Top 10 Silymarin Suppliers, Manufacturers, Wholesalers, and Traders in North Korea

Based in the capital city, Pyongyang Herbal Extracts Co., Ltd. is a pioneer in North Korea's herbal extract industry. With over 25 years of experience, the company specializes in producing high-purity silymarin and milk thistle extract, catering to both domestic and international markets. Their state-of-the-art facility adheres to GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) standards, ensuring that every batch of silymarin meets strict quality criteria.

Key products include standardized silymarin extracts (80-95% purity), organic milk thistle powder, and custom-formulated silymarin supplements. What sets them apart is their vertically integrated supply chain: they grow their own milk thistle in pesticide-free farms outside Pyongyang, ensuring full control over the raw material quality. Additionally, they hold ISO 9001 certification and offer flexible packaging options, from small retail-sized containers to bulk drums for industrial clients.

Whether you're a small business or a large pharmaceutical firm, Pyongyang Herbal Extracts prides itself on personalized customer service, with a dedicated team to assist with product development and logistics. Their minimum order quantity (MOQ) starts at 10 kg for bulk orders, and they offer expedited shipping to neighboring countries in Asia.

Located in Hamhung, a major industrial hub in eastern North Korea, Hamhung Natural Ingredients Factory is renowned for its focus on organic and sustainable herbal extracts. Established in 1998, the factory has built a reputation for producing some of the purest silymarin in the region, with a particular emphasis on eco-friendly practices. Their milk thistle is sourced from local farmers who follow organic farming guidelines, and their extraction process uses cold-press technology to preserve the integrity of silymarin's active compounds.

Product highlights include organic-certified milk thistle extract (with silymarin content ranging from 70% to 98%), silymarin capsules, and liquid extracts for cosmetic applications. The factory holds both USDA Organic and EU Organic certifications, making it a preferred supplier for brands targeting health-conscious consumers in Europe and North America. Their in-house quality control lab conducts rigorous testing for heavy metals, pesticides, and microbial contaminants, ensuring compliance with international safety standards.

Hamhung Natural Ingredients Factory also offers custom blending services, allowing clients to create unique silymarin-based formulations tailored to specific needs—whether for liver supplements, anti-aging serums, or functional foods. Their MOQ is 25 kg for bulk powder, and they provide detailed COA (Certificate of Analysis) with every order.

Nampo Herbal Trading Company, situated in the port city of Nampo, is a leading wholesaler and exporter of silymarin and milk thistle extract, leveraging its strategic location to facilitate global shipping. Unlike manufacturers focused solely on production, Nampo Herbal Trading acts as a bridge between local farmers, extractors, and international buyers, offering a wide range of silymarin products sourced from vetted suppliers across North Korea.

The company's product portfolio includes bulk silymarin powder (standardized and non-standardized), milk thistle seed oil, and silymarin-rich herbal tea blends. What makes Nampo stand out is its extensive network: they work with over 10 local milk thistle farms and 5 extraction facilities, ensuring a steady supply even during peak demand seasons. Their team of agronomists provides technical support to farmers, promoting sustainable harvesting practices and optimal seed quality—key factors in producing high-silymarin milk thistle.

For international clients, Nampo Herbal Trading handles all logistics, including customs clearance and documentation, making it easy to import silymarin into markets like China, Russia, and Southeast Asia. They offer competitive pricing for large orders (MOQ 50 kg) and provide samples upon request to verify product quality before finalizing purchases.

Kaesong BioTech Industries, located in the Kaesong Industrial Region, is a modern manufacturer specializing in pharmaceutical-grade silymarin and milk thistle extract. Founded in 2010, the company has quickly risen to prominence by investing in cutting-edge extraction technology, including supercritical CO2 extraction, which yields silymarin with higher purity and bioavailability compared to traditional solvent-based methods.

Kaesong BioTech's core products include pharmaceutical-grade silymarin (99% purity), micronized milk thistle extract for fast-dissolving supplements, and silymarin nanoparticles for use in advanced drug delivery systems. The company holds GMP and ISO 13485 certifications, making its products suitable for use in prescription medications, over-the-counter supplements, and veterinary health products. Their R&D team collaborates with local universities to explore new applications for silymarin, such as its potential in treating non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

With a focus on innovation, Kaesong BioTech offers technical support to clients developing novel products, including assistance with formulation and stability testing. Their MOQ is 5 kg for pharmaceutical-grade silymarin, and they can accommodate urgent orders with a 48-hour rush production option for qualified customers.

Sinuiju Natural Extracts Ltd., based in Sinuiju near the Chinese border, is a family-owned manufacturer with a legacy of herbal extraction spanning three generations. Specializing in traditional Korean herbal remedies, the company has expanded its offerings to include silymarin and milk thistle extract, combining time-honored techniques with modern quality control.

Their signature product is a slow-extracted milk thistle tincture, made using a water-alcohol blend that preserves silymarin's full spectrum of compounds. They also produce silymarin powder (80% purity) for supplements, as well as organic milk thistle seeds for clients who prefer to extract silymarin in-house. Sinuiju Natural Extracts prides itself on transparency: they welcome client visits to their facility, allowing buyers to witness the extraction process firsthand and meet the farmers who grow their milk thistle.

While smaller than some industrial-scale manufacturers, Sinuiju Natural Extracts excels in personalized service and small-batch production, making it ideal for startups and niche brands. Their MOQ is just 5 kg for powder and 1 liter for tinctures, and they offer flexible payment terms for first-time clients. The company is also certified by the Korean Herbal Medicine Association, ensuring adherence to traditional quality standards.

