Could a milk thistle extract help Parkinson's patients?
NCT ID NCT07001150
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This Phase 2 trial is testing whether silymarin, an antioxidant from milk thistle, can protect brain cells and improve symptoms in people with Parkinson's disease. Researchers will give 50 adults either silymarin or a placebo alongside their usual Parkinson's medications. The goal is to see if silymarin can slow the disease's progression and ease movement problems.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- silymarin (milk thistle extract)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a new way to slow Parkinson's progression and improve symptom control when added to standard treatment.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early Phase 2 trial, so results may not apply to everyone. Silymarin is generally safe, but it may not provide meaningful benefit for Parkinson's symptoms or nerve protection.
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
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Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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About 50 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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May 2025
- Expected to finish
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May 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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45 to 65 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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 Hide 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: * Age between 45 and 65 years old * Both sexes * Patients with Parkinson's disease on dopamine replacement therapy * Modified Hoehn and Yahr stage, MHY 1-4 (29) Exclusion Criteria: * Subjects \< 18 years of age * Pregnant or breastfeeding women * Suspected hypersensitivity to silymarin or multivitamins * Advanced liver disease (e.g., ascites, bleeding esophageal varices, and hepatic encephalopathy) * Subjects with morbid obesity, i.e., a Body Mass Index (BMI) \> 40 * Subjects with severe illness, e.g., multisystem failure, cancer, or poorly controlled diabetes, i.e., known diabetic with Hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C)\>7% * Current use of Silymarin or recent use within the past two weeks. * Other conditions, which, in the opinion of the investigators, make the patient unsuitable for enrollment.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Tanta Hospital for Mental Health
RECRUITINGTanta, Tanta, Qism 2, 31511, Egypt
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