[Silybum marianum/Carduus marianus] Also known as Milk Thistle, for its reputed ability to promote milk production, St. Mary’s Thistle (SMT) has been used in herbal medicine for a couple of thousand years. Substantial research has confirmed the traditional knowledge that SMT seeds have a remarkable protective and restorative effect on the liver – that amazingly complex organ whose metabolic processes largely bear the burden of the body’s detoxification work.