Basic Details About Milk Thistle
What Is Milk Thistle | Plant Description & Health Benefits
What is milk thistle? Also known as Mary thistle, holy thistle and even silymarin, this herb has a strong reputation of detoxifying the liver. However, little is known about its other health benefits.
Milk thistle is native to the Mediterranean region but is now growing throughout the world. It favors dry and sunny areas with spiny stems, reaching height of 4 -10 feet. It belongs to the family of Compositae with wide, shiny green leaves, which have white streaks along the leaf veins. Milk thistle gets its name from the milky fluid extracted from the leaves when crushed. The flowers are large and globular, purple in color and endowed with spines. Similar to other thistle species, the seed also has a bunch of white hairs. The seed contains most of the medicinal properties of the plant, characterized by its glossy, brownish spots. Milk thistle matures and spreads quickly and is regarded as a noxious weed in many parts of the world. However, it is widely cultivated in Europe for its herbal extracts.