Evidence review in progress

Milk thistle

Silybum marianum

Milk thistle is heavily promoted for the liver, so the first queue starts with two rigorous silymarin trials that did not show the hoped-for benefit in their studied liver-disease settings. Those results are being reviewed before a detailed card is published.

Evidence snapshot reviewed October 16, 2026

Check the botanical identity in the Plant Atlas →

Botanical identity

Which plant this profile means

This profile is tied to Silybum marianum while keeping named silymarin extracts separate from whole-plant and retail mixed products.

Scientific name
Silybum marianum
WCVP taxon ID
2901907
Atlas record
Open this name in the Plant Atlas

Preparation boundaries

Same plant, different exposure

These forms stay separate in the evidence bank. A result for one cannot be copied onto the others.

Standardized extract

fruit or seed-derived silymarin · Taken by mouth

Named silymarin extracts with defined composition are not equivalent to whole seed, tea, tincture, or a retail product with unverified silymarin content.

mixed or unverified products

fruit, seed, leaf, or extract · Taken by mouth

Retail milk-thistle products can differ in composition, labeling accuracy, and contamination; clinical findings do not transfer without a preparation match.

Research-bot status

The sources are organized. The claims aren’t public yet.

The bot has matched the source material to the right plant and preparation. Possible claims stay private until the exact source and wording clear the record-level review.

Sources in review
2
Possible claims found
0
Still awaiting review
0
Blocked source
0

Research connections

What this ingredient has been studied around

No preparation-matched study connection is public yet. A connection can appear before a result interpretation, but it never counts as proof of benefit.

Reviewed evidence

No detailed evidence card published yet

The queue is not the publication

Finding a study is the beginning of review, not a reason to publish a benefit claim. Source excerpts, model suggestions, and unresolved conclusions remain private.

Profile sources

Read the source material