Milk thistle

Seeds: 75  / Botanical name: Silybum marianu

Valued for centuries as a medicinal plant and a nutritious food source

According to legend, a few drops of the Virgin Mary's milk fell onto the leaves of the milk thistle while she was breastfeeding the infant Jesus, causing the characteristic white spots on its leaves. Since the time of Hildegard von Bingen, milk thistle has been known as a medicinal plant, and in modern medicine, its active ingredients are used to detoxify the liver. Milk thistle grows up to 100 cm tall with spiny, toothed leaves and displays its spherical, purplish-red flowers from June to September.

Natural habitat: Its natural habitat is in southeastern Europe. There, and also in southern North America, the plant often occurs in vast stands.