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Could a milk thistle extract curb gambling urges?

NCT ID NCT02337634

Disease control Sponsor: University of Chicago Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jul 07, 2026 · Last updated Jul 08, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tests whether silymarin, an extract from milk thistle, can help people with gambling disorder reduce their gambling urges and behavior. Participants take either silymarin or a placebo for 8 weeks, and researchers track changes in gambling severity using a standard questionnaire. The trial includes adults aged 18 to 75 who currently have gambling disorder and have gambled within the past two weeks.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
Milk thistle extract (silymarin)
What this could lead to
If it works, this could point toward a new treatment option for gambling disorder, a condition with few effective therapies.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early-phase study (55 people), and the results may not show a clear benefit. Milk thistle is generally safe but can cause mild digestive upset.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Phase 2

Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.

Participants

55 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Jan 2015

Finished

Dec 2022

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 to 75 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Men and women age 18-75; * Diagnosis of current gambling disorder based on DSM-5 criteria and confirmed using the clinician-administered Structured Clinical Interview for Pathological Gambling (SCI-PG) (12); * Gambling behavior within 2 weeks prior to enrollment; * Women of child bearing age are required to have a negative result on a beta-human chorionic gonadotropin pregnancy test; * Women of childbearing potential utilizing a medically accepted form of contraception defined as double barrier, oral contraceptive, injectable contraceptive, implantable contraceptive devices, and abstinence Exclusion Criteria: * Infrequent gambling (i.e. less than one time per week) that does not meet DSM-5 criteria for gambling disorder; * Unstable medical illness or clinically significant abnormalities on laboratory tests, EKG, or physical examination at screen as determined by the investigator; * History of seizures; * Myocardial infarction within 6 months; * Current pregnancy or lactation, or inadequate contraception in women of childbearing potential; * A need for medication other than milk thistle with possible psychotropic effects or unfavorable interactions as determined by the investigator; * Clinically significant suicidality (defined by the Columbia Suicidal Scale); * Lifetime history of bipolar disorder type I or II, schizophrenia, or any psychotic disorder; * Initiation of psychotherapy or behavior therapy within 3 months prior to study baseline; * Previous treatment with milk thistle

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

pathological gambling

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Gambling disorder Pathological gambling

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • University of Chicago

    Chicago, Illinois, 60637, United States

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