Milk Thistle
Perfect for: Preventing or treating all liver conditions
Botanical name: Silybum marianum
Botanical family: Asteraceae
Part of the plant used: Fruit
Active substances: Flavonoids (silymarin), sterols and oils
Origin: Southern Europe, Western Asia, North Africa, Australia
Benefits: Also called wild artichoke, silver thistle, or Notre-Dame thistle, milk thistle is mainly known to treat liver-related diseases. This plant treats liver failure but also gallstones and heavy periods by helping to rebuild damaged cells. Milk Thistle also helps treat acne, which is often a sign of a clogged liver.
History: Milk Thistle owes its Latin name, sylibum marianum, to the Virgin Mary (marianum) who would have nursed Jesus for the first time under a grove of thistle (silybum). A few drops of its milk would then have fallen on the leaves, giving rise to its characteristic white veins.
The Greeks used this plant since ancient times to treat hepatic and biliary disorders. In the Middle Ages, milk thistle was used to drive away melancholy, also called "black bile", which was associated with various diseases of liver origin.
To be found in : The Detox
