Silybum marianum - Arasi Lawrence Company

Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn.

Latin (Botanical) name: Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn. = Silymarin marianum = Carduus marianus L. = Cnicus marianus.

Family: Asteraceae, Compositae.

Common name: Milk thistle, St. Mary’s thistle, Lady’s thistle, Holy thistle, Blessed thistle, Mary thistle, vehedistel, Venus thistle, Chardon argente, Chardon marie, Artichaut sauvage, Echte Mariendistel, Mariendistel Früchte, Shoak sinnaari, Shoak nassaara, Shoak el-gamal, Shoak el-ghazaal, Likhlaakh, Lekhlaakh.

The herb, known as:

Latin: Cardui mariae herba.

English: Milk thistle herb.

French (Français): Chardon Marie.

German (Deutsch): Mariendistelkraut.

The fruits without pappus, known as:

Latin: Fructus Silybi mariae – Cardui mariae fructus.

English: Marian thistle, Milk-thistle.

French (Français): Fruit de Chardon Marie.

German (Deutsch): Mariendistel Früchte, Marien Körner, Frauendistel-Früchte.

Source: Wild Medical Plant in Egypt. An Inventory to support Conservation and Sustainable Use. BATANOUNY K. H.

Origin: Egypt

Plant description:

COMPOSITAE Giseke. All, or at least the central flowers tubular. Tubuliflorac. Heads all of the same kind. Leaves spiny (Thistles). Head of normal type surrounded by a common involucre. Stem not spiny-winged. Leaves white-mottled.

SILYBUM Adans. Thistle with broad white-mottled leaves not decurrent on the stem. Head large. Pappus of simple hairs.

SILYBUM MARIANUM (L.) Gaertn. : Involucral-scales broad with numerous lateral spines and a very long recurved terminal spine. The latter from like a star around the head, this including the spines 10 cm. broad. Flowers in type purple.

v. albiflora Eig. : Flowers white. – With the type.

Syn. Carduus marianus L.

Source: STUDENTS’ FLORA OF EGYPT second edition, by VIVI TÄCKHOLM, D. Sc. (Stockholm) Professor of Systematic Botany, Faculty of Science, Cairo University. Published by Cairo University. Printed by COOPERATIVE PRINTING COMPANY Beirut, 1974.

Morphological Description:

Biennial or annual thistle, stout herb, up to 2m high, almost glabrous. Stem, striate, branched. Leaves with spiny margins and characteristic white veins and spots. Basal leaves, very large, petiolate, forming rosettes, pinnatifid. Upper leaves, sessile, clasping, auriculate. Heads, large with spiny involucral bracts. Flowers, purple or white. Achenes have yellowish pappus. The fruit is about 6.7 mm long, ca 3 mm wide, and ca 1.5 mm thick.

Source: Wild Medical Plant in Egypt. An Inventory to support Conservation and Sustainable Use. BATANOUNY K. H.

Propagation: Fruits (seeds).

Constituents:

- The herb.

Flavonoids: apigenin and its 7-O-glucoside, 7-O-glucuronide and 4,7-diglucoside, kaempferol and its 7/-glucoside and 3-sulphate, luteolin and its 7-glucoside, Sitosterol and its dlucoside, a triterpene acetate, polyacetylenes, and fumaric acid.

- The fruits.

1.5 – 3% of a mixture of flavolignans known as silymarins consisting of: silybin, silychristin and silydianin, 3-deoxy-derivatives of silychristin and silydianin (= silymonin). Silyhermin, neosilyhermin A and B, 2,3-dehydrosilybin, tri- to pen-tamers of silybin. Taxifolin, quercetin, dihydrokaempferol, kaempferol, apigenin, naringin, eriodyctiol, chrysoeriol, 5-7,dihydroxy chromone, dehydroconiferyl alcohol. 20-30% fixed oil with a high proportion of linoleic acid (=60%), oleic acid (=30%) and palmitic acid (=9%), 0.038% tocopherol, 0.63% sterols: cholesterol, campesterol, stigmasterol and sitosterol; = 25-30% protein, some mucilage.

Source: Wild Medical Plant in Egypt. An Inventory to support Conservation and Sustainable Use. BATANOUNY K. H.

