Milk Thistle – 5 Seeds

Milk Thistle Seeds. Milk Thistle (Silybum Marianum) is grown both as an ornamental flower and as a culinary and medicinal herb. It is incredibly popular with pollinators, especially bees and various pollinating fly species like syrphid flies. It is a heady, spiny plant with white-veined leaves and purple flowers. The seed of the plant is commonly used to treat chronic inflammatory liver disorders and it is among the top-selling medicinal herbs. While milk thistle products are easy to come by, this is a great herb to grow at home. It requires very little care and a controlled environment to prevent invasive growth. This species is biennial plant of the family Asteraceae.

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Milk Thistle Culinary Uses

• Roots – the large carrot-like taproots on the young plants can be cooked and eaten before they get too old and fibrous.
• Leaves – the leaves can be cooked and eaten like spinach, although it’s advisable to cut the spines off first.
• Flowers – the young flower stems can be eaten before they mature and hollow.
• Stems – the immature flowers can be used to make sun tea; some people report eating them like their relative artichokes.
• Seeds – mature thistle seeds are the most commonly used edible part of the plant and can also be used as a coffee substitute.

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Milk Thistle Medicinal Benefits

It has been prized for centuries for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antiviral properties.

• Liver Support (Seeds/Flower Buds): It is highly regarded as a liver tonic due to high amounts of a chemical compound known as silymarin. Extensively used to stimulate liver repair, treat alcoholic hepatitis, fatty liver, and protect against toxins.
• Metabolic & Digestive Health (Leaves/Seeds): It is a bitter digestive and diuretic tonic herb. It stimulates bile flow. Used in teas and extracts to aid digestion, reduce gallbladder issues, and manage type 2 diabetes.
• Lactation & Other Benefits (Leaves): Traditionally used to increase breast milk production in nursing mothers. Studies suggest potential benefits for managing cholesterol, supporting cancer treatments, and increasing bone density.

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Growing Milk Thistle

Indoor Sowing: Not Recommended.

Direct Sowing: Spring and Autumn.

• It is a hardy plant that grows well in different environments, but it prefers high temperatures and dry conditions. The only requirement for milk thistle is a well-draining soil.
• Seedlings do not transplant well, so indoor sowing is not recommended.
• To grow milk thistle outdoors, sow seeds 90cm apart, directly into the prepared soil.
• Barely cover the seeds with soil, as they need some light to germinate.
• Keep the soil moist until germination, which takes about 2 weeks.
• It is a very drought tolerant plant and prefers dry conditions.
• It should not be necessary to water milk thistle unless there are very extreme conditions of drought.
• The plant reseeds itself readily so in order to control its spread, it is advised to harvest the seeds before they become over-mature.