Medicinal Uses

• Milk thistle seeds and plants have had a reputation for easing liver disorders since the days of ancient Rome, according to Mountain Rose Herbs. The seeds and plants contain a chemical called silymarin, and extracts featuring this substance are sold in drugstores and supermarkets.
  
  

Cooking

• Nearly every part of the milk thistle plant qualifies as edible, according to Global Healing Center. People have roasted the seeds as a substitute for coffee, and in Europe the plant is used in salads and side dishes, according to Drugs.com.
  
  

Planting and Cultivation

• Milk thistle will grow in most fertile soils, according to Global Healing Center. Gardeners may grow their own milk thistle by planting the seeds about 1/8 inch deep during late spring or early summer. Each flowering milk thistle plant in turn yields about 4 ounces of new seeds.