Milk thistle - Silybum
This large, entirely edible plant has leaves edged with spines and marbled with white. From June to August, it produces beautiful pink inflorescences 3 to 8 cm in diameter, followed by seeds with medicinal properties.
Sow under cover in spring or directly in the field in spring or autumn. Keep seedlings moist until emergence. Space plants 50-80 cm apart in all directions.
March, April
April, May, September, October
June, July, August, September, October
in the ground
sunny
low
drained, poor
Silybum marianum
1.5 grams
Pink
edible
From 90 to 150 cm
Eurasia
The ripe seeds, stripped of their aigrettes, offer powerful hepatoprotective, antitoxic, antimigraine and antidepressant properties. They contain silymarin, which inhibits the proliferation of tumour cells in various cancers, notably hepatocarcinoma.
