Buying milk thistle - What you should know!

What can milk thistle do for you?

Milk thistle is one of the best researched plants to protect the liver.

• Natural liver protection As a metabolic and detoxification organ, the liver is exposed to a lot of stress every day. Medication, alcohol, and other environmental pollutants can impair the liver's function. Milk thistle supports the liver cells in their important work and also serves to protect them.
• Digestion: The liver is not only used for detoxification, it also produces bile acids. These play a crucial role in fat digestion. Milk thistle can stimulate the production of bile in the liver and thus promote the bile flow. The bitter and tannins contained also support a healthy digestion. Therefore, people who do not tolerate fatty foods well or who have digestion problems can benefit from taking milk thistle.
• Cardiovascular system: The effect of milk thistle is not limited to the liver alone. Studies show that milk thistle intake can contribute to normal cholesterol levels. Elevated cholesterol levels can affect the health of the cardiovascular system. This also makes milk thistle suitable for the prevention of heart problems and for the promotion of general heart health.
• Mobility and flexibility: Healthy bones are the basic requirement for mobility and flexibility. Milk thistle extract can contribute to bone health due to its bone-protecting ingredients. Especially women after menopause can benefit from the intake.
• Beautiful and radiant skin: The skin condition is often considered an indicator of liver function. The worse the liver is able to excrete toxins, the more the skin has to take on this function as another excretory organ. The contained flavonoids are also said to increase the collagen content in the skin and therefore prevent wrinkles. Milk thistle can contribute to a radiant and beautiful complexion.

Buy milk thistle - What should you pay attention to?

Many milk thistle preparations are available online. We will show you what to look for when buying milk thistle powder or capsules.

• Products and dosage forms
• Ingredients and dosage
• Intake and tolerance
• Additives and allergens
• Price-performance ratio
• Satisfaction guarantee

Products and dosage forms

Milk thistle is offered in powder, tablet or capsule form. The basis for all dosage forms is usually the milk thistle extract. The fruits of the milk thistle are used for this.

Milk thistle tablets

• Milk thistle tablets are made from compressed milk thistle powder. As a rule, the tablets have a standardised active ingredient content. Accordingly, they can be precisely dosed and are also well suited for use when travelling or on the go.
• Milk thistle capsules
• If you buy milk thistle capsules, they contain milk thistle extract with a standardised silymarin content. One capsule contains between 200 and 400 mg of milk thistle extract. The milk thistle capsules can be dosed and taken just as safely as the tablets, but often contain fewer excipients. Milk thistle capsules with a plant based capsule shell are also suitable for vegetarians or vegans.
• Milk thistle powder
• The milk thistle powder consists of dried and ground milk thistle fruits. You can stir the powder into water and then drink it. Most powder preparations also have a standardised active ingredient content, but the exact dosage is somewhat more difficult here. The powder is particularly suitable for people who do not want to swallow capsules or tablets.

Milk thistle: Ingredients and dosage

The relevant ingredients in milk thistle include the flavonolignans silybin, isosilybin, silychristin, and silydianin. This mixture of flavonolignans is also known as silymarin. The silymarin is said to have antioxidative, hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, antihepatotoxic and biliary properties. Other ingredients include triterpenes, fatty oil, and tannins.

The German Commission E recommends a standardised preparation of 200 to 400 mg silymarin daily. People suffering from liver disease can take up to 420 mg of silymarin per day.

The active ingredients in milk thistle are difficult to dissolve in water. A tea preparation made from milk thistle fruits is therefore not suitable to prevent or counteract liver damage or to support the liver function.

Intake and tolerance

Milk thistle is generally well tolerated and does not have a lot of side effects. If you have an intolerance or overdose, you may experience bloating, abdominal pain, or diarrhoea. These symptoms usually go away quickly after discontinuing the intake of the supplement or after reducing the dosage.

If you buy high-dose milk thistle, you should take it before a meal. Avoid drinking alcohol and other liver-damaging substances during the intake period, in order not to diminish the positive effects on the liver.

A combination with other liver-protecting substances such as artichoke extract, N-acetyl-L-cysteine or sodium R-lipoic acid is recommended to promote liver health. Combination food supplements containing these active ingredients are available for simple and uncomplicated use. The combination of the ingredients not only improves the bioavailability of the individual components, the substances also support each other in their effects.

Additives and allergens

Regardless of whether you buy milk thistle as a powder or choose another dosage form, make sure that the product is free of unnecessary additives such as artificial colours, binders, or preservatives.

The milk thistle belongs to the daisy family. If you suffer from a daisy allergy, you should therefore refrain from taking them.

Price-performance ratio

When looking for a suitable milk thistle preparation, you will certainly find that the prices vary. Before you buy milk thistle at a cheap price, you should pay attention to the ingredients first. On the one hand, very cheap preparations often contain unnecessary additives. On the other hand, they are often less high-quality milk thistle extracts with poor bioavailability. So, you have to take a correspondingly high dose to achieve an effect. Products with a good price-performance ratio have a high bioavailability, so that the body can absorb the active ingredients that protect the liver quickly and easily.

Satisfaction guarantee

In rare cases, an intolerance can also occur with high-quality food supplements. You take no chances when you buy milk thistle capsules from a retailer with a satisfaction guarantee. If you are not satisfied or intolerable, you can return the product and get your money back easily.

Questions and answers about buying milk thistle

You may also be interested in these questions and answers.

Where can you buy milk thistle?

Milk thistle capsules, powder, or dried milk thistle fruits are available online in a large selection and at good prices. Some chemists and drugstores also carry the preparations.

Who is milk thistle suitable for as a dietary supplement?

Milk thistle is one of the most important plants for liver protection. Alcohol, unhealthy fats, medication, but also infections - all of these factors can damage the liver and impair liver function. The liver is an organ that suffers silently. It does not hurt and can compensate stress. Milk thistle is therefore not only suitable for people who have a diagnosed liver disease but above all for anyone who want to make an active contribution to liver health.