Milk Thistle

Either sow seeds in early spring for late summer flowering, or sow in late summer for flowering in early summer the following year. Either way, as these are large seeds that germinate and grow quickly, we recommend sowing the seeds directly into pots (rather than trays) – one seed per pot.

If you sow in the spring, sow indoors and plant out as soon as they are big enough to handle. Space the plants at least 2-3 feet apart and allow plenty of space for paths (the spikey leaves will stop all traffic on your paths if you don’t). If you sow in late summer, sow outdoors and move the pots indoors for the winter, then plant out the following spring. Late summer sowing normally produces higher seed yields.

The seeds help the liver to do what it does best by encouraging the flow of bile from the liver and gallbladder. It seems to bring life to the liver acting as an antioxidant that restores the liver to optimum function.

Amongst the array of secondary metabolites, the type of polyphenol called flavolignans, including the well-known to phytochemists complex of silymarin, have a protective and rejuvenating effect on liver cells. And this is remarkable to the extent that its been shown to neutralise the toxic effects of one of Nature’s most poisonous mushrooms- Amanaita phalloids, the Avening Angel, producing the liver-destroying alkaloids amanantine and phalloidine (a treatment has now been developed into an injectable form for acute poisoning). This points to including milk thistle whenever there is exposure to high levels of chemicals and pollution, whether through diet, medication or unprotected contact.

As the name alludes to, and the Doctrine of Signatures attests to, milk thistle is also used as a galactagogue- to enhance the flow of breast milk and care for the young, just as Our Lady bestows care upon her children. The ‘milky’ white veins are a helpful ‘sign’ and a pointer to the herbalist.

The silymarin content of milk thistle seed is about 4% and the extracts used for many trials contain 60-80%, so you need quite a hefty dose to garner some of its more recent clinically evidenced benefits. That said these flavolignans do extract well in a high percentage of alcohol (70%).

An easy way to include them in your diet is to grind them with flax seeds and sprinkle on your food- up to 10g per day.

Well, good luck! You’ll need some body armour for this job. Prepare well, cover up and with a sturdy pair of gloves use secateurs to snip off the browned seed head as the tufty pappus start to push out from the middle. The seed heads do not all mature at the same time, so you will need to keep coming back to catch the seed heads between starting to open and flying away in the wind.

Once harvested, leave them to dry somewhere the seeds can fall as they open up. Then you can carefully pull the seeds out or bash-rub in a bag. Winnow off the pappus and store in an airtight container.

Make a tincture 2:1@70%