Silybum Marianum Extract
Silybum Marianum Extract is the standardised extract of the ripe fruit of the milk thistle, Silybum marianum, a tall biennial herb of the Asteraceae family with characteristic white-veined leaves and purple flower heads.
The active fraction is silymarin, a flavonolignan complex composed of silybin A and B, isosilybin A and B, silydianin, silychristin, and the simple flavonoid taxifolin.
Commercial material is a free-flowing pale yellow to light brown powder, faintly bitter, and only sparingly soluble in water.
We source bulk Silybum Marianum Extract from top China manufacturers for our partners. The manufacturer is in Guangdong. For this ingredient the minimum order is 100 kg, and a smaller requirement can ship in a combined container with other ingredients.
Please send the grade you need, the volume and your destination port, and we will come back with a solution and a price.
or call +86-21-6858 0751
- Minimum order
- 100 kg
- Packaging
- 25 kg fibre drum with double PE liner
- ISO 9001
- HACCP
- Halal
- Kosher
Specifications
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Pale yellow to light brown fine powder, faintly bitter |
| Silymarin (UV, calculated as silybin) | ≥ 80.0% |
| Silybin A + B (HPLC) | ≥ 30.0% |
| Extract Ratio | 30:1 |
| Loss on Drying | ≤ 5.0% |
| Sulphated Ash | ≤ 5.0% |
| Particle Size | ≥ 95% through 80 mesh |
| Residual Solvent (Ethanol) | ≤ 5,000 mg/kg |
| Pesticide Residues | Conforms |
| Heavy Metals (as Pb) | ≤ 10 mg/kg |
| Lead (as Pb) | ≤ 2 mg/kg |
| Arsenic (as As) | ≤ 1 mg/kg |
| Total Plate Count | ≤ 1,000 CFU/g |
| Yeast and Mould | ≤ 100 CFU/g |
| Salmonella | Negative/25g |
Common Markets Grades
Catalogue grades are defined by silymarin assay measured spectrophotometrically against a silybin reference, with silybin content also reported by HPLC.
The general nutraceutical grade is 80 percent silymarin by UV, with silybin at 30 percent minimum by HPLC. This is the standard grade for liver-support supplements.
A premium 80 percent UV grade with silybin held above 40 percent by HPLC is preferred by brands that specify silybin content directly on the label.
A standardised pharmaceutical grade meets the European Pharmacopoeia monograph for Milk Thistle Dry Extract with assay limits, residual solvent profile, and heavy metal limits.
Phospholipid complex grades, in which silybin is co-precipitated with soy or sunflower phosphatidylcholine, are produced for premium softgel formats. Typical loading is 30 percent silybin in the complex.
Applications
- Stand-alone liver-support capsules and tablets across the supplement category
- Combination liver formulas with N-acetylcysteine, choline, dandelion, or artichoke
- Detoxification and post-cleanse kits in the wellness segment
- Sports nutrition products positioned around recovery and metabolic support
- Antioxidant blends in cardio and longevity stacks
- Skin-care actives in antioxidant serums and after-sun lotions
- Hair-care formulations targeting scalp comfort and follicle support
- Veterinary supplements for dogs, cats, and equine liver care
- Functional beverages where bitterness can be balanced by masking systems
- Reference and starting material for downstream silybin and silibinin isolation
Brands Using Silybum Marianum Extract
Widely-distributed consumer products that list Silybum Marianum Extract on the ingredient label.
