Where Can I Find Milk Thistle?

Milk thistle is a plant that originated in the Mediterranean but now grows worldwide. In some places its growth is so prolific it is considered to be a pesky weed. The milk thistle plant grows up to 10 feet in height, has purple flowers and its leaves ooze a milky white substance when crushed. This white fluid is what gave milk thistle its name. The plant bears a shiny brown hard skinned fruit. Silymarin is the ingredient in milk thistle that makes it sought after as a herbal remedy for liver ailments.

Capsules

• Buy milk thistle supplements wherever vitamins and supplements are sold, such as grocery stores and drug stores. It is sold most often in capsules. Since silymarin is the active ingredient, it is often sold by itself in capsule form. Some manufacturers believe there may be beneficial synergistic effects between silymarin and yet unknown ingredients in milk thistle so they offer a milk thistle capsule that contains 80 percent silymarin and 20 percent ground milk thistle. Verify on the product label that the brand you are buying is standardized to at least 70 percent silymarin and choose a capsule that has at least 120 mg silymarin.

Liquid Extract

• Absorb milk thistle into your body more efficiently and quickly by taking it in extract form. Milk thistle's ingredients are soluble in alcohol and may be more readily absorbed by the body when combined with a small amount of alcohol. Milk thistle extract should be alcohol based. Even when making milk thistle tea it is thought to be more effective to make the tea with an alcohol-based extract rather than making it with the dried plant. Dosage is 30 to 40 drops twice a day or as instructed by the product manufacturer. Herbal extracts are found in health food stores or online stores. This form of milk thistle is not usually found in drug stores or grocery stores.

Seeds

• Buy organic milk thistle seeds or powder from herbal supply stores and sprinkle it on your food or make tea with it. Or, purchase the seeds and use your coffee grinder to make your own powder. Research studies on milk thistle and silymarin have primarily taken place using standardized extracts. Ingesting milk thistle by making your own tea from the dried plant has not yet been proven to be as effective as taking it in other forms. When buying dried milk thistle seeds, order from a reputable company that guarantees their herbs are organic.