CARSIL - A RESULT OF A NATURAL PRODUCT Carsil is a flavonoid mixture isolated from Silybum marianum. The white thorn is an annual or biennial herbaceous plant, whit a height of 20-150 cm and weak branching. The plant grows in weedy places near populated locations. It can be found in Southwestern and Southern Europe, and it is cultivated and naturalized in locations of Western and Central Europe. The fruits if the white thorn are a drug (Semen Silybi). A flavonoid complex referred to as silymarin was isolated in 1968 (Wagner and Munster) from the above. It is the active ingredient of Carsil. According to current knowledge, the hepatoprotective principle contained in the ripe seeds of the white thorn and referred to as silymarin includes the following compounds: silybin, dehydrosilybin, silydianin and silycrystin. These are a new class of chemical compounds of conipheryalcohol-condensed polyhydroxy-2-phenylchromanones. Moreover, the fruits of the plant contain a stereoisomer of Silybin (isosylibin), as well as various polymeric products of Silybin. Other substances have been isolated from the drug, with no particular importance for its principal action: quercitin, taxibolin and the optically active dehydrodiconypheryl alcohol (Wagner, Diesel 1974). PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES Carsil substance is an amorphous powder with yellow to yellow-brown color, and weak specific odor, practically water-insoluble and methanol-soluble with difficulty. Empirical formula:
C25H22O10 Chemical name:
3,5,7-Trihydroxy-2-hydroxy-3methoxyphenyl-3-(hydroxymethil-1,4-benzodioxan-6-yl)-4-chromanone. Structural formula of silybin (INN - Silibinin): | 