Milk Thistle vs NAC for hormones
Short answer: For hormones, more users report improvement with NAC — 90% of 10 reports, versus 83% of 6 for Milk Thistle.
Milk Thistle has 26 meta-analyses and 39 randomized trials on PubMed; NAC has 387 and 767.
Based on 246 reports about Milk Thistle and 2,058 about NAC. Not medical advice.
| Milk Thistle Supplement | NAC Supplement | |
|---|---|---|
| Users say it helped | 60%helped49 reports · medium confidence | 54%helped947 reports · high confidence |
| Verdict | Mostly positive | Mixed |
| Research | AResearch: Strong | AResearch: Strong |
| Meta-analyses / RCTs | 26 / 39 | 387 / 767 |
| Mainly used for | ||
| Mood % reporting improvement | 100% (2) | 65% (323) |
| Anxiety % reporting improvement | 100% (2) | 90% (301) |
| Focus % reporting improvement | — | 81% (170) |
| Energy % reporting improvement | — | 73% (91) |
| Sleep % reporting improvement | — | 71% (48) |
| Common side effects | stomach issues, diarrhea, serotonin syndrome, hypothyroidism | anhedonia, stomach issues, depression, emotional blunting |
| Typical dose reported | 500 mg / daily | 600 mg |
Silymarin can regulate energy metabolism, attenuate liver damage, and improve liver histology in NAFLD patients. However, the effects of silymarin will need to be confirmed by further research.
Ann Hepatol, 2024 ↗“Adrafinil and milk thistle is my current best solution...Milk thistle helps for the hepatoxicity (as you know)”
Taken together, these preliminary findings suggest that dietetic approaches might be included as part of BD treatment. Also considering the high risk of metabolic disorders in individuals with BD, they should be encouraged to choose healthy dietary lifestyles, including daily intake of fruits, vegetables, seafood and whole grains.
Nutr Neurosci, 2023 ↗“NAC has helped me stay calm and reduce anxiety as well as gives me loads of energy if I am sleep deprived.”
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Percentages come from first-hand user reports and are not clinical outcomes. Talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or combining anything. How we rate