Common Thistle

Cirsium vulgare

COMMON NAMES

• Common Thistle
• Cotton Thistle
• Woolly Thistle

Common thistle - biennial plant that grows 3.3 ft to 4.95 ft (1 m to 1.5 m) high. The central stem is solid and prickly. The leaves end in long, pointy beige-colored thorns. The abundant seeds are equipped with aigrets and attached to the base by a ring until they reach maturity. The roots are slender and deep.

PARTS USED

Root, leaves, flowery tops, seeds.

USES

An infusion of the leaves and roots supposedly cures stiff neck, convulsions, nervous complaints.

HABITAT AND CULTIVATION

Mediterranean regions and Great Britain; grown in the United States.
Dry, limestone soil, pastureland and its nitrogenous soil.

CONSTITUENTS

Leaves: sugars, chlorophyll, bioflavonoids, minerals (iron, silica, potassium), bitter principles, mucilages, tannins.
Seeds: acids, polyunsaturated oil.
Root: inulin, bitter principles.

APPLICATIONS

Common thistle often served as survival food, for its leaves can be eaten once the thorns have been removed. Common thistle is used to prepare a nutritious bittersweet soup. Finely shredded and used in a poultice, common thistle cures suppurating wounds. When boiled whole (1 leaf in 1 cup [250 ml] water), the leaves act as a diuretic and gently drain the liver and soothe fevers caused by an overtaxed liver. The roots lower blood sugar levels, reduce blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Taken in an herbal tea - 1 t in 1 cup (250 ml) water - 3 times a day for 10 days before meals constitutes a seasonal cleansing.
Popular medieval beliefs praised the common thistle decoction as a miracle lotion against baldness. The woolly aigrets of the thistle have long served as a dressing for wounds as well as stuffing for pillows. The cold-pressed oil of the seeds was used for cooking and as lamp oil for many years.

ANTIVIRAL DECOCTION

• 1common thistle flower head picked at the start of flowering
• 3 cups (750 ml) pure water

Boil the flower head for 3 minutes. Infuse for 15 minutes.
Drink during the day before meals. Effect a cure for 10 to 30 consecutive days in the case of a viral infection to nourish and stimulate the immune system.

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