Milk Thistle -  Silybum marinum

Native to the Mediterranean region of Europe, southern Russia and north Africa, but naturalized in California and the eastern US.  Here is a plant that is truly a gift of nature being both food and medicine. In the spring, the young shoots can be boiled and eaten like cabbage and the young leaves can be added to salads. In the fall, the seeds are a favorite food of goldfinches and an important medicinal for people

The Milk Thistle Fruit has been used by some for the treatment dyspeptic symptoms, loss of appetite, liver and gall bladder complaints including inflammation of the gall bladder duct,  toxic liver disease and hepatic cirrhosis. It has been used successfully as an antidote to Death-Cap mushroom  poisoning.  It has been shown to protect one from liver damage caused by overdose from acetaminophen, butyrophenones, phenothiazines, halothane, Dilantin  or ethanol. It may reduce outbreaks of Psoriasis due to liver disease.