Dr.S.Revathi's Blog

Milk Thirtsle Milk thistle   is a medicinal plant it has been used  for more than 2,000 years.  for treating jaundice ,liver and spleen diseases  .The seeds of the dried flowers are used as a medicine .The binomial name of this plant is  silybum   marianum  belongs to the family of  asteraceae.Milk thirtle  is an anual or biennial herb ,has red and purple flowers and shiny pale green leaves with white veins .Originally a native of southern Europe through to Asia .now it is found in throughout the world . It has other common names include cardus marianus, milk thistle, blessed milk thistle, Marian thistle, Mary thistle, Saint Mary’s thistle, Mediterranean milk thistle, variegated thistle and Scotch thistle. T he plant’s young (non-spiny) leaves and stems were once consumed as food in Europe. These seeds contain a  bioflavonoid  complex known as  silymarin . Three compounds make up the  silymarin complex .that are    silibinin, silidianin, and silicristin. Silibinin  is the