Milk thistle Milk Thistle is a one-or two - year herb of the Asteraceae family, 60-150 cm tall. Blooms all summer. Milk Thistle fruits are harvested as medicinal raw materials. Composition The fruits of milk Thistle contain flavonoids and flavonolignans (silybin, silikristin, silidianin, etc.), in addition, alkaloids, saponins, mucus, organic acids, vitamin K, bitterness, fatty oil, protein and other substances. Properties Milk Thistle preparations improve the formation and excretion of bile, secretory and motor functions of the gastrointestinal tract, increase the protective properties of the liver in relation to infections and various poisoning. Application It is used for the treatment of liver diseases (hepatitis, cirrhosis, toxic lesions), spleen, gallstones, jaundice, chronic cough, thyroid disease, blood, salt deposits, venous dilation, edema, dropsy, obesity, sciatica and joint pain, hemorrhoids, allergic diseases. It is also used for the treatment of hard-healing leg ulcers, open fractures of the lower extremities, and for the treatment of varicose veins. In dermatology, milk Thistle is used to treat vitiligo, psoriasis, baldness, and acne. In folk herbal medicine, a decoction of milk Thistle roots is used for toothache in the form of rinses, diarrhea, urinary retention, sciatica and convulsions. Juice from milk Thistle leaves is drunk for constipation, inflammation of the colon and gastric mucosa. Flour from the seeds of milk Thistle reduces the rate of blood sugar levels, cleans even heavily intoxicated blood.