The formal name of milk thistle is Silybum marianum, but it is also called Holy Thistle, Variegated Thistle and Lady's Thistle in some circles. Milk thistle is a cousin to the sunflower and is native to a specific and narrow region in the Mediterranean. However, it has been growing now for centuries in California and throughout much of Europe as a common weed. It produces shiny, black seeds covered in feather-like tuffs that have been used throughout a long history in the realm of herbal medicine.

Edible thistles from the plant were served to the Roman army more than 1900 years ago. The leaves contain a milky white mottling substance - hence the name "milk" thistle.

You can use milk thistle powder to assist you with combating a wide variety of health ailments including, but not limited to:

·           Congestive heart failure;

·           Various disorders of the kidneys;

·           Hepatitis B and C;

·           Treatment for certain types of mushroom poisoning;

·           Treatment for fatty buildups in the livers of alcoholics;

·           Cirrhosis of the liver;

·           Congestion of the spleen;

Milk thistle powder is made from the threshed, dried and crushed seeds of the plants and contain the following life-improving constituents:

·           Silymarin (silibinin, silydianin, and silychristin);

·           Vitamin E (tocopherols);

·           and about 90% fatty acids.

Milk thistle powder is encapsulated or used in warm infusions primarily. Milk thistle powder infusions and encapsulations stimulate the liver to release bile and this may result in mild cases of diarrhea.