Milk Thistle
Silybum marianum
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Asterales Family: Asteraceae Subfamily: Carduoideae Tribe: Cynareae Genus: Silybum Adans.
Species
Silybum eburneum Silybum marianum Silybum × gonzaloi

Thistle flower

Dried Thistle flowers at the beginning of summer

Milk thistles are thistles of the genus Silybum Adans., flowering plants of the daisy family (Asteraceae). They are native to the Mediterranean regions of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Whilst health uses mostly for chronic liver disease have been traditionally claimed for the plant, increasing research is being undertaken on this and other possible medical uses.^[1] Species Sonchus asper (spiny sow thistle) Sonchus arvensis (field or perennial sow thistle) Sonchus dregeanus Sonchus integrifolius Sonchus nanus Sonchus oleraceus (common sow thistle) Sonchus wilmsii (milk thistle) Sow thistle (less commonly hare thistle or hare lettuce) is the common name for a number of related annual herbs in the... Download high resolution version (800x1187, 198 KB)Silybum marianum - image taken on 5 April 2004, near the Zavitan river, Golan Heights, Israel. ... Scientific classification redirects here. ... For other uses, see Plant (disambiguation). ... Classes Magnoliopsida - Dicots Liliopsida - Monocots The flowering plants (also angiosperms or Magnoliophyta) are one of the major groups of modern plants, comprising those that produce seeds in specialized reproductive organs called flowers, where the ovulary or carpel is enclosed. ... Magnoliopsida is the botanical name for a class of flowering plants. ... Families Alseuosmiaceae Argophyllaceae Asteraceae - Daisies Calyceraceae Campanulaceae (incl. ... Diversity About 1500 genera and 23,000 species Type Genus Aster L. Subfamilies Barnadesioideae Cichorioideae Tribe Arctotidae Tribe Cardueae Tribe Eremothamneae Tribe Lactuceae Tribe Liabeae Tribe Mutisieae Tribe Tarchonantheae Tribe Vernonieae Asteroideae Tribe Anthemideae Tribe Astereae Tribe Calenduleae Tribe Eupatorieae Tribe Gnaphalieae Tribe Helenieae Tribe Heliantheae Tribe Inuleae Tribe Plucheae... Hi I am Adanson. ... Species Silybum eburneum Silybum marianum Silybum × gonzaloi Ref: IPNI Query The milk thistles are the genus Silybum of flowering plants, in the daisy family (Asteraceae). ... Download high resolution version (800x649, 150 KB)Milk Thistle Flower Taken by fir0002 File links The following pages link to this file: Milk thistle Categories: GFDL images ... Download high resolution version (800x649, 150 KB)Milk Thistle Flower Taken by fir0002 File links The following pages link to this file: Milk thistle Categories: GFDL images ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Milk thistle flowerhead Thistledown a method of seed dispersal by wind. ... Classes Magnoliopsida - Dicots Liliopsida - Monocots The flowering plants or angiosperms are the most widespread group of land plants. ... Diversity About 1500 genera and 23,000 species Type Genus Aster L. Subfamilies Barnadesioideae Cichorioideae Tribe Arctotidae Tribe Cardueae Tribe Eremothamneae Tribe Lactuceae Tribe Liabeae Tribe Mutisieae Tribe Tarchonantheae Tribe Vernonieae Asteroideae Tribe Anthemideae Tribe Astereae Tribe Calenduleae Tribe Eupatorieae Tribe Gnaphalieae Tribe Helenieae Tribe Heliantheae Tribe Inuleae Tribe Plucheae... The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea positioned between Europe to the north, Africa to the south and Asia to the east, covering an approximate area of 2. ...  Northern Africa (UN subregion)  geographic, including above North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan Africa. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... Chronic liver disease is a liver disease of slow process and persisting over a long period of time, resulting in a progressive destruction of the liver. ...

