Austin, TX—Euromed, a global botanical manufacturer based in Spain, adopted milk thistle through The American Botanical Council (ABC) Adopt-an-Herb botanical education and research program, according to a press release.

The release states that the adoption of milk thistle supports ABC’s HerbMedPro databse, which is an interactive online educational resource that has up to date information for researchers, industry members, health professionals, students, consumers, and members of the dietary/herbal supplements and natural medicine communities.

The purpose of the Adopt-an-Herb program is for a company to “adopt” an herb and initiate and continue research and ongoing maintenance into the HerbMedPro Database, according to the release.

Andrea Zanagara, the scientific marketing manager of Euromed said in the release, “We highly regard the work done by the American Botanical Council and believe the Adopt-an-Herb Program is an ideal channel to communicate to a growing and diverse global audience the vast amount of scientific and clinical research on milk thistle.”

According to the release, milk thistle is a herbaceous annual native to the Mediterranean that is naturalized world-wide. It is a part of the sunflower family, and can grow up to 5 feet tall with leaves that are large, prickly, and form rosettes. The release states that the seeds from milk thistle have been beneficial for those who have hepatitis, cirrhosis, and jaundice, and is known to benefit liver health.

Stefan Gafner, chief science officer of ABC, explained in the press release, “Milk thistle extract is one of the main botanical ingredients to maintain liver health. The effects of silymarin have been researched extensively, and we are grateful to Euromed for helping to make this research available in an easily accessible manner through our HerbMedPro database. This will be a great resource for health care professionals and other people with interest in this important medicinal plant.”