Silybum marianum – member of Asteraceae family, which also includes sunflowers and daisies 

Native to: Mediterranean, Europe, Central Asia & India, Parts of Africa  

Modern distribution: North America, Parts of South Pacific, and South America  

Common Names:  Mediterranean Milk Thistle, Blessed Milk Thistle, St. Mary’s Thistle, Holy Thistle, Virgin Thistle, Christ’s Crown, variegated thistle. 

Parts used – active compounds: The seed of milk thistle contains silymarin: an active flavonolignan complex as well as fatty acids.  

Main Therapeutic Uses

Liver disorders – liver regeneration, liver detoxification. 

Milk thistle, or Silybum marianum, is a flowering herb native to the Mediterranean region. It has been used for over 2,000 years as a therapeutic plant medicine. The Greek physician Dioscorides was among the first to document its medicinal applications in the first century AD. 

Milk thistle was traditionally used to treat jaundice, hepatitis, and other liver-related conditions. The active compound, silymarin, is believed to protect and regenerate liver cells. 

In modern herbal medicine, milk thistle is widely used as a liver tonic and detoxifier, supported by numerous studies validating its hepatoprotective effects. Specifically, studies have looked at milk thistle’s potential as a toxin blockade agent, its abilities to reduce liver injury, as well as its role in treating alcoholic liver disease, acute and chronic viral hepatitis, and toxin-induced liver diseases.  

Milk Thistle at St. Francis

From Deedee – St. Francis Farm Manager 

“Milk Thistle demonstrates the concentrated power of seeds for use in natural medicine, the delicacy of their growth and harvest, and our attention to processing them into medicine.  

Beginning in the greenhouse, from seed we grow these fleshy thistles – named for the milky variegation of their leaves. A pollinator feast, these brilliant purple flowers attract a multitude of butterflies, moths, and bees, often a comfy bed for an overnight snooze for bumblebees.  

The seeds are harvested at peak and cured, before our grinding specialist Mark pulverizes them to a fine powder, to ensure full extraction of all the healing and supportive properties.” 

Fun fact! Approximately 100 milk Thistle seeds – around three flowers – are harvested to produce enough seeds for each of our 50ml Tincture! 

Folklore and symbolism: This prickly plant has distinctive purple flowers and white veins, which traditional stories say were caused by a drop of the Virgin Mary’s milk falling onto its leaves. It is said to be a symbol of resilience and protection and is the national flower of Scotland.

Products Featuring Milk Thistle