Inorganic constituents of blue and white flowering Silybum marianum from different districts of Khyber Pakhtoon Khawa, Pakistan.

Plants and especially medicinal plants need special attention because of their beneficial therapeutic properties and use in cosmetics, food and medicines. The normal growth of plants, animals and man depends on the suitable level of certain elements and minerals. Silybum marianum blue and white flowering (whole plant) was evaluated for the inorganic constituents in which the concentration of Na+ was found high 15 mg/kg in blue flowering collected from Karak district while K+ concentration was detected high 309 mg/kg in the same plant and district. High concentration of Cl- 89.06 mg/kg was found in blue flowering plants from Swabi. Concentration HCO3- was present high 300 mg/kg in blue flowering plant collected from Karak while SO42- concentration was found high 23.7 mg/kg in blue flowering plant collected from Karak. Fluoride was present in high concentration 1.08 mg/kg in blue flowering whole plant of S. marianum collected from Khyber Agency.