MILK THISTLE SEED (Silybum marianum)

Benefits of Organic Milk Thistle Seed for Horses

A powerhouse for liver health - it's even said that there's no pharmaceutical equivalent! - this spiky purple thistle hides a deeply nourishing secret in its seeds. Rich in silymarin , it’s a traditional go-to for detox, digestion, and cellular protection – making it a must-have in today’s toxic modern world.

Please note this is a nutritional, functional horse food supplement and not veterinary medicine. For more on this see Dr Kellon's Horse Sense - Nutrition is not 'Alternative' Therapy .

Find Milk Thistle Seed in the EquiNatural range

A staple proprietary herb at EquiNatural, we use Milk Thistle Seed across many of our support formulas, especially where liver, kidney and immunoprotective is required. You'll find it in all our Immunity CARE blends, as well as our two CushTonics , EyeTonic , MellowMare , MetaTonic , and WildFed .

Feed Guide

💧Organic Milk Thistle Seed Tincture

Our human-grade, certified organic tinctures give you a ready-to-absorb potent source of phytonutrients at the highest-strength available, for immediate absorption straight into the bloodstream and to the body’s cells.

• Carduus marianus
• Seed
• Decocted 1:3 65%
• Organically Cultivated

~ Feed Guide - mi lk thistle seed tincture for horses

• 6ml/100kg bodyweight, daily in feed.
• ♻️ Our tinctures come in a heat-sealed, twin-neck, child-resistant HDPE plastic dosing bottle, complete with dosing chamber. *HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene) plastic is 100% recyclable, and energy-efficient to produce. Safe for food/water storage, it reduces waste and emissions while resisting wear. A top sustainable choice to match the EquiNatural ethos.

🌿Organic Dried Milk Thistle Seed

Grown, harvested and dried without the use of agri-chemicals, non-irradiated and GMO free - see our Quality page for Quality Management & Certification Documents.

• Silybum marianum
• Seed
• Organic Cultivated
• Origin Turkey

~ Feed Guide - dried m ilk thistle seed for horses

• 5g/100kg bodyweight per day, i.e. 25g for a 500kg horse.
• Want a scoop? You can add a scoop to your basket during checkout.
• ♻️Supplied in a 100% fully recylable, resealable, food-grade foil pouch for freshness.

Footnotes

• Laboratory tested for identification and compliance to the British and European Pharmacopoeia standards.
• Human grade.
• Please be aware that if you're purchasing our dried botanicals for human use, our dried range is cut to appropriate sizes for feeding to horses.
• ♻️ Eco Note: Our packaging is recyclable and refillable.
• 🧊 Storage Tip: Keep cool and dry.

Functional Nutritional Value

Constituents: Flavolignans (including isosilybinin, silybinin, silychristin, and silydianin, which together are referred to as silymarin), fixed oil, sterols (cholesterol, campesterol, stigmasterol, sitosterol), gamma linoleic acid, amines (tyramine, histamine, betaine), bitter principles, flavonoids (apigenin, quercetin, kaempferol), lignans, mucilage.

Safety/Contraindications

• Always seek veterinary advice for pregnant/nursing mares before feeding.

Milk Thistle Seed in History & Tradition

Medicinally speaking, when it comes to milk-thistle's medicinal prowess, it's all about the seed. The most researched and utilised part of milk thistle is the seed, with the leaves, flowers and roots used more as prebiotic food.

The ultimate liver ally for modern life

Long before liver detox became a wellness buzzword, milk thistle had already earned its place in herbal history as one of the most powerful protectors of the body's inner terrain. While its soft-spined leaves and vibrant purple flowers may steal the spotlight in the garden, it’s the humble seed that herbalists treasure. Inside each tiny husk lies a powerhouse of therapeutic potential – one that’s stood the test of time across cultures, continents, and clinical studies.

Milk thistle has walked with us through millennia – from ancient Greek apothecaries to famine fields, from Roman cook pots to Middle Eastern street snacks. Even Pliny the Elder (1st century AD) sang its praises, noting its liver-supporting qualities and lamenting its cooking difficulty! Through the ages, it’s been revered not just as a healing herb, but as sacred protection against poisoning, infection, and environmental overwhelm – even touted in medieval texts as a balm for the blood and the melancholic soul.

Silymarin - science meets seed

What makes this seed so special? Its most famous compound, silymarin , wasn’t identified until the 20th century – but once isolated, it changed everything. Silymarin’s discovery opened the doors to a new level of understanding around liver regeneration, toxin protection, and antioxidant capacity.

It works by altering liver cell membranes to block the uptake of toxins while supporting the production of new, healthy hepatocytes. This makes it a front-line herb for modern life – whether from pharmaceuticals, alcohol, heavy metals, or just the chronic low-level toxic load of the 21st century.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, milk thistle is said to nourish yin and cool liver heat, bringing balance to an overworked system. In Ayurveda, it’s seen as a purifier and rejuvenator for digestion, liver, and blood. In Western herbalism, it shines as a liver restorative, digestive tonic, and gentle mover of blood, bile, and lymph – with soothing, cooling properties that work where there's heat, inflammation, or stagnation.

It’s especially useful in cases of:

• Liver stress(from toxins, drugs, alcohol, or infection)
• Sluggish digestion and bile flow
• Skin conditions with a hepatic root (eczema, acne, psoriasis)
• Lymphatic stagnation and spleen congestion
• Hormonal imbalances linked to liver overload
• Post-antibiotic recovery and chronic fatigue

Milk thistle is also gaining recognition in neuroprotective research, showing promising results in age-related conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, thanks to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects on the nervous system.

No question - milk thistle is a primary therapeutic ally of 21st century living due to its ability to assist the body in the liver function and detoxification needed to deal with modern industrial fast-paced lifestyles. Many argue that silymarin and milk thistle preparations have been shown to be the best documented treatment for liver intoxication. It’s even been said that there’s no pharmaceutical equivalent for the powers of this humble seed!