NutriStack
Milk Thistle and Sulforaphane, a synergy.
Sulforaphane and silymarin (the active fraction of milk thistle) both activate Nrf2-driven cytoprotective and antioxidant defenses in the liver, providing complementary hepatoprotective support.
One pair, every claim cited. The two substances, the type, the mechanism, the recommendation, and the primary literature.
Same shape as the other 1,729 pairs in the public database.
From the interaction database
What the row says.
Every entry follows the same shape: what is happening, the mechanism, the recommendation, and the primary literature.
At a glance
- Substances
- Milk Thistle and Sulforaphane
- Pair type
- Synergy
- Evidence (highest tier)
- Emerging
- Source citations
- 2 sources
- Stack Score effect
- +2 to your Stack Score (per scored synergy row).
- Scope
- Supplement × Supplement
- Last verified
- May 30, 2026
Synergy · Emerging evidence
Synergy
What is happening. Sulforaphane and silymarin (the active fraction of milk thistle) both activate Nrf2-driven cytoprotective and antioxidant defenses in the liver, providing complementary hepatoprotective support.
Mechanism. Both phytochemicals activate the Nrf2 transcription factor, increasing expression of antioxidant and phase II detoxification enzymes such as NAD(P)H quinone dehydrogenase 1 and heme oxygenase-1 in hepatocytes.
Recommendation. Can be combined to support liver antioxidant capacity. No timing restriction is needed.
Sources (2)
- Surai PF. Silymarin as a natural antioxidant: an overview of the current evidence and perspectives. Antioxidants, 2015
- Houghton CA, Fassett RG, Coombes JS. Sulforaphane and Other Nutrigenomic Nrf2 Activators. Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity, 2016
Stack Score
How this pair moves the number.
Effect on the composite score
If both Milk Thistle and Sulforaphane are in the same stack, this pair applies +2 to your Stack Score (per scored synergy row).
The full algorithm, the clamping rules, and four worked stacks are documented at /methodology/stack-score.
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