Milk Thistle
Organic and conventional producers (organic certificate comes from the supplier — check the number in TRACES NT) and a multi-supplier sample pack in a single form. Pre-launch — free of fee.
Who supplies wholesale milk thistle in the EU?
Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) seed is field-grown across Eastern Europe — Romania, Hungary, the Balkans — and the Mediterranean, while most silymarin extract volume comes from China. It is traded as cleaned seed, seed powder, cold-pressed seed oil and standardised extract (for example 80% silymarin by HPLC). TANDOR is an introducer based in Romania: you send the product, form, quantity and delivery country, we ask EU producers for written offers and introduce you directly — the producer sells and invoices you. Organic status is the producer's own certificate, which you check in EU TRACES. Prices are quoted on request, based on a current offer from the supplier.
At a glance: Milk Thistle
- Botanical name:
- Silybum marianum
- Sourcing origins:
- Romania / Eastern Europe — EU-Organic field crop · China — global extract-volume origin
- Harvest window:
- Seed harvest July–August. Cleaned seed, seed powder, herb cut and standardised extract ship year-round.
- Typical uses:
- Food supplements (silymarin-standardised extract) · Milk-thistle seed and seed powder for capsules + blends · Herbal tea (seed and herb cut) · Seed oil and seed powder for food products
- Certification:
- Organic and conventional — organic status is the supplier's own certificate; buyers check the number in the EU TRACES organic register
- How to source:
- Send a brief (category, volume, certification, delivery) → multi-supplier comparison
Common applications
Current sourcing
Seed harvest July–August. Cleaned seed, seed powder, herb cut and standardised extract ship year-round.
Prices
Prices are quoted on request, based on a current offer from the supplier.
Quality controls & specifications
Milk thistle is bought two very different ways — raw seed (and seed powder or tea) on cleanliness and seed integrity, or standardised extract on the silymarin assay. Silymarin is a flavonolignan complex (silybin/silibinin A+B, silychristin, silydianin), so for extract the standardisation figure and the assay method are the contractual anchors, not the seed origin.
- Standardised extract is sold to a silymarin %: 80% is the common nutraceutical grade — but the assay method matters, since UV spectrophotometry typically reads higher than HPLC on the same material
- Silymarin is a complex (silybin A+B / silibinin, isosilybin, silychristin, silydianin) — the HPLC profile, not just total %, is the defensible extract spec
- Raw seed is graded on purity (foreign matter, stones, other seeds), moisture and seed integrity; specify cleaning level and sieve
- Seed silymarin content is variety- and season-dependent — for extract, contract on the finished standardised % rather than the raw seed
- Cold-pressed seed oil is linoleic-acid-dominant with tocopherols; specify peroxide value and cool, dark, inert-headspace storage
- Pesticide-residue + heavy-metal panel per EU Reg. 2023/915; EU-Organic operator/control-body ID on the COA
- Microbiological panel per EU Reg. 2073/2005; powdered and tea grades may be steam-treated — confirm the method
Sample request: 100–500 g per format, dispatched by the producer after confirmation, against a signed non-disclosure note. Larger evaluation lots available against partial freight cost recovery during the pre-launch phase.
Related sourcing pages
Frequently asked questions
Where can I source organic milk thistle seed and extract in the EU?+
TANDOR is a Romania-based introducer that puts EU buyers in touch with producers of Silybum marianum — cleaned seed, seed powder, herb cut, cold-pressed seed oil, and silymarin-standardised extract — from Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria and other EU origins; organic where the supplier holds the certificate, with the supplier's Certificate of Analysis per batch.
What does '80% silymarin' actually mean — and is it reliable?+
It's the standardised silymarin content of the extract. The catch is the assay method: UV spectrophotometry typically reads higher than HPLC on the same material, so two '80%' extracts can genuinely differ. Specify the method (HPLC preferred) and ask for the silybin A+B share, not just the total — that is the defensible spec.
Should I buy seed or extract?+
Buy seed (or seed powder) if you formulate whole-herb capsules, teas, or press your own oil — there the grade is cleanliness and integrity. Buy standardised extract if your label makes a silymarin claim — there you contract on the assayed % and HPLC profile, not the raw-seed origin.
Why does EU origin matter when China supplies most extract?+
China is the dominant volume origin for silymarin extract; EU-origin (Eastern-European / Mediterranean) seed and extract give shorter, traceable supply chains and EU-Organic certification, which matters for clean-label and EU-residue compliance. Many buyers pair EU-origin seed traceability with the standardised assay.
What about milk-thistle seed oil?+
Cold-pressed Silybum seed oil is linoleic-acid-dominant with tocopherols, used in cosmetics and nutrition. Specify peroxide value, extraction method (cold-pressed vs refined), and inert/dark storage — like other high-linoleic oils, it oxidises and needs protective packaging.
TANDOR Intelligence — free briefing on major market developments
EU organic botanical sourcing — price moves, supply-side risk, spec ranges with cited sources.
- Origins and formats per product (7 core botanicals)
- Harvest window updates + supply-chain shifts
- EU regulatory + EMA/Ph. Eur. monograph changes