Milk Thistle, as illustrated in the figure, is the national plant of Scotland and is the sacred plant of nine-fold goddess Mari who is a sea goddess that can take the form of a snake. Milk Thistle is also known as Holy Thistle, Ladys Thistle, Marian Thistle, Mary Thistle, Our Ladys Thistle, St. Mary Thistle, Silybum and Silymarin. It is one of the easiest thistles to identify thanks to distinctive white marbling on the leaves that is obvious even on tiny seedlings. It is normally a biennial herb growing up to 6 feet tall (but normally shorter), with coarse, prickly-edged leaves streaked with white veins. The plant is found in dry rocky soil in Europe and the U.S. Although, we have suggested Milk Thistle is synonymous with silymarin, the plant extract is actually a mixture of the herb's active components, including silybinin (also called silibinin or silybin). The active flavonoids are extracted from the seeds of the dried flower.In order to standardize the dose, it is extracted from special hybrid seeds to create an optimal flavonoid level of silymarin including silybinin, silydianin and silychristin.

Silymarin is most often considered beneficial because it both protects the liver, and improves its function. The liver is one of the body's most important organs, second in size only to the skin. Silymarin is known to protect the liver by strengthening the outer membranes of liver cells, which prevents toxins from entering the cells and it has be shown to be beneficial to damaged livers by several studies. For example see the studies by Hildebert Wagner and Otto Seligmann at the University of Munich, West Germany.

Silymarin/ Milk Thistle is sometimes recommended for gallstones and psoriasis, but there is little firm evidence as yet that it really helps these conditions. And is probably most beneficial for these conditions for people who have more chronic issues. The compounds works as a demulcent and helps stimulates bile flow.

There are few issues related to low tolerance or contra-indications of the herb .Silymarin is sold either in capsule form, especially from concentrate, or in a form that contains other substances (such as beta-cyclodextrin or phosphatidylcholine (silipide) that render milk thistle more soluble in water). It can be consider relatively safe for most people to use - but as ever you should get a second opinion for your medical doctor. Silymarin is so well respected as a therapeutic agent that many health care practitioners around the world prescribe Milk Thistle to treat a variety of problems. It is widely used in the treatment of hepatitis (particularly hepatitis C), however results from four viral hepatitis studies were contradictory.

Milk Thistle is used as the antidote to poisoning from deathcap (Amanita phalloides) and the Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria). – these mushrooms destroys the liver if it is untreated. The product works by strengthen the outer protective membrane of liver cells so that they are better at deflecting toxins.