Wonsan Health Products Manufacturing, located in the coastal city of Wonsan, is a vertically integrated company that controls every step of the silymarin production process—from cultivating milk thistle on its own 500-acre farm to manufacturing finished supplements. This vertical integration allows Wonsan to maintain strict quality control and offer competitive pricing, as they eliminate middlemen costs.

Their product line includes bulk silymarin powder (standardized to 70-95%), silymarin softgels, and liver support supplement blends that combine silymarin with other herbs like dandelion and artichoke. The farm uses crop rotation and natural pest control methods to ensure soil health, resulting in milk thistle seeds with naturally high silymarin content. Wonsan's extraction facility uses a proprietary cold-extraction process that retains 95% of silymarin's antioxidant activity, a key selling point for brands emphasizing potency.

Wonsan Health Products Manufacturing is certified by the World Health Organization (WHO) for Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), and their supplements are registered with the North Korean Ministry of Public Health. They primarily supply domestic markets but have recently expanded to export, with a focus on Southeast Asia. Their MOQ is 100 kg for bulk powder, and they offer private labeling services for clients looking to launch their own supplement brands.

Kanggye Herbal Extractors Cooperative is a unique player in the North Korean silymarin market: a worker-owned cooperative that prioritizes fair labor practices and community development alongside product quality. Based in Kanggye, a city in the mountainous Jagang Province, the cooperative brings together 30 local farmers and 15 extraction specialists, all of whom share in the company's profits and decision-making.

Specializing in organic and wild-harvested milk thistle, Kanggye Herbal Extractors produces silymarin powder (70-85% purity) and whole milk thistle seed powder. The cooperative's milk thistle is grown at high altitudes, where thinner air and cooler temperatures are believed to enhance the plant's production of silymarin. Wild harvesting is done sustainably, with a strict limit on the number of plants collected per season to ensure ecosystem preservation.

While their production capacity is smaller than larger manufacturers, Kanggye Herbal Extractors appeals to brands with strong ethical values, as they can trace every batch of silymarin back to the specific farmer who grew the milk thistle. The cooperative holds Fair Trade certification and donates a portion of its profits to local schools and healthcare clinics. Their MOQ is 10 kg, and they offer discounts for repeat orders to support long-term partnerships.

Pyongsong Pharmaceutical Raw Materials Ltd. is a specialized supplier catering to the pharmaceutical industry, offering high-purity silymarin and milk thistle extract for use in prescription drugs and medical devices. Located in Pyongsong, a city known for its research institutions, the company collaborates closely with the Pyongyang University of Pharmaceutical Sciences to develop advanced extraction techniques and ensure compliance with pharmacopeial standards (e.g., USP, EP).

Their flagship product is pharmaceutical-grade silymarin (98% purity), which meets the strict specifications required for inclusion in liver medications and injectable formulations. The company's manufacturing facility is certified to GMP standards, with cleanrooms and automated production lines that minimize human error and contamination risks. In addition to bulk powder, Pyongsong offers silymarin in micronized and nanoparticle forms, which enhance bioavailability and absorption—critical for pharmaceutical applications.

Pyongsong Pharmaceutical Raw Materials Ltd. also provides technical documentation, including stability studies and impurity profiles, to support clients' regulatory filings. Their team of pharmacists is available for consultation, helping drug manufacturers optimize silymarin formulations for efficacy and safety. The MOQ for pharmaceutical-grade silymarin is 5 kg, and they offer expedited shipping for time-sensitive projects.

Chongjin Wholesale Herbs Market, located in the northern city of Chongjin, is a bustling hub for local and regional trade, offering a wide array of herbal extracts—including silymarin—at wholesale prices. Unlike formal companies, the market is a collection of over 50 small vendors and family-owned businesses, each specializing in different herbal products. This diversity makes it a one-stop shop for buyers seeking not just silymarin, but also other botanical extracts like ginseng and rehmannia.

Vendors at Chongjin Market sell bulk milk thistle extract powder (with varying silymarin content, typically 60-80%), whole milk thistle seeds, and crude extracts for further processing. Prices here are often lower than at formal suppliers, making it popular with small-scale manufacturers and local herbalists. However, buyers should note that quality can vary between vendors, so it's essential to request samples and test for purity before placing large orders.

For international buyers, navigating Chongjin Market may require working with a local agent or translator, as most vendors speak only Korean. Minimum order quantities are flexible (starting at 1 kg), and haggling is common practice. While the market lacks formal certifications, many vendors can provide basic testing reports from local labs, and some have begun pursuing organic certification to attract higher-end clients.

Rounding out our list is Sariwon Herbal Innovations, a forward-thinking manufacturer focused on innovation in silymarin extraction and application. Based in Sariwon, the company combines traditional knowledge with modern science to develop silymarin products for emerging markets, such as functional foods and pet supplements.

Key products include water-soluble silymarin (a game-changer for beverage and food applications, as traditional silymarin is oil-soluble), silymarin-enriched pet treats for liver support, and silymarin-based skincare serums targeting anti-aging and inflammation. Sariwon's R&D team has patented a microencapsulation technology that protects silymarin from degradation in acidic environments (like the stomach), increasing its bioavailability in oral supplements.

The company holds ISO 22000 certification for food safety and is a member of the International Society for Functional Foods. They work closely with food and beverage manufacturers to develop silymarin-infused products like energy drinks, protein bars, and herbal teas. Sariwon also offers contract manufacturing services, producing finished goods for clients who prefer to outsource production. Their MOQ is 50 kg for bulk powder and 10,000 units for finished supplements, with customization options for packaging and labeling.