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 scoreA 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 scoreUL-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 scoreA 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 scoreVegetarian/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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