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Enriched botanical record

Milk thistle

Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn.

Also indexed asMariana marianaCarduus marianusmilk thistlemilkthistleblessed milkthistleMarian thistleMary thistleSaint Mary's thistle
FamilyAsteraceae
GenusSilybum
Use categories4
Linked notes0
Poison use is recorded for this taxon.This is a classification flag, not a dosage guide. Do not infer safe use from any documented-use label.

Botanical identity

A thistle whose fruits are used in food-like and concentrated preparations.

KingdomPlantae
Phylum / divisionTracheophyta
ClassMagnoliopsida
OrderAsterales
FamilyAsteraceae
GenusSilybum
Scientific name with authorshipSilybum marianum (L.) Gaertn.
Curated parts indexedFruit

Indexed scientific synonyms

Carduus lactifolius StokesCarduus mariae CrantzCarduus marianus L.Carduus versicolor Salisb.Carthamus maculatus (Scop.) Lam.Centaurea dalmatica FraasCirsium maculatum Scop.Mariacantha maculosa BubaniMariana lactea HillMariana mariana (L.) HillMarianus marianus (L.) HillSilybum intermedium Willk.Silybum leucanthum Jord. & Fourr.Silybum maculatum (Scop.) MoenchSilybum mariae (Crantz) A.GraySilybum mariae var. unicolor GraySilybum marianum subsp. anatolicum MeriçliSilybum marianum var. albiflorum EigSilybum marianum var. longispinum LamotteSilybum marianum var. marianumSilybum pygmaeum Cass.

Documented use categories

Medicine
Human food
Invertebrate food
Poison reported

These categories describe the kinds of human-use reports attached to the taxon in the source checklist. Multiple categories can coexist; a plant may be recorded as both food and poison, depending on part, preparation and context.

How to interpret this record

Traditional and practical context

Traditional and practical context is preparation-specific. A documented use category is not proof of clinical effectiveness.

Evidence boundary

Evidence must be assessed by exact species, plant part, preparation, route, dose and health question.

Safety boundary

Confirm botanical identity, plant part, route, dose, medicines, allergies, pregnancy, breastfeeding and age before use.

Dataset record and provenance

DatasetWCUPS 2020
LicenceCC BY 4.0
Name sourceIPNI
IPNI / external identifier249211-1
Use codesHF IF ME PO
Crop wild relativeNo

Contributing checklist sources

Kew Economic Botany CollectionUSDA GRINMedicinal Plant Names Services v8.2SEPASAL

Read the full dataset citation, licence and import methodology →

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Educational index, not a treatment recommendation

The presence of a taxon in this database does not provide a diagnosis, dose, formulation or assurance of safety. Some indexed plants are toxic, regulated, endangered or unsafe in specific life stages.