Toxicity is very low, the oral 50% lethal dose being 10 000 mg/kg in rats and the maximum tolerated dose being 300 mg/kg in dogs. Moreover, silymarin is devoid of embryotoxic potential.
The results of most clinical trials with the thistle (Silybum marianum) extract, silymarin, are difficult to interpret because of a variety of reasons: small sample size, variability in type and ...