- NOW FoodsSilymarin Milk Thistle Extract 300 mg (Double Strength) ↗300 mg Silybum marianum seed extract standardised to silymarin, with artichoke and dandelion.Label verified 2026-05-24
- Nature's WayMilk Thistle Standardized (80% silymarin) ↗175 mg Silybum marianum seed extract per serving, standardised to 80% silymarin, non-GMO.Label verified 2026-05-24
- SolarayMilk Thistle Seed Extract One Daily 350 mg ↗350 mg Silybum marianum seed extract per capsule, guaranteed to contain 80% silymarin.Label verified 2026-05-24
- Gaia HerbsMilk Thistle Seed Liquid Phyto-Caps ↗Silybum marianum seed extract concentrated to preserve silymarin, in vegan Liquid Phyto-Caps.Label verified 2026-05-24
- ThorneS.A.T. (Silymarin / Artichoke / Turmeric) ↗Thorne's official S.A.T. product page provides a silybin-phospholipid (phytosome) milk thistle complex combined with artichoke and turmeric extracts for liver and digestive support.Label verified 2026-05-24
- Life ExtensionAdvanced Milk Thistle ↗Life Extension's Advanced Milk Thistle product page delivers 480 mg silymarin per serving with a phytosome formulation for up to 3x greater bioavailability of silybin.Label verified 2026-05-24
Brand names, product names and logos are the property of their owners. They appear here as published evidence that the ingredient is used, taken from the brand's own label or website. Their appearance is not an endorsement, and it does not mean the brand buys from us or from any manufacturer listed on this site.
China Manufacturers of Silybum Marianum Extract
Top Silybum Marianum Extract manufacturers in China.
Company names and logos are the property of the manufacturers themselves. They are listed here because our own directory records them as producing this ingredient. A listing is not an endorsement by them, and we do not represent them or speak on their behalf.
How We Help Source Silybum Marianum Extract
Direct Factory Sourcing
We run the whole process: selecting the manufacturer from the top Chinese food ingredient producers, negotiating the price, verifying quality, and coordinating the logistics. You deal with us instead of with several factories at once.
Original Packaging and Documents from the Manufacturer
The manufacturer sends your Silybum Marianum Extract out of its own factory in the original packing, through to your destination port. The COA, COO, MSDS, TDS and any certifications reach you from the manufacturer as well.
Free Samples and Lead Time
We send 100 to 500 g free for your own laboratory to test and you cover only the courier, usually within 2 to 3 working days. ETD is usually within 7 to 15 days once the order is confirmed, and we check that date against the factory's own manufacturing schedule before we give it to you.
Combined Shipment
We can load Silybum Marianum Extract together with other ingredients such as Astaxanthin, Dehydrated Garlic and Lutein into one 20' FCL. If your quantity is small, we can also ship LCL.
Regulatory Status
Milk thistle fruit and its standardised extracts are recognised as traditional herbal substances and as food supplement ingredients across the main regulatory frameworks.
The European Union lists Silybi mariani fructus as a traditional herbal substance with an EMA HMPC monograph, and a separate monograph in the European Pharmacopoeia defines Milk Thistle Fruit and Milk Thistle Dry Extract with assay and identity tests.
The United States permits the fruit and its extracts as dietary ingredients with a long history of pre-1994 use. The United States Pharmacopeia also carries a monograph on the powdered extract.
The German Commission E has approved milk thistle fruit for dyspeptic complaints and for supportive treatment in chronic inflammatory liver disorders.
Halal, Kosher, and organic certifications are routinely available because the process uses only food-grade solvents and a single-species botanical input.
Manufacturing Process
Milk thistle is cultivated on a contract basis across Austria, Hungary, Germany, China, Argentina, and Egypt. The ripe achenes are harvested by combine in late summer, cleaned, and stripped of the pappus.
The cleaned fruits are mechanically defatted by cold pressing or hexane extraction to remove the seed oil, which interferes with flavonolignan recovery. The defatted meal is the starting material for extraction.
Extraction uses acetone, ethyl acetate, methanol, or ethanol, sometimes in sequence. The crude extract is concentrated, decolourised on activated carbon, and either precipitated by partial water addition or fractionated on macroporous adsorbent resin.
The recovered solid is dried under vacuum and milled to a free-flowing powder that meets the target silymarin assay.
Phospholipid complex grades are produced by dissolving silybin and phosphatidylcholine in a polar aprotic solvent, then removing the solvent under vacuum to give a homogeneous complex.
