Information On Silymarin Milk Thistle

Silymarin milk thistle, a plant that belongs to the sunflower family, has ancient origins in the Mediterranean. It was initially used for liver problems and as an antidote for mushroom poisoning throughout Europe. In the 1970s, German scientists were able to identify silymarin as a flavonolignan responsible for its therapeutic uses.

Description

Silymarin milk thistle is classified as an annual or biennial broadleaf plant, growing from 2 to 6 1/2 feet tall. It has stiff, erect stems with spiny leaves of white veins running through them that look much like spilled milk, hence the name "milk thistle." Lower leaves can be 6 to 28 inches long, gradually becoming smaller toward the top of the plant.
The flower is a purple thistle that blooms from April to July. Beneath the flower head are large spines up to 2 inches long. The fruit of the plant contains the seeds, which have tufts on them to carry them through the wind for propagation.

History

The purple flowering plant was probably identified as an herbal remedy by Dioscorides, a first century Greek physician, who used it as an antidote for snake bites. In the 1900s in Germany, the milk thistle was used to treat a variety of liver ailments and was considered as valuable as calling on the Virgin Mary. The herb therefore came to be called Mary thistle, and the white striations on the leaves were thought to be the Virgin Mary's milk.

Other Names

The name of the silymarin milk thistle has many variants: St. Mary's thistle, our lady's thistle, Marian thistle and silybum thistle. The Latin name used in botany is Silybum marianum, the "marianum" for Mary.

Silymarin

Silymarin is the active compound found within the milk thistle plant. It is a flavonolignan comprised of several other flavonolignans: silybin or silibinin being the most abundant. It is a chemical that does not dissolve well in water, but is better absorbed in fats. Although it can be found throughout the plant, it is mostly concentrated in the flowering thistle, within the shiny black seeds, at concentrations of 4 to 6 percent.

Uses

The German Health Authorities have established a group with a publication called Expanded Commission E Monographs to develop acceptable uses of silymarin milk thistle. Since 1970, they have used milk thistle to safeguard the liver from infections and for the treatment of hepatitis. It also has a long history of treating poisoning from death cap mushrooms, a fatal toxin that silymarin is effective against if used within the first few hours.
The benefits of silymarin to inhibit the hepatitis C virus have been studied at the University of Washington, Laboratory of Medicine. They have found silymarin to be an anti-inflammatory agent and antioxidant that has hepatoprotective effects, which means "protecting the liver." This was published in the March 2010 issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Safety

Silymarin milk thistle has been shown to be relatively safe, with few side effects. If any, some gastric distress or diarrhea has been noted, but is not considered serious, and usually resolves itself.