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.
Reviewed
Verified by SAC team
+20
XP on completion
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™
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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Read the complete Milk Thistle (Silymarin) guide →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.
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
Marketing claims vs. reality
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.
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.
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
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.
Check NOW Foods on AmazonIf this doesn’t fit — try these
Nutricost Milk Thistle 300 mg
7.5/10The same silymarin dose without the extra herbs, at the best cost-per-mg here.
See it on the list →Jarrow Formulas Milk Thistle 150 mg
6.9/10A cleaner single-ingredient vegan option — cheaper per cap but a lower dose.
See it on the list →Solaray Milk Thistle Seed Extract 350 mg
7.2/10A guaranteed-potency, single-herb one-a-day if attribution matters to you.
See it on the list →Sources & further reading
- 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.Rambaldi A, Jacobs BP, Gluud C · 2007 · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 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.
- Gillessen A, Schmidt HH. Silymarin as Supportive Treatment in Liver Diseases: A Narrative Review. Adv Ther. 2020;37(4):1279-1301.Gillessen A, Schmidt HH · 2020 · Advances in Therapy · 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.