The milk thistle is a biennial plant of the family Asteraceae and goes by the scientific name Silybum marianum.
It is also known as, blessed milk thistle, Marian thistle, scotch thistle among other names.
The fairly typical thistle has red to purple flowers; shiny pale grey leaves white veins.
This plant is native to Southern Europe, Asia and spread throughout the world.
What You Will Learn In This Post:
Where did the Silybum marianum Originate from?
As mentioned earlier it is native to the Mediterranean region of southern Europe and Asia.
It has been introduced outside its natural range in the states like Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, Colombia, and others.
In some of these regions, it is considered an invasive weed.
The milk thistle has been potentially observed to modify fire regimes in its invasive range.
How Milk Thistle Plants are Grown
The thistle plant is an upright herb that grows to 30-200cm in length and has an overall conical shape. The maximum base diameter is 160 cm and may be covered with thin alight cotton fuzz.
The leaves are oblong to lanceolate (15to 60cm long) and typically pinnately lobed with spiny edges. The leaves are also hairless, shiny green, and with milky white veins.
The flower heads are 4 to 12cm long and wide, of red-purple color. The thistle plant produces the flower from June to August in the North or December to February.
The flower head is surrounded by bracts which are hairless triangular spine edges tipped with a stout yellow spine.
The fruits are black achenes with a simple long white popup surrounds by a yellow basal ring. The pappus in this plant acts as a wind dispersal mechanism.
How do you Consume Milk Thistle?
The Marian thistle has been used in traditional medical treatment and has impressive health benefits. In modern days, the thistle is evaluated for use in the management of liver diseases.
It is considered safe in dosage of 420mg/day orally.
In another case study daily doses of 12 to 15g of dry fruits while an extract is considered effective in various liver disorders.
It has traditionally been used in pregnancy. However, caution should be used in pregnant and breastfeeding women.
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