MILK THISTLE

Pronunciation (US):

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does milk thistle mean? 

• MILK THISTLE (noun)
  The noun MILK THISTLE has 2 senses:

1. any of several Old World coarse prickly-leaved shrubs and subshrubs having milky juice and yellow flowers; widely naturalized; often noxious weeds in cultivated soil

2. tall Old World biennial thistle with large clasping white-blotched leaves and purple flower heads; naturalized in California and South America

  Familiarity information: MILK THISTLE used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• MILK THISTLE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Any of several Old World coarse prickly-leaved shrubs and subshrubs having milky juice and yellow flowers; widely naturalized; often noxious weeds in cultivated soil

Classified under:

Nouns denoting plants

Synonyms:

milk thistle; sow thistle

Hypernyms ("milk thistle" is a kind of...):

bush; shrub (a low woody perennial plant usually having several major stems)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "milk thistle"):

milkweed; Sonchus oleraceus (annual Eurasian sow thistle with soft spiny leaves and rayed yellow flower heads)

Holonyms ("milk thistle" is a member of...):

genus Sonchus; Sonchus (sow thistles)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Tall Old World biennial thistle with large clasping white-blotched leaves and purple flower heads; naturalized in California and South America

Classified under:

Nouns denoting plants

Synonyms:

blessed thistle; holy thistle; lady's thistle; milk thistle; Our Lady's mild thistle; Silybum marianum

Hypernyms ("milk thistle" is a kind of...):

herb; herbaceous plant (a plant lacking a permanent woody stem; many are flowering garden plants or potherbs; some having medicinal properties; some are pests)

Holonyms ("milk thistle" is a member of...):

genus Silybum; Silybum (small genus of east African herbs)

 Context examples 

An orally available capsule-based nutritional supplement containing indole-3-carbinol, calcium-D-glucarate, Schizandra, vitamin D3, milk thistle, stinging nettle and hydroxymatairesinol (HMR) lignans, with potential estrogen modulating, antiproliferative and antioxidant activity.

(Indole-3-Carbinol/Calcium/Schizandra/Vitamin D3/Milk Thistle/Stinging Nettle/Lignan-Based Nutritional Capsule, NCI Thesaurus)

The active extract of milk thistle seeds is called silymarin.

(Milk thistle, NCI Dictionary)

The silibinin component of milk thistle has been shown to inhibit growth factor receptor-mediated mitogenic and cell survival signaling, thereby inhibiting tumor growth.

(Milk thistle, NCI Thesaurus)

Silybin, also known as silibinin, is a mixture of two stereoisomers, denoted silybin A and silybin B, and is the major active constituent of silymarin, a mixture of flavonolignans extracted from blessed milk thistle (Silybum marianum).

(Phosphatidylcholine-Bound Silybin, NCI Thesaurus)

Therefore, ingredients in indole-3-carbinol/calcium/Schizandra/vitamin D3/milk thistle/stinging nettle/lignan-based nutritional capsule may alter estrogen balance and may protect against mammary carcinogenesis.

(Indole-3-Carbinol/Calcium/Schizandra/Vitamin D3/Milk Thistle/Stinging Nettle/Lignan-Based Nutritional Capsule, NCI Thesaurus)

Milk thistle's active chemical component is silymarin, which is a combination of flavonoids such as silibinin, dehydrosilibinin, silychristin and silydianin.

(Milk thistle, NCI Thesaurus)

In addition, milk thistle may increase cellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels, exhibiting dose-dependent cardiac myocyte cytoprotection against doxorubicin.

(Milk thistle, NCI Thesaurus)