Silybum marianum

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Silybum marianum
Light:Full Sun
Moisture:Xeric Mesic
Hardiness:7
Soil pH:5.6-8.4
Life Cycle:Biennial
Height:4'
Width:3'
Speed:Fast
Blooms:Mid Summer-Early Fall
Native to:
Edible Rating:PFAF Edibility RatingPFAF Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating:PFAF Medicinal RatingPFAF Medicinal Rating
Tea:Yes
Poisonous

Silybum marianum (common name: milk thistle)

Propagation: Seed - if sown in situ during March or April, the plant will usually flower in the summer and complete its life cycle in one growing season[K]. The seed can also be sown from May to August when the plant will normally wait until the following year to flower and thus behave as a biennial[K]. The best edible roots should be produced from a May/June sowing, whilst sowing the seed in the spring as well as the summer should ensure a supply of edible leaves all year round[K].

Cultivation: Succeeds in any well-drained fertile garden soil[1][2]. Prefers a calcareous soil[3] and a sunny position[2].

Hardy to about -15°c[2].

The blessed thistle is a very ornamental plant that was formerly cultivated as a vegetable crop[1][4][5].

Young plants are prone to damage from snails and slugs[2]. Plants will often self sow freely[K].

Range: S. Europe, N. Africa and W. Asia. Naturalized in Britain.

Habitat: Waste places[6], usually close to the sea[7], especially if the ground is dry and rocky[8].

Edibility: Root - raw or cooked[1][9][10][11][12]. A mild flavour and somewhat mucilaginous texture[K]. When boiled, the roots resemble salsify (Tragopogon hispanicus)[1][10][13].

Leaves - raw or cooked[1][10][7][11][14][13]. The very sharp leaf-spines must be removed first[15][12], which is quite a fiddly operation[K]. The leaves are quite thick and have a mild flavour when young, at this time they are quite an acceptable ingredient of mixed salads, though they can become bitter in hot dry weather[K]. When cooked they make an acceptable spinach substitute[5]. It is possible to have leaves available all year round from successional sowings[K].

Flower buds - cooked[1][5]. A globe artichoke substitute[3][12], they are used before the flowers open. The flavour is mild and acceptable, but the buds are quite small and even more fiddly to use than globe artichokes[K].

Stems - raw or cooked[10][16]. They are best peeled and can be soaked to reduce the bitterness[7][12]. Palatable and nutritious[10][13], they can be used like asparagus or rhubarb[3] or added to salads. They are best used in spring when they are young[17].

A good quality oil is obtained from the seeds[10].

The roasted seed is a coffee substitute[18][15][4][12].

Medicinal: Blessed thistle has a long history of use in the West as a remedy for depression and liver problems[19]. Recent research has confirmed that it has a remarkable ability to protect the liver from damage resulting from alcoholic and other types of poisoning[19].

The whole plant is astringent, bitter, cholagogue, diaphoretic, diuretic, emetic, emmenagogue, hepatic, stimulant, stomachic and tonic[10][18][20][8][5]. It is used internally in the treatment of liver and gall bladder diseases, jaundice, cirrhosis, hepatitis and poisoning[5]. The plant is harvested when in flower and dried for later use[5].

Silymarin, an extract from the seed, acts on the membranes of the liver cells preventing the entry of virus toxins and other toxic compounds and thus preventing damage to the cells[21]. It also dramatically improves liver regeneration in hepatitis, cirrhosis, mushroom poisoning and other diseases of the liver[22][5][19]. German research suggests that silybin (a flavonoid component of the seed) is clinically useful in the treatment of severe poisoning by Amanita mushrooms[22]. Seed extracts are produced commercially in Europe[22]. Regeneration of the liver is particularly important in the treatment of cancer since this disease is always characterized by a severely compromised and often partially destroyed liver[K].

A homeopathic remedy is obtained from equal parts of the root and the seed with its hulls still attached[10]. It is used in the treatment of liver and abdominal disorders[23].

Usage: A good green manure plant, producing a lot of bulk for incorporation into the soil[K].

Pollinators: Bees

Habit: Biennial

Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.

Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.

Wind: Tolerates strong winds

In Leaf: Evergreen

Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Mid Fall

Flower Type: Hermaphrodite

Known Hazards: When grown on nitrogen rich soils, especially those that have been fed with chemical fertilizers, this plant can concentrate nitrates in the leaves. Nitrates are implicated in stomach cancers.

Also Known As: Carduus marianus.

Links

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Loewenfeld, Claire and Philippa Back. Britain's Wild Larder. David and Charles.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
  6. ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Mabey, Richard. Food for Free. Collins, 1974.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Mills, Simon. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
  9. ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 10.7 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Larkcom, Joy. Salads all the Year Round. Hamlyn, 1980.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Sowerby, John. The Useful Plants of Great Britain. 1862.
  14. ↑ Polunin, Oleg. Flowers of the Mediterranean. Hogarth Press, 1987.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
  16. ↑ Polunin, Oleg. Flowers of Europe. Oxford University Press, 1969.
  17. ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, 1983.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 Chevallier, Andrew. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. Dorling Kindersley, 1996.
  20. ↑ Natural Food Institute. Wonder Crops 1987.
  21. ↑ Phillips, Roger. Herbs. Pan Books, 1990.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
  23. ↑ Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.


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