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Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases
U.S. Department of Agriculture
  1. Home
  2. Silybum marianum

Silybum marianum (Asteraceae)

Common Names
Milk Thistle; Lady's Thistle
How this plant is used
Generally Recognized as Safe
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List of plant chemicals.
Click on column headings to sort table by that column. *Unless otherwise noted all references are to (Duke, 1992)
Chemical Name Activity Count Plant Part Low Parts Per Million High Parts Per Million Standard Deviation Reference
FIBER(CRUDE) 0 Leaf 120000.0 -0.19 *
FIBER(DIETARY) 0 Leaf 390000.0 0.19 *
FIXED-OIL 0 Seed *
FLAVONES 0 Seed Coat 36600.0 *
FRUCTOSE 8 Seed *
FUMARIC-ACID 7 Leaf *
GAMMA-AMINOBUTYRIC-ACID 22 Seed *
GLUCOSE 7 Seed *
GLUTAMIC-ACID 8 Seed *
GLYCINE 12 Seed *
HEPTADECA-1-8-15-TRIENE-11-13-DIYN-10-OL 0 Root 800.0 *
HEPTADECA-1-8-15-TRIENE-11-13-DIYNE 0 Root 1400.0 *
HEPTADECA-1-CIS-8-CIS-15-TRIENE-11-13-DIYN-10-OL 0 Root 5.0 *
HEPTADECA-CIS-2-CIS-9-16-TRIENE-4-6-DIYNE 0 Root 5.0 *
HEPTADECATRIEN-(1,8,15)-DIIN-(11,13) 0 Root 1.4 List, P.H. and Horhammer, L., Hager's Handbuch der Pharmazeutischen Praxis, Vols. 2-6, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1969-1979.
HEPTADECATRIEN-(1,8,15)-DIIN-(11,13)-OL-(10) 0 Root 0.8 List, P.H. and Horhammer, L., Hager's Handbuch der Pharmazeutischen Praxis, Vols. 2-6, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1969-1979.
HISTAMINE 18 Seed List, P.H. and Horhammer, L., Hager's Handbuch der Pharmazeutischen Praxis, Vols. 2-6, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1969-1979.
IRON 6 Leaf 23.0 106.0 -0.65 *
IRON 6 Plant 106.0 -0.61 Pedersen, M. 1987. Nutritional Herbology. Pederson Publishing. Bountiful, Utah. 377 pp.
ISOSILYBIN 0 Fruit 4000.0 *
View the list of ubiquitous chemicals
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List of plant activities.
Click on column headings to sort table by that column. *Unless otherwise noted all references are to (Duke, 1992)
Activity Chemical Count Reference
Laxative 4 Leung, A. Y. and Foster, S. 1995. Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients 2nd Ed. John Wiley & Sons, New York. 649 pp.
Leptingenic 1 Challem, J., Berkson, Burt, and Smith, Melissa Dianne. 2000.
Syndrome X - The complete nutritional program to prevent and reservse insulin resistance. John Wiley & Sons, New York. 272 pp. $24.95
Lipotropic 1 *
Lipoxygenase-Inhibitor 4 Jeffery B. Harborne and H. Baxter, eds. 1983. Phytochemical Dictionary. A Handbook of Bioactive Compounds from Plants. Taylor & Frost, London. 791 pp.
Lithogenic 1 Davies, S., and Stewart, A. 1990. Nutritional Medicine. Avon Books, New York. 509pp.
Litholytic 1 *
Lubricant 3 Jeffery B. Harborne and H. Baxter, eds. 1983. Phytochemical Dictionary. A Handbook of Bioactive Compounds from Plants. Taylor & Frost, London. 791 pp.
MAO-A-Inhibitor 1 *
MAO-Inhibitor 2 *
MAPK-Inhibitor 2 *
Mast-Cell-Stabilizer 1 *
Memorigenic 1 *
Memory-Enhancer 1 Science News, 138: 189, 1990.
Metal-Chelator (Copper) 1 Seidel, V., Verholle, M., Malard, Y., Tillequin, F., Fruchart, J-C., Duriez, P., Bailleul, F., Teissier, E. 2000. Phenylpropanoids from Ballota nigra L. Inhibit in vitro LDL Peroxidation. Phytotherapy Research, 14(2): 93-98.
Metalloproteinase-Inhibitor 2 *
Metastatic 1 Science News, 146: 421.
MMP-9-Inhibitor 2 *
Mucogenic 3 Pizzorno, J.E. and Murray, M.T. 1985. A Textbook of Natural Medicine. John Bastyr College Publications, Seattle, Washington (Looseleaf).
Mucolytic 1 Martindale's 28th
Musculotropic 1 Wichtl, M. 1984. Teedrogen. Ein Handbuch fur Apotheker und Arzte. Wissenschaftliche Verlagsgesellscharft. mbH Stuttgart. 393 pp.