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.

Updated Jul 13, 2026 · by Felix Hesse · Verified by SAC team

Best Liver-Herb Blend

NOW Foods

NOW Foods Silymarin Milk Thistle Extract 300 mg, Double Strength, with Artichoke & Dandelion, 200 Veg Capsules Review

7.3/10SAC Product Score™

! CONSIDER

A liver-herb shelf staple, not a clean isolate

SAC Product Score™ — how it breaks down

Form & Bioavailability30%6.5
Silymarin/Silybin Dose vs Clinical Range25%8.0
Third-Party Testing & Quality Assurance20%7.0
Value per Effective Serving15%8.5
Formulation Suitability & Tolerability10%7.0

Buy ifYou want a traditional liver-herb blend, not milk thistle alone
Buy ifYou want a large, low-cost bottle from a trusted brand
Skip ifYou want to isolate milk thistle's effect
Skip ifYou want an independent NSF/USP seal or a phytosome

Read the full analysis

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.

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▸ THE SCORE

How we built the SAC Product Score™ — 7.3/10

Form & Bioavailability30%6.5/10

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.

Silymarin/Silybin Dose vs Clinical Range25%8/10

~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 Assurance20%7/10

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.

Value per Effective Serving15%8.5/10

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.

Formulation Suitability & Tolerability10%7/10

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.

▸ SPECS

The product at a glance

Form: 80% silymarin extract (2:1 concentrate) + artichoke & dandelion (veg cap)
Silymarin load: ~240 mg silymarin per capsule
Supply: 200 veg capsules
Testing: UL-audited GMP facility; non-GMO
Suitability: Vegetarian/vegan
Price: ~$22
Cost per serving: ~$0.11/cap

▸ TRUTH CHECK

Marketing claims vs. reality

Verified

“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.

Verified

“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.

Verified

“UL-audited GMP manufacturing”

NOW Foods manufactures in a UL-audited GMP facility, a documented quality process above brand-only attestation.

Partial

“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.

▸ THE DEEP DIVE

What our test actually found

01A 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.

02Genuine 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.

03Trusted 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.

04Blend 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.

▸ THE TRADE-OFFS

Pros & cons, no sugar-coating

Pros

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

Cons

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

▸ THE BOTTOM LINE

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.

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▸ ALTERNATIVES