Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum) is a tall annual or biennial of the daisy family, Asteraceae, native to the Mediterranean and naturalized in California, Australia and much of the temperate world. It forms a rosette of large, glossy, spiny leaves marbled with white veins, which legend attributes to the Virgin Mary's milk, and sends up a stem 1-2 m tall topped with purple thistle heads set in a ring of sharp, spiny bracts. The hard, glossy brown-black seeds carry a silky white pappus. We extract the dried leaf and the dried seed separately.
Tincture or alcohol-free drops?
Both start from the same dried plant material and cold maceration. The tincture uses organic alcohol
as the solvent, keeps for years and is the classic herbal form. The alcohol-free drops (glycerite) use
vegetable glycerin and purified water, taste mildly sweet and suit anyone avoiding alcohol. The amount of
dried herb per serving is printed on each label.
* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose,
treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Please consult your healthcare provider before using any herbal supplement.