Solaray One Daily Milk Thistle Extract

Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum), native to the Mediterranean region, is indigenous to both western and central Europe and is now found in the United States. An annual or biennial herb growing up to 10 feet tall, Milk Thistle has a large bright purple flowering head. It is often considered a pesky weed.

It gains its name from the milk white veins that streak its prickly-edged leaves. The plant contains the natural chemical substance Silymarin, an active constituent highly concentrated in the fruit, but also found in the seeds and leaves. Milk Thistle has been used as both a food and a health aid for hundreds of years.

Milk thistle was named Silybum for its large purple thistle-like flower heads by the Greek medical doctor, Dioscorides in 100 AD. Since ancient times, both the plant structures and seeds have been used to positively influence liver function and as a general tonic. Numerous modern clinical studies have proven that this plant, with its active silymarin constituent, has tremendous therapeutic application. It makes a delicious salad green and cooked vegetable, as well as a wholesome tea. Milk Thistle nutritionally enhances the liver's natural ability to process toxins and free radicals.