Note: This article is based on my personal experience and research. I am not a doctor or a dietitian, and this content is for informational purposes only. Always consult with your healthcare provider before making any changes to your diet or lifestyle.
After being diagnosed with fatty liver disease (MASLD aka NAFLD), just like most people out there, I felt clueless: I didn’t know what to eat or drink and, most importantly, if I should take any supplements or other pills.
Fortunately, my hepatologist made one important recommendation that might’ve changed the entire thing for me: she recommended I should take Milk Thistle supplements.
Exaggerated claims and conflicting advice are everywhere, especially when it comes to fatty liver. I went through this, though, and reversed my condition, so I have years of personal, direct experience, and also plenty of research that I am sharing below.
I also believe milk thistle was a key ally in my recovery journey. I wrote about this journey in my book, From Fatty Liver to Healthy Liver – make sure to read it if you want to see everything that worked for me.
If you’re only interested in the milk thistle options I recommend, I’ve listed them below with more details. First, if you’re in a hurry, here’s a quick summary of my recommendations:
(Please note: I get commissions for purchases made through links in this article.)
- Oregon’s Wild Harvest Milk Thistle (offers a mix of organic, wild milk thistle and a few other detox-friendly natural extracts)
- Reliver Pro (my top choice, which has a blend of milk thistle and other natural liver-supporting extracts)
- Puritan’s Pride Milk Thistle (just Milk Thistle extract – 1,000mg equivalent)
Now let’s get a bit more in depth in terms of what options you have and which are, in my opinion, the best Milk Thistle you should take.
Oregon’s Wild Harvest Milk Thistle
If you prefer your supplements as clean as possible, Oregon’s Wild Harvest is a great choice to discuss with your hepatologist. It sits perfectly between the simple, single-ingredient milk thistle extracts and the larger multi-blends like Reliver Pro recommended below.
Alongside milk thistle, this formula includes dandelion root, burdock, and artichoke. All of these are considered by many to be helpful supplements for boosting your liver’s health and well-being.
The entire blend is certified organic and manufactured without artificial fillers, stearates, or common allergens like gluten and dairy, meaning that it’s of the highest standard possible.
A single serving delivers a potent 540mg of organic milk thistle standardized to 80% silymarin, plus 240mg of dandelion root. It is a solid, high-quality option if you want a pure, non-GMO botanical blend made in the USA.
Reliver Pro – Top Choice
If you are anything like I was after my diagnosis, you probably want to throw everything you can at your liver to help it heal. If that’s the case, Reliver Pro shines in this area, as it packs a multi-ingredient blend of liver-supporting heavyweights into a single formula.
It combines milk thistle with other well-known natural extracts like turmeric, dandelion root, artichoke leaves and a lot more, all of which have been heavily researched for their potential to support digestion, reduce inflammation, and help the liver process toxins.
While I am usually cautious about herbal mixes because I prefer science-backed data, the health and science media backs up at least some of the ingredients used in Reliver Pro (you can check everything on the supplement’s website).
So if you want to give your body a wide spectrum of antioxidant support without having to buy and swallow tons of different supplement pills every morning, Reliver Pro is a great choice and my new #1 favorite.
IMPORTANT: If you decide to buy the 3- or 6-bottle pack, you will receive an impressive bonus: two free books, the Liver Detox Bible and a cookbook filled with liver-friendly recipes. This is REALLY good value for the money!
Puritan’s Pride Milk Thistle – Excellent Alternative
Puritan’s Pride brings the trust of a recognized, long-standing brand in the supplement industry. You simply can’t ask for much more!
What I like most about this product is that it aligns perfectly with the dosage my doctor recommended for my personal use: it provides 250mg of silymarin extract, the equivalent of 1,000mg of raw milk thistle.
The pack comes with 180 softgels, enough to last up to six months, making it convenient and budget-friendly.
Manufactured in the USA, this supplement ticks all the right boxes: potency, reputation, and affordability. After all, you can’t get so popular without offering true quality in return!
Does milk thistle work?
Clinical studies, such as those reported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), have shown milk thistle’s active compound, silymarin, helps reduce inflammation and liver enzyme levels in patients with fatty liver disease.
