Supplement
Milk thistle is a plant whose seed extract, silymarin, is thought to protect liver cells and support their regeneration. People mostly look at it for liver health, where the evidence is strong, but two trials on breast milk production found no clear difference in how much milk mothers made. Those studies were small, about 100 mothers combined, so the evidence there is very limited.
Sources: PMID 26714778; PMID 19260380
- Updated
- How we grade
- 2 studies cited
- Best evidence
- Grade D
- Conditions studied
- 2
- Outcomes
- 2
- Graded outcomes
- 0001
Evidence by condition
- Strong
- Moderate
- Limited
- Very limited
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milk Production No effect | NoneNo effect | 2 studies | 100 people | |||
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acne Symptoms | Improves (the measure goes down) | 56 people |
Key findings
- Milk Production
Shop Milk Thistle
Third-party tested Milk Thistle products. The evidence above is limited, so read it before you buy.
- Grade D
Links to Fullscript, iHerb or Thorne carry our referral, so we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Grades come from the research and never change based on what we earn. Fullscript asks for a free account before it shows its catalog and prices. Full disclosure
Studies cited
2 studies from PubMed