A-Z Challenge
My theme is herbs
B is for Blessed
Thistle
This plant has
been healing
people since
the bubonic
plague during
the Middle
Ages.
You may
recognize it
by some of it's other names, as Spotted Thistle, Holy Thistle
St Benedict Thistle. By itself, it has a strong, bitter taste so
is better combined in a recipe. Here is a warning with
recipes. Don't use Blessed Thistle when taking other
plants from the compositae family (as daisies and asters).
Cross sensitivity may occur.
You can make this herb as a tea, a tincture or in capsule
form.
Medicinal Use: A good blood cleanser, strengthens
heart, aids circulation, alleviates inflammation of lungs, and
acts as a brain food for poor memory.
for some reason thistle gets a bad wrap here... its beautiful and useful... whats wrong with that?!
ReplyDeleteActually it gets a bad rap here too, when in the fields. It spreads like wildfire and and if it's in a hay pasture,the cattle don't want it in the bales. I moved from a small ranch last summer and had a crop of it that the county threatened me if I didn't get rid of it. So few people know plants can also heal.
DeleteThistle is pretty -- lovely color!
ReplyDeleteVisiting from A to Z ~
Wendy
DeleteIt really is a beautiful flower but prickly leaves.
I have used the Blessed Thistle in tea form before. I don't even think I knew the health properties... I just drank it because I could.
ReplyDeleteLove you!
Terry
DeleteIsn't it amazing how many plants we can drink the tea and heal ourselves.
Love you, kiddo
Butterflies and other insects like thistles too!
ReplyDeleteBish
DeleteOh.... a lot of things like thistle except my county. Ha
Loving the benefits list! Now I'm going back to see 'A' too. :)
ReplyDeleteRosey
DeleteMorning to you. I hope you are finding some warm sunshine by now.
Freezing rain yesterday and the day before, but it's a'coming (the sunshine). It's just slower this year than most. ;)
DeleteI've thistles, so I think I'll gather me some for the next plague. Thanks for the medicinal tip!
ReplyDeletecleemckenzie
DeleteOne never knows when the next pandemic will arrive.
Which part do you use for the synergetic effect, the head, leaves or all of it?
ReplyDeleteSpacerguy
DeleteI've never collected this wild but used the commercial dried tea. I tried to look it up but all I could find right now is "various parts."
I love that you're doing this series on the power of plants. I would like to start using more herbs/plants but my body is so sensitive to them that I have to be really careful.
ReplyDeleteRubye
DeleteWhen you take herbs it has to be under the care and instruction of a naturopath or the like. Many plants can be healing in the right amount but they can have a toxic limit. Right now I am having a toxic discharge and I feel like sh.... But I'm happy, happy happy because with this kind of healing.... no pain, no gain. you know that. I did call my naturopath gal this AM and she was delighted too. I've been working a long time for this reaction. Yaw Hoo
They used it for Bubonic Plague... is it me or are we moving backwards in terms of health and healing? If a Plague of any sort cropped up today most doctors would never even think of plants or herbs. ::sigh::
ReplyDeleteRobin
DeleteThey keep talking about pandemics and if that happens.... yup they'll bring the needles out to vaccinate with who knows what.
If Blessed Thistle is so good for us then why can't we blessed-well buy it in the regular food shops? I bet the side effects are nowhere near as bad as those for antibiotics!
ReplyDeleteRos
DeleteYou know why we can't buy it...... if we could buy the herb, it would cost pennies. But if we buy the chemicals, big pharma gets thousands.
Pretty cool how it's been curing people that long! Wow...
ReplyDeleteKeith
DeleteIt cures disease but allopathic doctors only prescribe the drugs so people become brain-washed into believing that if doctors don't use it, it can't be any good.
I've heard of this one, cleaning the blood and circulating away would be nice indeed. Never knew about the middle ages plague though, if a plague comes I'll stock up for sure.
ReplyDeletePat
DeleteHahaha You never know when a pandemic will come along, either
Improves the memory? I will search for the seeds.
ReplyDeleteSusan
DeleteI've had the tea but never really know all the cures and when I saw memory..... I thought I'd better look some up again. Yay
Brain food. Excellent.
ReplyDeleteJoy
DeleteAs time goes on, I think we all could use a little brain food.
I love the color of the flower...
ReplyDeleteJulia
DeleteThe flower is attractive but too bad it's regarded a noxious weed here.
A beautiful flower with many pluses. It certainly has a long history of healing. I don't think I have seen any here.
ReplyDeletePatti
DeleteProbably they didn't reach Arkansas. They came here from Canada.
We get them here too, I leave them in the garden because I like the flower but I know they are not popular with the farmers.
ReplyDeleteMerle..............
Merle
DeleteThat's interesting that you have the thistles too. I'm so happy to be rid of the ranch because it was a lot of acres that had noxious weeds and we had to spray them or the county sprayed and charged us. Often I feel we are living in one big chemical world.
first time I've seen this one
ReplyDeleteAdam
ReplyDeleteIt's a good one
"...a tea, a tincture or in capsule form.'
ReplyDeleteYes, but which part is used for which method?
I'm not planning on making any tea or whatever, but this is something I've noticed in older herbal remedy books. "The plant can be used as....." and no further information is given. Without proper instruction on methods it's no wonder people trying things don't derive any benefit and claim alternative treatments are useless.
oh, this one I know! :) But have never taken and, more over, didn't know it's edible & has some healing properties! I love herbal teas anyway and often buy ready made mixes. I'll try to find out that may be there are some with blessed thistle..
ReplyDelete