Silymarin

Silymarin

HerbaSilybi

Holly thistle, blended thistle

[alias] pheasant, milk thistle and Rattus.

[source] the whole plant and achene of Silybum marianum (L.) Gaerth.

[plant morphology] a biennial herb. The stem is erect, 30-200cm high, branched, smooth or covered with arachnoid hairs, with longitudinal grooves. The leaves are alternate, the basal leaves are usually flat on the ground, forming rosette shape, long elliptic lanceolate, deep or shallow pinnate division, the marginal teeth have spines, 40-80cm long and 10-30cm wide, the surface is bright green, with milky white stripes, the basal part embraces the stem; the middle and upper leaves are gradually smaller, and the upper leaves are lanceolate. The inflorescence is 3-6cm in diameter, with single branch apex, broad spherical involucre, leathery involucre and long spines at the top; the tubular flowers are purplish red, light red or rarely white. Achenes oblong, dark brown or black. There are longitudinal stripes and white stripes; the crown hairs are mostly white, unequal in length, and the base is united into a ring. The flowering period is from May to June and the fruiting period is from June to July.

It is introduced and cultivated in Jiangsu, Shaanxi and Beijing.

[harvesting] leaves are harvested in spring and seeds are harvested in summer.

[chemical constituents] the whole plant contains flavonoids and fumaric acid; the seed contains silybin, isosilybin, dehydro silybin, silydianin, silychristin, silybin polymer and cinnamic acid, myristic acid, palmitoleic acid, arachidonic acid, etc.

Cold in nature and bitter in taste.

[indications] the whole herb is used for swelling and erysipelas; the fruit and extract are used for liver disease, spleen disease, gallstone, jaundice and chronic cough.