Originally published by super-achiever.com · retrieved 2026-10-30T18:09:10+00:00. Republished here with permission.
The scores, test results, and opinions below are the original source's own and are not independent lab testing or ratings performed by NutritionByMias.
NOW Foods Silymarin Milk Thistle Extract 300 mg, Double Strength, with Artichoke & Dandelion, 200 Veg Capsules Review
#5 of 9 · Best Liver-Herb Blend✓ Label verified · Supplement Facts read Aug 27, 2026Real retailer photo, cut out. Label unedited.
Consider it. A liver-herb shelf staple, not a clean isolate. 240 mg silymarin per cap plus artichoke and dandelion, 200 caps for ~$22, from a trusted UL-audited manufacturer.
~$22~$0.11/cap
Why It Scores 7.3 — And The Label Line Behind Each Number
Form & Bioavailability
30% of score
A plain (non-phytosome) 2:1 double-strength silymarin concentrate combined with artichoke and dandelion. Absorption is the standard ceiling, and the blend format means milk thistle isn’t the only active — decent form for the money, nothing enhanced.
- Form
- 80% silymarin extract (2:1 concentrate) + artichoke & dandelion (veg cap)
Silymarin/Silybin Dose vs Clinical Range
25% of score
~240 mg silymarin per capsule from an 80% double-strength concentrate — a real dose in the same range as the value picks, with two caps clearing the trial window.
Third-Party Testing & Quality Assurance
20% of score
UL-audited GMP manufacturing and non-GMO status from a large, well-regarded brand. Above brand-only attestations, but there’s no independent NSF or USP product seal.
- Testing
- UL-audited GMP facility; non-GMO
Value per Effective Serving
15% of score
A 200-count bottle for ~$22 is excellent per-capsule value, and the bundled herbs add coverage. Slightly behind the outright cost-per-mg leader, but a lot of bottle for the money.
- Supply
- 200 veg capsules
- Price
- ~$22
- Cost per serving
- ~$0.11/cap
Formulation Suitability & Tolerability
10% of score
Vegetarian/vegan capsules and generally well tolerated, but the three-herb blend is the drawback — you can’t attribute effects, or a reaction, to milk thistle cleanly.
- Suitability
- Vegetarian/vegan
- More Specs
- Silymarin load
- ~240 mg silymarin per capsule
Label verified. Every figure read from the Supplement Facts photo, Aug 27, 2026.
Marketing Claims Vs. Reality
Double-strength 300 mg extract delivering ~240 mg silymarin
The label discloses a double-strength (2:1) extract standardized to 80% silymarin, computing to ~240 mg silymarin per capsule.
Includes artichoke and dandelion for liver support
The label lists artichoke and dandelion as additional ingredients — two herbs traditionally used for liver and digestive support.
UL-audited GMP manufacturing
NOW Foods manufactures in a UL-audited GMP facility, a documented quality process above brand-only attestation.
Supports liver detoxification and function
The blend is traditionally used for liver support, but controlled evidence for silymarin is mixed (Rambaldi 2007), and the artichoke/dandelion additions are not backed by strong outcome trials here.
What Our Test Actually Found
A stack, by design
This isn’t trying to be a clean milk thistle isolate — it’s a liver-herb blend. Artichoke and dandelion ride along with a real silymarin dose, which is a plus if you want broad ‘liver support’ and a minus if you want attribution.
Genuine big-bottle value
200 capsules at ~$22 is roughly $0.11 each — outstanding per-capsule value. It trails Nutricost only on pure cost-per-mg-of-silymarin because part of what you pay for is the extra herbs.
Trusted manufacturing
NOW’s UL-audited GMP process and scale put its QC above brand-only attestation, even without an independent product seal — a reassuring middle ground on the 20%-weighted testing axis.
Blend blurs the evidence
With three actives, you can’t isolate milk thistle’s contribution — and the underlying silymarin evidence is already mixed. Fine as a shelf staple; not the pick for a controlled milk thistle trial of your own.
Full analysis: all pros & cons (7), buy if / skip if
- 240 mg silymarin/cap from a double-strength 2:1 concentrate
- 200-count bottle = long supply at low cost
- Bundled artichoke + dandelion, two traditional liver-support herbs
- UL-audited GMP manufacturing from a large, trusted brand
- It’s a blend, so you can’t cleanly attribute effects to milk thistle alone
- Plain (non-phytosome) extract — standard absorption ceiling
- No independent NSF/USP seal
- You want a traditional liver-herb blend, not milk thistle alone
- You want a large, low-cost bottle from a trusted brand
- You’re fine with plain-extract absorption
- You want to isolate milk thistle’s effect
- You want an independent NSF/USP seal or a phytosome
240 mg silymarin per cap plus artichoke and dandelion, 200 caps for ~$22, from a trusted UL-audited manufacturer. Great if you want a ‘liver support’ stack; less ideal if you want to isolate what milk thistle is doing. Plain extract, so absorption is standard.
A strong-value big bottle for anyone who actively wants the traditional liver-herb stack. NOW pairs a real double-strength silymarin dose with artichoke and dandelion — two classic liver-support herbs — in a 200-count bottle from a large, UL-audited GMP manufacturer. The trade-off is scientific tidiness: with three herbs in the capsule you can’t cleanly attribute effects to milk thistle alone.
A liver-herb stack for the shelf
A strong-value big bottle if you actively want the traditional liver-herb stack — artichoke and dandelion ride along with a real silymarin dose. The trade-off is scientific tidiness: with three herbs in the capsule you lose clean attribution, which is why it sits behind the single-ingredient value pick. Great for a ‘liver support’ shelf staple, less ideal if you want to isolate what milk thistle is doing.
If This Doesn’t Fit — Try These
04Nutricost Milk Thistle 300 mg
This is the value winner and the sane default for most people — a legitimate 80% extract at a price that makes daily use painless.
09Jarrow Milk Thistle 150 mg
A dependable, allergen-friendly vegan staple that’s reasonably priced per capsule — but read the label math.
06Solaray Milk Thistle 350 mg
The easiest one-and-done pick — a single vegan capsule delivers the most silymarin per cap of any plain extract here, with a guaranteed-potency label.
Quick Answers
Is this milk thistle alone or a blend?
It’s a blend: double-strength silymarin plus artichoke and dandelion. That’s a plus if you want broad liver-herb coverage, but it means you can’t attribute effects to milk thistle alone.
How does the value compare to the budget pick?
At ~$0.11 a capsule it’s excellent, and the 200-count bottle lasts a long time. It trails Nutricost only on pure cost-per-milligram-of-silymarin because part of the price covers the extra herbs.
Is it suitable for vegetarians?
Yes — the capsules are vegetarian/vegan and the product is non-GMO, made in a UL-audited GMP facility.
Sources & Further Reading
2 peer-reviewed sources, each linked to PubMed
- [1] Rambaldi A, Jacobs BP, Gluud C. Milk thistle for alcoholic and/or hepatitis B or C virus liver diseases. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2007;(4):CD003620. PMID 17943794 — Milk thistle for alcoholic and/or hepatitis B or C virus liver diseases. No significant mortality benefit of milk thistle was found in liver disease versus placebo.
- [2] Gillessen A, Schmidt HH. Silymarin as Supportive Treatment in Liver Diseases: A Narrative Review. Adv Ther. 2020;37(4):1279-1301. PMID 32065376 — Silymarin as Supportive Treatment in Liver Diseases: A Narrative Review. Narrative review reports supportive liver effects for silymarin at a lower evidence tier than RCTs.
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