Description and classification

Members of this genus grow as annual or biennial plants. The erect stem is tall, branched and furrowed but not spiny. The large, alternate leaves are waxy-lobed, toothed and thorny, as in other genera of thistle. The lower leaves are cauline (attached to the stem without petiole). The upper leaves have a clasping base. They have large, disc-shaped pink-to-purple, rarely white, solitary flower heads at the end of the stem. The flowers consist of tubular florets. The phyllaries under the flowers occur in many rows, with the outer row with spine-tipped lobes and apical spines. The fruit is a black achene with a white pappus.
Only two species are currently classified in this genus: Peas are an annual plant. ... A Biennial plant is a plant that takes between twelve and twenty-four months to complete its lifecycle. ... Stem showing internode and nodes plus leaf petiole and new stem rising from node. ... Look up foliage in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Leaf of Dog Rose (Rosa canina), showing the petiole and two leafy stipules In botany, the petiole is the small stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. ... For other uses, see Flower (disambiguation). ... Example of a flower head. ... Raised thorns on the stem of the wait-a-bit climber Thorns on rose stems A spine is a rigid, pointed surface protuberance or needle-like structure on an animal, shell, or plant, presumably serving as a defense against attack by predators. ... An achene is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. ... For other uses, see Species (disambiguation). ...

• Silybum eburneum Coss. & Dur., known as the Silver Milk Thistle, Elephant Thistle, or Ivory Thistle
  • Silybum eburneum Coss. & Dur. var. hispanicum
• Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertner, the Blessed Milk Thistle, which has a large number of other common names, such as Variegated Thistle.

The two species hybridise naturally, the hybrid being known as Silybum × gonzaloi Cantó , Sánchez Mata & Rivas Mart. (S. eburneum var. hispanicum x S. marianum) Carl Linnaeus, Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as  , (May 13, 1707[1] – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist[2] who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of nomenclature. ... Species Silybum eburneum Silybum marianum Silybum × gonzaloi Ref: IPNI Query The milk thistles are the genus Silybum of flowering plants, in the daisy family (Asteraceae). ... This article is about a biological term. ...

A number of other plants have been classified in this genus in the past but have since been relocated elsewhere in the light of additional research.

S. marianum is by far the more widely known species. It is believed to give some remedy for liver diseases (e.g. viral hepatitis) and an extract, silymarin, is used in medicine. The adverse effect of the medicinal use of milk thistle is loose stools. The liver is the largest internal organ in the human body, and is an organ present in vertebrates and some other animals. ... In medicine (gastroenterology), hepatitis is any disease featuring inflammation of the liver. ... Silibinin (INN) (silybin, Legalon®) is the major active constituent of silymarin, the mixture of flavonolignans extracted from plant Milk thistle (Silybum marianum). ...

Health benefits

Milk thistle has been reported to have protective effects on the liver and to greatly improve its function. It is typically used to treat liver cirrhosis, chronic hepatitis (liver inflammation), and gallbladder disorders. The active compound in Milk thistle is silymarin, a mixture of at least 4 closely related flavonolignans, 60% to 70% of which is a mixture of 2 diastereomers of silybin. Silymarin is typically administered in amount ranging from 200-500mg per day. Whether or not these dosages are optimal is not known; no scientific data on which to base effective dosage level guidelines is available. The liver is the largest internal organ in the human body, and is an organ present in vertebrates and some other animals. ... Cirrhosis is a chronic disease of the liver in which liver tissue is replaced by connective tissue, resulting in the loss of liver function. ... Hepatitis (plural hepatitides) implies injury to liver characterised by presence of inflammatory cells in the liver tissue. ... The gallbladder (or cholecyst, sometimes gall bladder) is a pear-shaped organ that can accomodate up to 60 ml of bile (or gall) until the body needs it for digestion. ...

Research into the biological activity of silymarin and its possible medical uses has been conducted in many countries since the 1970s, but the quality of the research has been uneven.^[1]

Reviews of the literature covering clinical studies of silymarin vary in their conclusions. A review using only studies with both double-blind and placebo protocols concluded that milk thistle and its derivatives "does not seem to significantly influence the course of patients with alcoholic and/or hepatitis B or C liver diseases."^[2] A different review of the literature, performed for the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, found that, while there is strong evidence of legitimate medical benefits, the studies done to date are of such uneven design and quality that no firm conclusions about degrees of effectiveness for specific conditions or appropriate dosage can yet be made. ^[3] The double blind is ray charles is ray charlesis ray charlesis ray charlesis ray charlesis ray charlesis ray charlesis ray charlesis ray charlesis ray charlesis ray charlesis ray charlesis ray charlesis ray charlesis ray charlesis ray charlesis ray charlesis ray charlesis ray charlesof the scientific method, used to prevent research... For other uses, see Placebo (disambiguation). ...

