Roll Call

“Silybin?”Here!silibinin, a component of milk thistle

Plant

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As a supplement

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Roll Call does not check drug interactions or assess personal safety.

The main active compound found in silymarin, an extract of milk thistle (Silybum marianum) seeds, often isolated and used in liver-support supplements.

Why it’s used

Taken to support liver health, based on traditional use of milk thistle and laboratory research into antioxidant and cell-protective properties.

What the evidence is for

liver enzyme markers in some clinical studies, with inconsistent overall results.

What the evidence says

The cited NCCIH overview discusses milk thistle/silymarin (which contains silybin) rather than isolated silybin specifically, and states there is not enough high-quality evidence to draw definite conclusions about effects on liver disease. It describes clinical trial results for hepatitis B/C, fatty liver disease, and other liver conditions as 'conflicting or too limited,' and notes that two NCCIH-funded trials on hepatitis C and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis found no benefit from silymarin supplementation. No clinical or biomarker outcome specific to silybin alone is reported as consistent or reliable.

Context

Clinical trials have used a range of formulations and doses, complicated by variable absorption of silybin, which has led to development of enhanced-bioavailability forms in some studies.

Evidence: weak — for milk thistleThis grade comes from research into milk thistle rather than into Silybin itself — we found no study of Silybin on its own. Evidence about milk thistle is weaker evidence about Silybin than a study of Silybin would be, so the grade is capped at “suggestive”, however strong the research is.

Rumors

  1. Liver enzyme markers in some clinical studies, with inconsistent overall results.

    Unresolvedhealth and safety evidence

    Measured as a biomarker.