STORY AT-A-GLANCE
- The compound with the highest bioactivity in milk thistle is silymarin, which helps reduce inflammation
- Milk thistle protects the liver against poisons such as alcohol, death cap mushrooms and chemotherapy
- It’s used in dairy cows to increase milk production and has been found to help increase milk in lactating human mothers; it also has antibacterial and antiviral properties
- The fast-growing, invasive species is poisonous to grazing animals; however, the flowers can be harvested for the seeds and used in salads, smoothies or brewed tea