Milk Thistle

Brief description

Milk thistle is an important medicinal plant which is also known by the names of milk thistle, common thistle, milk thistle, etc. These are historical designations. The current name was given to the plant in 1989. The thistle belongs to the Asteraceae family, the star family. It is an annual to biennial plant that can grow up to 250 cm tall, but most often grows to 150 cm. The stem and leaves are hairy and the upper part of the stem is branched. The relatively large leaves have toothed margins. The leaves are stiff and pale. The ground leaves form rosettes. The thistle produces purple flowers, and after flowering it produces fruit, i.e. hairy achenes. Milk thistle can be found in many places. Its original territory was the Canary Islands, across the mainland around the Mediterranean Sea, into Antarctica and Asia Minor. From there, it spread all over the world. It is found up to 700 metres above sea level. It is most often found on clay and sandy loam soils. Milk thistle requires the soil to be sufficiently rich in nutrients. In its wild form, it can be found in heathland, composts, etc. Milk thistle has been known for many centuries. Texts from ancient Greece and Rome are documented. It came into greater use in the 16th century. It was used by healers and doctors of the time. Various types of decoctions, extracts and tinctures were produced and used mainly for problems with the abdominal cavity, i.e. the stomach, intestines and liver. The fruit and seeds of milk thistle are mainly used, with less use of the leaves or root.

Ingredients:

The composition of the fruit and seeds, which are most commonly used, also indicates its effects. The most important are undoubtedly the substances belonging to the silymarin complex, the flavonoids: silybin A, silybin B, isosilybin A, sosilybin B, silycristin, dehydrosilybin, apigenin and silydianin. The flavonoids such as silandrin, silybinome, silyhermin, etc. are separate. The seeds also contain a high proportion of lipids, fatty acids, where the more suitable for us, i.e. unsaturated, predominate. These include linoleic acid, oleic acid, palmitoleic acid, etc. Essential oils are another important component, e.g. gamma cadinene and alpha pinene are present in the seeds. Terpene compounds such as limonene, terpinen-4-ol, beta caryophyllene and alpha humulene are also present. Polysaccharides, amino acids (e.g. lysine, threonine, glycine, leucine...), vitamins and minerals are also an integral part of milk thistle.

Approved health claims according to the EU:

Many substances with beneficial effects are hidden in the seeds and fruits. Many studies have been carried out with milk thistle, both in the laboratory and clinically with volunteers.

Among the truly well-established and recognised effects of milk thistle is its influence on the function of certain organs and processes in the body:

• Normal digestion and liver function, cleansing
• Antioxidant
• Normal blood sugar levels
• Normal heart function
• Natural defenses - immunity

Please be advised that our website can no longer make claims that are not EU approved health claims and could give the impression of any medicinal effect of herbs or mushrooms. Current EU legislation prohibits this. This is despite the fact that traditional Chinese medicine has worked for thousands of years and has been tested on countless patients. At the same time, we must not mention the effects proven by contemporary scientific studies. But we believe in the common sense of our customers. For detailed information about herbs and mushrooms, please search the publicly available sources on the Internet. For example, valuable information can be found at www.tcmencyklopedie.cz.