Milk Thistle cold pressed seeds

Milk thistle (Silybum marianum (L.) Gaert.) is the yearling plant from family Asteraceae which occurs in moderate belt of northern hemisphere from the Middle East trough the Balkan Peninsula up to Western Europe. This plant has been used for its healing effects since time immemorial. It was described for the first time in the 4th century B.C. by Theophrast under the name “Pternix” and later, in the 1st century A.D. also by Dioscoride in the manuscript Materia medica as well as by Plinius in the manuscript Historia naturalis, while both of the authors call this plant species already by the same name as “Sillybum”. During the centuries, milk thistle used to be described in all significant herbal books of healing plants as a plant the fruits of which promote healing of some diseases of the liver and spleen.

Scientific corner

Milk thistle is a yearly plant which is intentionally growing in Czech Republic under GAP conditions. The main purpose of application of the Milk thistle fruit (seed) is the high content of flavonolignanes. These substances possess unique effect on protection of the liver against different types of toxines. Thus, the flavonolignanes are isolated from the Milk thistle fruit using extraction procedures giving the final product called Silymarine. Silymarine is a concentrate of flavonolignanes which is used in both human and animal medicine for its hepatoprotective, adaptogenic and antioxidantive properties.The crucial point of Silymarine production is the quality of the raw material. Its production must be performed under GMP conditions as the final product – Silymarine