Blessed Thistle
Parts Usually Used
The plant
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
Blessed thistle is a hairy annual herb; 10-30 inches tall. Both leaves and stems are hairy. The stems are 5-sided. The leaves broadest at the base; lacerated, spiny-toothed. The flowers are yellow, with a large leafy bract beneath; April to September. Reddish, spinelike projections surround yellow tufts of flowers.
Where Found
Roadsides, waste places. United States; common in California.
Medicinal Properties
Diaphoretic, emetic, tonic, stimulant, fegrifuge
Biochemical Information
Cincin and volatile oils
Legends, Myths and Stories
Blessed thistle has been used medicinally for centuries. Once considered a rank weed and an obscure food plant (young leaves with spines removed are edible), in recent years this thistle has gained prominence as a medicinal plant, especially in Europe. Clinical trials have found it useful in the treatment of Amanita mushroom poisoning; it is credited with saving a number of lives in Europe.
For menstrual problems, it is taken in combination with other herbs such as ginger, cramp bark, and blue cohosh root. This herb is often included in commercial herbal preparations designed specifically for women. Blessed thistle is sometimes cultivated, but mostly it has escaped from garden areas.
Uses
Folk tradition historically regarded this plant as a remedy for amenorrhea and suppressed menstruation. Herbalists administered it with the belief that it stimulated appetite, stomach secretions, memory, and bile production, while also supporting milk flow in nursing mothers. Traditional practitioners utilized the herb in efforts to address poor circulation, blood clots, pneumonitis, heart weakness, and dropsy, as well as to purify the blood.
Brewed as a tea, it was traditionally employed for digestive complaints such as intestinal gas, constipation, and liver disorders, including jaundice. Historical records also document its use for colds, fevers, headaches, migraines, gout, boils, chilblains, deafness, and ringworm.
Warning
Handle carefully to avoid toxic skin effects. Large doses may cause irritation, vomiting. Should not be taken during pregnancy; it stimulates onset of menses.
Bibliography
, Loma Linda, CA 92354, Original copyright 1939, revised edition 1994 The Herbalist Almanac , by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, copyright 1988, fifth printing, 1994 Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants , by Steven Foster and James A. , Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. , Simon & Schuster/Fireside, Rockefeller Center 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020 Old Ways Rediscovered , by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, published from 1954, print 1988 Prescription for Nutritional Healing, Fifth Edition: A Practical A-to-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & Food Supplements , by James F.
D. and Phyllis A. , Garden City Park, NY The Yoga of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine , by Dr. David Frawley & Dr. Vasant Lad, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, Second edition, 1988. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023 The Rodale Herb Book: How to Use, Grow, and Buy Nature’s Miracle Plants (An Organic gardening and farming book) , edited by William H. Hylton, Rodale Press, Inc.
, 1974