In the end, it’s up for you to decide which of these supplements to take – ideally, after talking to your doctor.
But even if you start taking them, you still need to stick to your diet and continue changing your lifestyle, as these supplements alone are not a replacement for good eating, drinking, and living habits!
If you want to read even more about this supplement, check out my article dedicated to milk thistle and fatty liver disease here.
How I Took Milk Thistle During My MASLD Recovery
My doctor’s recommendation was to take one pill with 250mg of Milk Thistle extract (1,000mg equivalent) every morning for 90 days, then take a break for 1 month, and then repeat.
However, immediately after being diagnosed, my doctor recommended taking 500mg daily for the first month to speed up the recovery early on.
Because everyone’s metabolic health and liver enzymes are different, you should ask your doctor for a dosage plan tailored to your specific lab results.
IMPORTANT! When taking these supplements, keep this in mind: although silymarin (aka milk thistle) has always been associated with improved liver function and has been praised for its healing effects on the liver, it won’t do wonders by itself.
In other words, this is not a medicine that will reverse your fatty liver alone. You still need to stick to your diet, lose weight (if needed) and exercise in order to make it happen. Milk thistle is said to help and probably does, but it’s not the cure.
However, any extra help is welcome – that is always my motto – so why not give your liver an even better and bigger boost?
They are affordable and, at worst, they won’t have any effect. But if science-backed studies are correct, they will help your recovery a lot.
Are There Any Side Effects?
Milk thistle supplements are usually safe, but mild stomach upset, nausea or allergic reactions can occur occasionally. Always consult a healthcare provider, particularly if you take medications or have allergies to similar plants like ragweed or daisies.
I Carefully Selected These Supplements
When evaluating milk thistle supplements, I did not rely only on Amazon ratings or popularity alone. Here are the criteria I used:
- Personal experience: As a former MASLD/NAFLD patient myself, I took various milk thistle supplements and liver boosters over the years.
- Brand Reputation & Transparency: I prioritized supplements from trusted, transparent companies, ideally backed by independent lab testing.
- Value for Money: I always say that liver recovery is a marathon, not a sprint. The supplements had to be reasonably priced for long-term use.
- User Experience: I considered verified customer feedback to ensure real-world efficacy and satisfaction matched product claims.
The resulting recommendations above represent my personal opinion. There are no guaranteed results, although we have various studies confirming the usefulness of milk thistle in managing liver disease.
Wrapping up
The journey to reversing fatty liver disease begins with plenty of research, then putting that research into action – making the required dietary changes, exercising and taking advantage of all the extra help you can.
Milk thistle, in my personal experience, is a powerful ally on this path – and one I’d comfortably recommend to friends, family, or anyone dealing with a fatty liver (aka MASLD).
Each of the three supplements listed above is a great choice if you’re looking for supplements and I can only hope they will help you on your path to regaining your health.
And if you’re a fan of supplements and natural boosters, you can also check out my recommended magnesium supplements to help improve fatty liver disease, the best vitamin supplements, read about the benefits of apple cider vinegar, or the liver-friendly superfoods you should always eat.
I was diagnosed with fatty liver in 2014 and successfully reversed it by mid-2015 using a natural diet and lifestyle changes. Since then, I’ve dedicated over a decade to researching this condition and helping others navigate their own recovery. I am the author of ‘From Fatty Liver to Healthy Liver’ and the founder of this community. My goal is to translate complex medical studies into practical, real-world advice that actually works, combined with my personal experience on the matter.
I am afraid to take milk thistle because I am on so much medications and also I am allergic to most plants and trees.Do you think that I could have a reaction from milk thistle?
I never heard of any allergic reactions to milk thistle, but this is not my area of expertise. If you know to be allergic, it’s best to talk to your doctor before taking it.
I have had allergy testing done and I am allergic to thistle and dandelions. I would like to try them for fatty liver, but am concerned.
I am also, interested in trying milk thistle for fatty liver, but read it can be high in estrogen and is used to increasing milk for breast feeding… since I am a man, I not sure it would be good for my over all health.
That is indeed something to look deeper into but I (man) took milk thistle as the doctor recommended and had no problems.