Milk Thistle is also known as Silybum marianum. This fairly typical thistle has red to purple flowers and shiny pale green leaves with white veins. Originally a native of Southern Europe and Asia, it is now found throughout the world.
Milk Thistle contains 3 bioflavonoids which are individually called silybin, silychristin and silydianin.
Traditional milk thistle extract is made from the seeds. The extract consists of about 65-80% silymarin and 20-35% fatty acids.
Milk Thistle has been used in various preparations for over 2000 years, and its use in traditional herbal medicine can be traced back to the Ancient Greeks and Romans.
