Milk thistle

About Milk thistle

Milk thistle contains silymarin, which is studied for liver-protective properties. Generally well tolerated. No established RDA/UL.

What Milk thistle supports

• 🌿Supports liver health and protection
• 🛡️Contains silymarin with antioxidant properties

How much Milk thistle to take

Clinical studies typically use 150–600 mg of Milk thistle. Silymarin extract range for liver support.

Effective range

150–600 mg

Forms of Milk thistle compared

• Siliphos (silybin phytosome)Premium
  Silybin bound to phosphatidylcholine; ~7–10× silybin AUC vs standard silymarin (Barzaghi 1990).
• Silybin phytosomePremium
  Phosphatidylcholine carrier — the form behind every silybin RCT.
• Standardized silymarin (80%)Standard
  Standardized to 80% silymarin; absorption is the bottleneck.
• Silymarin extractStandard
  Generic standardized extract; potency depends on the silybin fraction.
• Milk thistle extractBudget
  Unspecified extract — silymarin content varies wildly by source.
• Milk thistle powderBudget
  Whole herb — very low silybin content, poor bioavailability
• Milk thistle seedBudget
  Unextracted seed — very low bioavailability

Clinical evidence

Moderate clinical evidence. Multiple clinical trials on liver protection, but study quality and results are inconsistent