Milk thistle is easy to grow, and it matures quickly, in less than a year. Milk thistle products are made from the seeds inside the fruit. The seeds contain 1.5 percent to 3 percent silymarin. Silymarin is actually made up of a group of compounds called flavonolignands. Other flavonolignans in silymarin are isosilybin, dehydrosilybin, silydianin, and silychristin.
Several teas contain the standardized extract.
Milk thistle protects the liver from harmful chemicals and alcohol. Silymarin is a more powerful antioxidant than vitamin C and vitamin E. Standardized extracts of milk thistle are beneficial for cirrhosis of the liver, chronic hepatitis B, chronic alcoholic liver diseases, and liver damage from toxins. Silymarin is the most effective antidote to deathcap mushroom poisoning. Always get immediate medical attention if you eat poisonous mushrooms or any other toxic substance. Milk thistle is also beneficial if you need to increase your bile flow, and helps reduce the symptoms of psoriasis.