Folk Medicinal Uses:

Herb, bitter appetizer, tonic, febrifuge, resolvent, antimalarial, emmenagogue and in disorders of uterus and spleen. Tincture from seeds used for liver disorders, jaundice, gall stones, peritonitis, cough, bronchitis, congestion of uterus and varicose veins.

Source: Wild Medical Plant in Egypt. An Inventory to support Conservation and Sustainable Use. BATANOUNY K. H.

Pharmacological Action and Indications:

- The Fruit:

1. Silymarin competitively suppresses the action of hepatotoxic substances. Prophylactic administration is more effective than therapeutic administration after the liver damage has occurred. The demonstrated antihepatotoxic effect is explained by a imembrane-stabilizing action, probably through antioxidant and radical-scavenging actions.

2. Silybin increases the rate of synthesis of ribosomal ribonucleic acids through stimulation of the nuclear polymerase I which inforces protein synthesis and accelerates cell-regeneration processes.

The fruit as well as silymarin are indicated for the prophylaxis and treatment of liver damage caused by metabolic toxins, e.g., alcohol, tissue poisons, in liver dysfunction and after hepatitis, in chronic degenerative liver conditions, such as liver cirrhosis and fatty liver and in latent hepatopathies.

Studies revealed free radical scavenging and antioxidative properties of silybin complexes on microsomal lipid peroxidating. Silymarin was found to provide substantial protection against different stagesof UVB-induced skin carcinogenesis, possibly via its strong antioxidative properties. Long-term treatment with silymarin was found effective on hyperinsulinemia, exogenous insulin need and malondialdehyde levels in cirrohsis diabetic patients. Silymarin retards collage accumulation in early and advanced biliary fibrosis secondary to complete bile-duct obliteration in rats.

- The Herb:

Different from the fruit; as a cholagogue in supportive treatment of hepatic and biliary function disorders. Data to substantiate these applications are lacking.

Source: Wild Medical Plant in Egypt. An Inventory to support Conservation and Sustainable Use. BATANOUNY K. H.

Form: Fluid and tincture extract (liquid extract), herb powder, seed either whole or ground.

References:

1. Basaga, H.; Poli, G.; Tekkaya, C. and Aras, I. 1997. Free radical scavenging and antioxidative properties of silybin complexes on microsomal lipid peroxidation. Cell Biochem. Funct. 15(1): 27-33.

2. Boigk, G.; Strödter, L.; Herbst, H.; Waldschmidt, J.; Riecken, E.O.; Schuppan, D. 1997. Silymarin retards collagen accumulation in early and advanced biliary fibrosis secondary to complete bile duct obliteration in rats. J. Hepatology. 26(3): 643-649.

3. Katiyar, S.K.; Korman, N.J.; Mukhtar, H. and Agarwal, K. 1997. Protective effects of silymarin against photocarcinogenesis in a mouse skin model. J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 89(8): 556-566.

4. Khafagy, S.M.; Abdel Salam, N.A. and Abdel Hamid, R., 1981. Sci. Pharm. 49: 157.

5. Merfort, I. and Willhun. 1985. Toxicity of the fruit of Symphoricarpus albus (snow berrien) and analysis of its lipophilic components. Dtsch. Apoth. Ztg. 125: 695.

6. Valenzuala, V.; Guerra, R. and Garrido, A. 1987. Silybin dihmrisuccinate protects rat erythrocytes against phenylhydrazine-induced lipid peroxidation and hemolysis. Planta Med. 53: 402.

7. Valenzuela, V.; Guerra, R. and Videla, L.A. 1986. Antioxidant properties of the flavonoids silybin and (+)-cyanidianol-3; comparison with butylated hydroxyanisol and butylated hydroxytolisene. Planta Med. 52: 438.

8. Velussi, M.; Ceonigoi, A.M.; De Monte, A.; Dapas, F.; Caffau, C. and Zilli, M. 1997. Long-term (12 months) treatment with an antioxidative drug (Silymarin) is effective on hyperinsulinemia, exogenous insulin need and malondialdehyde levels in cirrhotic diabetic patients. J. Hepatol. 26(4): 871 – 879.

9. Wagner, H. 1981. In: Natural Products as Medical Agents (Editors: Beal, J. and Reinhard, E.), Hippokrats, Stuttgart.

10. Wagner, H. and Bladt, S. 1996. Plant Drug Analysis. 2^nd ed., p.204, Springer Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg, New York, Tokyo.

Last Update September 25^th, 2002.

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