Milk thistle is native to southern Europe, northern Africa, southern Russia, and western Asia; the plant has been naturalized in North and South America, central Europe, and southern Australia. The material used medicinally comes exclusively from cultivations, mainly in Argentina, China, Romania, Hungary, some Mediterranean countries and northern Germany.
Milk thistle in herbal medicine.
In herbal medicine, the ripe fruits of milk thistle (Silybi mariani fructus) are used. Less commonly, the aerial parts of the plant (milk thistle herb, Cardui mariae herba) are used, but their efficacy has not been proven, and therapeutic use is therefore not advocated.
Milk thistle: typical characteristics
Milk thistle is a 2-year-old, 60-150 cm tall, thistle-like plant with large leaves that have spiny tips. The leaves are dark green, but have characteristic white spots along the leaf veins.
The plant has reddish-purple flower heads about 6 cm tall, consisting only of narrow tubular flowers surrounded by strong, protruding spines.
Milk thistle fruit as a medicine.
The fruits are brown-black and about 6 mm long. Milk thistle fruits are obliquely ovoid, about 6 mm in size, and have a shiny, brown-black fruit skin. There is a protruding, yellowish bead at the top.
Odor and taste
The odor of milk thistle fruit is very faint and barely noticeable. The seeds of the fruit taste oily, and the fruit skin has a bitter taste.
