Milk Thistle
Milk thistle is the classic liver-support botanical, standardised to silymarin flavonolignans.
Digestion
Metabolism
What it is
Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) seed is the defining ingredient of liver-support briefs, from morning-after positioning to broader detox and metabolic wellness products. Its activity is attributed to silymarin, a complex of flavonolignans of which silybin is the most studied.
Forms and sourcing
The commercial standard is a seed extract standardised to 80% silymarin by the traditional colorimetric assay; the tighter HPLC assay reads lower for identical material, so the assay method belongs on the specification, not just the percentage. Whole-seed powder appears in value briefs at gram doses. Quality supply includes solvent-residue and aflatoxin testing, both standard on our certificates of analysis.
Benefits and evidence
Silymarin has decades of research in liver biochemistry and hepatoprotection, largely in clinical rather than wellness contexts, with typical study doses of 140 mg silymarin two to three times daily. Translation to healthy-population benefits is less established, which is reflected in the claims position and should shape honest product positioning.
Typical dosage and formats
Typical briefs specify 150–450 mg of 80% extract per daily dose, usually in capsules or tablets; milk thistle’s bitterness limits its use in gummies and powders without significant masking. It pairs commonly with choline, which carries an authorised claim for normal liver function, an important compliance lever for this category.
UK and EU regulatory position
Milk thistle is an established botanical in UK and EU supplements with no novel food issue. Its claims sit on the EU on-hold botanical list, so submitted liver-related claims may continue in use under transitional arrangements within their conditions; stronger therapeutic language is reserved for registered traditional herbal medicines (THR), a boundary supplement artwork must respect. The cleanest compliant structure pairs milk thistle with choline, whose authorised claim that it contributes to the maintenance of normal liver function can be used when choline is dosed at claim level. Our regulatory review builds this in at formulation.