A review of studies of silymarin and liver disease which are available on the web shows an interesting pattern: studies which tested low dosages of silymarin concluded that silymarin was ineffective^[4] while studies which used significantly larger doses concluded that silymarin was biologically active and had therapeutic effects.^[5]

Beside benefits for liver disease, treatment claims include:

• Lowering cholesterol levels
• Reducing insulin resistance in people with type 2 diabetes who also have cirrhosis
• Reducing the growth of cancer cells in breast, cervical, and prostate cancers.^[6]
• Milk thistle is also used in many products claiming to reduce the effects of a hangover.

Cholesterol is a sterol (a combination steroid and alcohol). ... Not to be confused with inulin. ... This article is about the disease that features high blood sugar. ... Cancer is a class of diseases or disorders characterized by uncontrolled division of cells and the ability of these to spread, either by direct growth into adjacent tissue through invasion, or by implantation into distant sites by metastasis (where cancer cells are transported through the bloodstream or lymphatic system). ... Breast cancer is cancer of breast tissue. ... Cervical cancer is a malignant cancer of the cervix. ... HRPC redirects here. ... For other uses, see Hangover (disambiguation). ...

See also

• Blessed milk thistle
• Cnicus (Blessed thistle)

Species Silybum eburneum Silybum marianum Silybum × gonzaloi Ref: IPNI Query The milk thistles are the genus Silybum of flowering plants, in the daisy family (Asteraceae). ... Binomial name Cnicus benedictus L. Cnicus benedictus (Blessed Thistle), the sole species in the genus Cnicus, is a thistle-like plant in the family Asteraceae, native to the Mediterranean region, from Portugal north to southern France and east to Turkey. ...

Footnotes

1. ^ ^{a b} Gazák R, Walterová D, Kren V (2007). "Silybin and silymarin--new and emerging applications in medicine". Curr. Med. Chem. 14 (3): 315–38. doi:10.2174/092986707779941159. PMID 17305535. 
2. ^ Rambaldi A, Jacobs BP, Iaquinto G, Gluud C (2005). "Milk thistle for alcoholic and/or hepatitis B or C liver diseases--a systematic cochrane hepato-biliary group review with meta-analyses of randomized clinical trials". Am. J. Gastroenterol. 100 (11): 2583–91. doi:10.1111/j.1572-0241.2005.00262.x. PMID 16279916. 
3. ^ Lawrence, Valerie MD, MSc et al. (2000). "Milk Thistle: Effects on Liver Disease and Cirrhosis and Clinical Adverse Effects". AHRQ Publication No. 01-E025. 
4. ^ Angulo P, Patel T, Jorgensen RA, Therneau TM, Lindor KD (2001). "Silymarin in the treatment of patients with primary biliary cirrhosis with a suboptimal response to ursodeoxycholic acid". Hepatology. 2001 Feb;33(2):483-4. 32: 897. doi:10.1053/jhep.2000.18663. PMID 11050036. 
5. ^ Lieber CS, Leo MA, Cao Q, Ren C, DeCarli LM. (2003). "Silymarin retards the progression of alcohol-induced hepatic fibrosis in baboons". Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology. 2003 Oct;37(4):336-9.. PMID 14506392. 
6. ^ National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Milk Thistle. National Institutes of Health. - General information on milk thistle

A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ... A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ... A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ... National Institutes of Health Building 50 at NIH Clinical Center - Building 10 The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is an agency of the United States Ministry of Health and Human Services and is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. ...

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Silybum marianum

• Milk thistle (Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn.) - information at the site of Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board
• Flora K, Hahn M, Rosen H, Benner K (1998). "Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) for the therapy of liver disease". Am. J. Gastroenterol. 93 (2): 139–43. doi:10.1111/j.1572-0241.1998.00139.x. PMID 9468229. 
• Hepatitis C Treatment Conclusions by various referenced studies on the potential use of milk thistle in treating Hepatitis C and other liver health issues.
• Intravenous Milk Thistle Compound Used to Save Victims of Poisonous Mushrooms