Over the last few years Dr. Iftah Vaknin has been researching the milk thistle plant at the Institute of Science Plant Research. Dr. Vaknin hopes that one day this seemingly simple plant will be used in food and medicine.[Dr. Iftah Vaknin, Plant Researcher]:"It's a common plant that almost no one uses. Its uniqueness is its healthy ingredients; not only does it have general health ingredients such as antioxidants, but its active ingredients are specifically good for the liver & kidneys. And for that reason it is highly unique, because a lot of illnesses are caused by poison and substances that offset the equilibrium of the body. This plant was tested and found to be very efficient in the improvement of these situations."The milk thistle is a wild plant and is considered a weed by many, but Dr. Vaknin hopes to turn this around.[Dr. Iftah Vaknin, Plant Researcher]:"The application of this plant as a food will make everyones diet better; the plant is suitable to be eaten, and for thousands of years it has been consumed in the Mediterranean Basin."The leaves of the plant are long and taste a bit like lettuce, but more on the bitter side.[Dr. Iftah Vaknin, Plant Researcher]:"We have particular plants that are better than other types in the wild, and we hope to proceed with development and make it a potential for cultured species. Despite all this, we dont give up and still work on it since all of us believe that this potential is worthy of realization, and one of these days it will really appear on product shelves in Israel and all over the world."NTD, Israel.