A Review on Pharmacological, Cultivation and Biotechnology Aspects of Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn.)

Milk thistle (Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn.) is one of the valuable medicinal plants which used in the treatment of liver disorders. The major active constituents in this plant are flavonolignans, collectively known as silymarin which is a mixture of three isomer silybin, silydianin and silycristin. Its therapeutic properties are due to the presence of silymarin. The seeds contain the highest amount of silymarin, but the other plant parts have less amount of this compound. The silymarin content in fruits depends on milk thistle variety and geographic and climatic condition. In this review, we summarized the accomplished investigations on aspects of medicinal, cultivation, biology and biotechnology of milk thistle.