Verified
“300 mg extract standardized to 80% silymarin (~240 mg silymarin)”
The label discloses a 300 mg extract at 80% standardization, which computes to ~240 mg silymarin per capsule — a genuine, verifiable standardization.
Reviewed
Verified by SAC team
+20
XP on completion
Best Value
Nutricost
Nutricost Milk Thistle 300 mg (80% Silymarin), 120 Capsules Review
7.5/10SAC Product Score™
This is the value winner and the sane default for most people. Nutricost delivers a legitimate 80%-standardized extract at roughly $0.13 a capsule, which makes daily use painless and gives it the best cost-per-milligram-of-silymarin of any straight extract in the set. Two knocks keep it out of the top three: the third-party testing is brand-stated rather than an independent seal, and it's plain extract, so absorption is average.
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Read the complete Milk Thistle (Silymarin) guide →How we built the SAC Product Score™ — 7.5/10
Form & Bioavailability30%6.5/10
Plain milk thistle extract standardized to 80% silymarin — no absorption enhancement, so the ordinary oral ceiling applies. Take it with food. Solid, honest form for the money, but not a phytosome.
Silymarin/Silybin Dose vs Clinical Range25%8/10
~240 mg silymarin per capsule from a real 80% standardization. One capsule sits below the ~420 mg used in several trials, but two easily clears it and still costs less than most single-cap rivals.
Third-Party Testing & Quality Assurance20%6.5/10
Third-party testing is brand-stated and the facility is GMP/FDA-registered, but there's no independent NSF or USP seal. Adequate, not a standout — the main reason it isn't higher-ranked.
Value per Effective Serving15%9.5/10
The class leader: 120 real 80%-standardized servings for about $16 is the best cost-per-milligram-of-silymarin of any straight extract here. This axis is why it earns the Best Value badge.
Formulation Suitability & Tolerability10%8.5/10
Non-GMO and gluten-free in a veg capsule — a clean, broadly tolerable profile with no notable drawbacks.
The product at a glance
- Form
- Milk thistle extract, 80% silymarin (veg capsule)
- Silymarin load
- ~240 mg silymarin per capsule
- Supply
- 120 capsules = 120 servings
- Testing
- Brand-stated third-party tested; GMP/FDA-registered facility
- Suitability
- Non-GMO, gluten-free
- Price
- ~$16
- Cost per serving
- ~$0.13/cap
Marketing claims vs. reality
Partial
“Third-party tested”
Testing is stated by the brand and the facility is GMP/FDA-registered, but no independent NSF or USP certification seal is provided to confirm it.
Verified
“Non-GMO and gluten-free”
The label lists non-GMO and gluten-free status consistent with the veg-capsule formulation.
Partial
“Supports liver health”
Dose is reasonable, but high-quality trials and meta-analyses (Rambaldi 2005) found no confirmed clinical benefit, so the liver-support claim is only partially supported.
What our test actually found
01Best cost-per-milligram in the set
On the 15%-weighted value axis nothing here beats it: 120 legitimately standardized servings for ~$16. If you take milk thistle daily, this is the cheapest way to do it with a real 80% extract.
02Mind the single-cap dose
One capsule's ~240 mg sits below the ~420 mg silymarin used in several liver trials. Two capsules a day clears that window — and even then it undercuts most single-cap rivals on price.
03Cleaner than the cheaper Nutricost SKU
Nutricost also sells a cheaper 4:1 non-standardized milk thistle. This 80%-standardized version is the one worth buying — a defined silymarin percentage rather than an undefined concentrate.
04Testing is the ceiling on rank
The one thing separating it from the podium is the paper trail: brand-stated testing, no independent seal. Quality-over-price is exactly why it's #4 despite winning on cost.
Pros & cons, no sugar-coating
Pros
- Real 80% standardization at a budget price (240 mg silymarin/cap)
- Outstanding cost-per-mg-silymarin — 120 servings for ~$16
- Cleaner spec than Nutricost's cheaper 4:1 non-standardized SKU
- Non-GMO and gluten-free
Cons
- Third-party testing is brand-stated, not an independent NSF/USP seal
- Plain extract — absorption is the standard limitation
- Single 240 mg/day serving sits below the ~420 mg used in several trials
The value winner and the sane default
This is the value winner and the sane default for most people — a legitimate 80% extract at a price that makes daily use painless. Two knocks keep it out of the top three: the testing is the brand's own word rather than an independent seal, and it's plain extract, so absorption is average. Quality-over-price is exactly why it's #4 and not #1 — but take two a day and it's still cheaper than most single-cap rivals, which earns it the Best Value badge.
Check Nutricost on AmazonIf this doesn’t fit — try these
NOW Foods Silymarin Double Strength
7.3/10Similar dose and value in a 200-count bottle, with artichoke and dandelion bundled in.
See it on the list →Solaray Milk Thistle Seed Extract 350 mg
7.2/10A guaranteed-potency 280 mg one-a-day if you'd rather take a single capsule.
See it on the list →Thorne Milk Thistle Phytosome
8.6/10Step up to a real phytosome and top-tier QC if absorption matters more than price.
See it on the list →Sources & further reading
- Rambaldi A, Jacobs BP, Iaquinto G, Gluud C. Milk thistle for alcoholic and/or hepatitis B or C liver diseases—a systematic review with meta-analyses. Am J Gastroenterol. 2005;100(11):2583-2591.Rambaldi A, Jacobs BP, Iaquinto G, Gluud C · 2005 · American Journal of Gastroenterology · PMID 16279916
Milk thistle for alcoholic and/or hepatitis B or C liver diseases—a systematic review with meta-analyses of randomized clinical trials
High-quality trials showed no significant effect of milk thistle on mortality or liver-disease complications.
- 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
Reports supportive effects of silymarin, but at a lower evidence tier than randomized trials.