Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn.)
Available to buy from the Purple Sage Web Shop as a tincture, capsule or dried seeds
Parts used: the mature fruit, devoid of the pappus
Constituents: silymarin (a flavonal lignan mixture), flavonoids, fatty oil
Pharmacopoeia Standard: the dried fruit should contain no less than 1.5 per cent of silymarin (silibinin)
Actions: bitter, cholagogue, hepatoprotective
Indications: loss of appetite, dyspepsia, toxic liver damage, cirrhosis, chronic inflammatory liver disease.
Applications: Milk thistle has a powerful protective action on the liver. Silymarin helps prevent the penetration of toxins into the liver cells and also stimulates the regenerative ability of the liver. It is used as an antidote to Death Cap mushroom poisoning.
Dosage: 450mg three times a day.
