Carduus marianus L.; S. maculatum (Scop.) Moench; and others Asteraceae (Compositae) Blessed thistle; holy thistle; lady’s milk; lady’s thistle; St. Mary’s thistle; and others Silybi mariani fructus Dried ripe fruits, freed from the pappus Flavonolignans (1.5–3.0%) which, together with a flavonoid—taxifolin (a 2,3-dihydroflavonol) – are collectively known as silymarin, comprising 65–80% of the crude extract. The major components of silymarin include two pairs of a 1:1 mixture of diastereoisomers, silybin A and silybin B (previously thought to be a single compound, silibinin), with isosilybin A, isosilybin B, silychristin, silydianin, 2,3-dehydrosilybin and 2,3-dihydrosilychristin (Lee and Liu 2003; WHO 2004). Clinical data to support the main traditional uses of milk thistle are sparse and conflicting. A double-blind placebo-controlled study in which 60 patients diagnosed with functional dyspepsia were treated with a proprietary herbal preparation containing milk thistle, in combination with eight other herbs, showed that the herbal preparation significantly improved symptoms compared with placebo (Madisch et al. 2001). However, no data on the effectiveness of mono-preparations of milk thistle for indigestion were found. Data to support the use of milk thistle preparations to treat liver diseases are mixed (Abenavoli et al. 2010). A Cochrane review assessed 13 randomised controlled trials in patients (n
Milk Thistle
Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn.
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