Teasel

Dipsacus sylvestris

COMMON NAMES

• Teasel
• Venus' Basin
• Water Thistle
• Wild Teasel

The teasel is a spiky aromatic plant that flowers once in two years and is native of Europe. The plant has a thick stem that grows up to approximately three to six feet. The herb bears leaves that range from lance to oblong shape and are thorny. They appear in pairs and the base of the leaves is merged. The teasel bears flowers that are blue in color like the lavender and appear between July and October. The flowers are shaped like tubes and supported by a flower head that is encircled by pointed and prickly bracts.

The leaves on the higher level of the teasel plant fasten together to appear like a bowl-shaped depression or basin where rainwater gets collected and this arrangement of the leaves has given the herb other common names like the water thistle and Venus’ basin. In the initial days, the rain water collected in the basin like structure of the leaves was believed to alleviate the swelling and irritation in the eyes and was often used as a cosmetic to make the face fairer. According to the ancient Greek herbal medicine practitioner Dioscorides, the teasel root possessed cleansing properties and recommended the use of a decoction prepared by boiling the herb’s roots in wine for effective treatment of fistulas as well as warts. Many other ancient period herbalists also recommended the use of teasel roots to cure jaundice as well as a diuretic to increase the outflow of urine. There were may other herbalists who suggested that a tea prepared with the teasel root was an effective appetizer.

It may be mentioned here that the teasel plants growing naturally in the wild belong to the same family as the commercially cultivated genus called D. fullonum. Basically, both the varieties are same with the only exception being the structure of their flower head bracts. While the bracts of the wild variety of teasel are straight, those of D. fullonum are hook shaped and turn straight again once they are not cultivated, but grow in the wild. In the early days, the Romans used the hooked bracts of D. fullonum to separate as well as nap the tangles of the woolen clothing. Earlier, commercial cultivation of the teasel plant was a major industry in the New York State of the US, but now it has been substituted by modern machinery. However, the modern machinery is yet to lend the comfortable finishing provided by the teasel plants.

PARTS USED

Root.

USES

As the medicinal use of the teasel roots are in doubt, these days they are not used widely. The herb is useful as a diuretic, stimulator of sweat and soothing the stomach. In addition, it helps in purifying the system of toxins as well as enhancing digestion. Owing to its potent astringent feature or ability to draw the tissues closer, teasel is also beneficial in curing diarrhea. At the same time, the herb also enhances appetite, nurtures the stomach and heals the liver. Thus, teasel is useful in treating jaundice as well as problems of the gallbladder. Although there is no specific evidence of the therapeutic benefits of teasel, the herb’s imminence to the thistle family makes it worth investigating its properties and medicinal uses thoroughly.

HABITAT AND CULTIVATION

The teasel is indigenous to Europe, but over the years the herb has acclimatized itself to other regions and is now intensively grown in North America. It may be found in the region ranging from Quebec to Ontario and from New England south to North Carolina. It is also found in regions west of Utah as well as in the Pacific Northwest states, particularly the regions where teasel was commercially cultivated earlier.

CONSTITUENTS

Teasel contains inulin, bitter substances, and a scabioside.

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