Tartan Day - History - Customs - Rings - E-Cards
![[Thistle Picture]](../tartanillus/thistlecrop.gif) | The Milk Thistle is the national plant of Scotland and is the sacred plant of nine-fold goddess Mari who is a sea goddess that can take the form of a snake. The milk thistle is purple and is a relative of the sunflower. It is for holy purification and is said to attract snakes. The active ingrediant of thistle seeds called silymarin is used to treat poisoning of the liver from the amanita mushroom. When Christianity arrived the thistle became the plant of Christ’s mother Mary. The apostle Andrew, the Fisherman, became its guardian. (4) |