Blessed Milkthistle "White" (Holy thistle, Lady's thistle, Mary thistle)

St. Maria's Thistle "White" - Silybum marianum var. albiflorum.
Improves liver function!
Medicinal annual from the Asteraceae family.
Homeland: Mediterranean (wastelands, rocky places, roadsides).
Special characteristics: pure white flower.
Foliage: marbled with white veins.
An attractive plant for butterflies and other pollinators.
Natural flowering period: June - September.
Winter hardiness zones: Z6 - Z9.
Flowering plant height: 120 cm.
Distance between plants: 80 cm.
Soil requirements: dry, moderately fertile.
The seeds are elliptical, light brown to black in color. Seed yield - 5.2-6.2 c/ha. 1.0 g = 35-39 seeds. Not affected by diseases or pests.
The main component of milk thistle is a rare biologically active substance - silymarin, and in addition microelements: zinc, copper, selenium, the entire group of fat-soluble vitamins, some amino acids (about 200 biochemical components in total), which determines its versatility.
It is used primarily for the treatment of the liver, stomach, and intestines, although it has proven itself excellent for skin diseases, cardiovascular pathology, and diseases of the ear, nose and throat.
Milk thistle is loved for its absolute harmlessness, which is why it differs from other herbs. Milk thistle is added to confectionery, bread, and drinks.
Agricultural technology.
Soil preparation is standard. The main goal is maximum purity from weeds.
Sowing at the earliest possible date, but taking into account the possible forecast of frost at the seedling stage. The seeding rate (with germination rate of 70-80%) is 10-15 kg/ha. Weight of 1000 seeds = 20-30 g. Recommended row spacing is 45 cm.
Milk thistle seeds germinate extremely unevenly, but the germination rate can be increased if you ensure good contact between the seeds and the soil. This requires rolling the soil with a roller. Shoots appear on 10-12 days. The growing season is 110 days.
In the initial stage, milk thistle plants grow and develop slowly, fast-growing weeds inhibit it, so you need to know the nature of the weediness of the area and use the appropriate available weed control measures.
In the phase of intensive regrowth, it is necessary to apply foliar fertilizing with urea (50 kg/ha), treat with humate Na with Mo and B (25-35 g/ha and 150-250 g/ha, respectively). In the phase of intensive regrowth, it is necessary to apply foliar fertilizing with urea (50 kg/ha), treat with humate Na with Mo and B (25-35 g/ha and 150-250 g/ha, respectively).
The average yield is 5-10 c/ha.
Milk thistle is also a honey plant - up to 50 kg/ha.

* This prickly milk thistle plant grows up to 2 meters in height, with the flowering heads at the top being bright purple. This plant is native to Western and Central Europe; it also decorates the fields of America and Asia. In Scotland, this plant is a symbol of the country.
Milk thistle has been used as a medicine for thousands of years.
The history of its name can be read in the second word of the Latin name - Silybum marianum: for the people who named this plant, the white stripes on its leaves were the milk of the Holy Virgin Mary. Historical documents indicate that the ancient Greeks used an infusion of milk thistle fruit 2,000 years ago. It is believed that the Romans knew about its beneficial properties and used it in the treatment of liver diseases. In India, it is used in homeopathic and traditional medicine. And in Europe, milk thistle extract has long been recommended for liver disorders such as hepatitis and cirrhosis.
In an ancient medical reference book, the Greek herbalist Dioscorides recommended milk thistle for many diseases. And only in 1968, at the Munich Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, the biochemical composition of milk thistle was deciphered. The main component of the medicinal plant milk thistle is a rare biologically active substance - silymarin; in addition, microelements such as zinc, copper, selenium, the entire group of fat-soluble vitamins, quercetin, polyunsaturated fatty acids, some amino acids, flavolignans have been found - in total there are about 200 biochemical components than due to the multifaceted use of milk thistle.
Milk thistle is a plant for the treatment, first of all, of the liver, stomach, and intestines, although it has proven itself excellent for diseases of the skin, cardiovascular pathology, ear, throat, and nose. Milk thistle can be used to solve a number of gynecological problems. It is also used in the treatment of hemorrhoids. Healers love milk thistle for its absolute harmlessness, which is what distinguishes it from other herbs.
The active substance of milk thistle is silymarin (complex of flavonolignans - silibinin, etc.), which has a pronounced protective (protecting) and restoring effect on liver cells, has an antioxidant, detoxifying (neutralizing toxins and poisons) effect. Silymarin prevents the penetration of toxic substances into liver cells and decomposes other poisons before they begin to have their harmful effects.
Milk thistle is the only natural compound known today that protects liver cells and restores liver function.

Eng.: Milk Thistle, blessed milkthistle, blessed milk-thistle, holy thistle, lady's thistle, Mary thistle, St. Mary's thistle, variegated thistle. Pharm.: fructus silybi, semen cardui mariae. Bot. syn.: Carduus marianus L., Mariana mariana (L.) Hill.