers die back.
Medicinal Element: Flowers, leaves, seeds
Herbal Properties: Leaves: Bitter tonic. Seeds: Cholagogue, hepatic. Flowers: Galactagogue.
Summary: The leaves, although infrequently used alone, are sometimes prescribed to increase the appetite and remedy indigestion. The seeds appear to affect the liver on a cellular level to the extent of reducing, perhaps reversing, atrophy from alcohol, toxins, and disease. Milk thistle seeds enhance overall liver, gallbladder, and spleen function and markedly improves bile flow through the bile ducts and digestive tract. It is the herb of choice for individuals with particularly fatty diets and those suffering from cirrhosis and hepatitis. Milk thistle may also limit liver trauma occasionally seen with chemotherapy treatments. The flower heads from this herb are used by women to increase breast milk production and alleviate postpartum depression. Consult your health care practitioner before using milk thistle to treat any chronic liver, gallbladder, or spleen disorder. Do not use milk thistle while breast feeding without asking your physician first.
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