What does science say about Milk thistle (silymarin) and cancer (all types)?
- We don’t say yes or no. We show what has been studied.
- Working in a lab or in animals does not mean it works in people.
- Don’t stop or change your treatment without talking to your doctor.
What has been studied
- Lab studies (cells)Tests on cells in a dish.Source: PubMed · as of 11 Nov 2026 · Open the search at PubMed265studies
- Animal studiesTests in mice, rats or other animals.Source: PubMed · as of 11 Nov 2026 · Open the search at PubMed172studies
- Studies in peoplePublished studies with human participants.Source: PubMed · as of 11 Nov 2026 · Open the search at PubMed33studies
- Registered trials in peopleTrials entered in a public registry, whatever their result.ClinicalTrials.gov: 2 · as of 11 Nov 2026 · Open the search at ClinicalTrials.govEU CTIS: 0 · as of 11 Nov 2026 · Open the search at EU CTISBy phase:No phase (2)By status:Recruiting (1)Withdrawn before start (1)Countries (1):Italy (2)With a linked publication (results): 0 of 2The registries do not tell us here whether results were posted; a linked publication is shown instead.2trials
- Approved treatmentApproved by a medicines regulator for this disease.No
Cancer here means all 33 cancer types we cover.
Examples of what we found
The trials
No phase
SILibinin in NSCLC and BC Patients With Single Brain METastasis (SILMET)
Recruiting · Italy
ClinicalTrials.gov · NCT05689619
Thinking of paying for it? Read this first
- Ask for published results. Stories, thank-you letters and "patients report" are not results. Ask where the results were published.
- Know what you pay for. Ask in writing: what exactly is included, who gets the money, and what happens if you stop.
- Ask your own doctor first. Some products interfere with chemotherapy, radiation or other medicines. Your treating doctor can check this.
- Do not stop standard treatment for it. Do not stop or delay your treatment without talking to your care team.
Not medical advice. Talk to the care team before changing treatment.