Cnicus benedictus
| Cnicus benedictus | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 8 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Early Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Cnicus benedictus (common name: blessed thistle)
Propagation: Seed - sow in situ in the spring or early autumn[1]. The seed usually germinates in 2 - 6 weeks at 10°c[2].
Cultivation: Easily grown in ordinary garden soil[3]. Prefers a dry soil and a sunny position[4]. Grows best in a well manured soil[5].
A very ornamental plant, it is often cultivated in Europe as a medicinal herb and for its oil yielding seed[6][7].
Range: S. Europe to W. Asia. An infrequent casual in Britain[8].
Habitat: Dry sunny places in arable, stony and waste ground[4][6][9].
Edibility: Young leaves - raw[10][5].
Flower heads, harvested before the flowers open, have been used as a globe artichoke (Cynara cardunculus) substitute[5]. The flower heads are rather small and using them in this way is very fiddly[K].
Root - boiled as a pot herb[5].
The herb is used as a flavouring[11][12] (the part that is used is not specified).
Medicinal: The blessed thistle was widely cultivated in the middle ages, when it was seen as a cure-all for all manner of diseases including the plague[13]. Although less widely used nowadays, it is still seen to have a wide range of applications though it is mainly employed as an ingredient in herbal tonics[5].
The whole plant is astringent, bitter, cholagogue, diaphoretic, diuretic, strongly emetic in large doses, emmenagogue, galactogogue, stimulant, stomachic and tonic[10][4][6][14][9][15][16][5]. A warm infusion of the plant is said to be one of the most effective means of improving the milk supply of a nursing mother[10]. An infusion of the whole plant has also been used as a contraceptive[17] and is often used in the treatment of liver and gall bladder problems[6]. The plant is also used internally in the treatment of anorexia, poor appetite associated with depression, dyspepsia, flatulent colic etc[13].
The whole plant was infused overnight in cold water and the liquid drunk three times daily in the treatment of VD. Men were required to run after each dose in order to encourage sweating. The treatment often caused nausea and vomiting[17] - excessive doses of the plant cause vomiting[4].
The plant is used externally in the treatment of wounds and ulcers[13].
The plant is harvested in the summer as it comes into flower and is dried for later use[10].
A homeopathic remedy is made from the plant[6]. It is used in the treatment of the liver and gall bladder[6].
Usage: A good quality oil is obtained from the seed[10][7]. It has been used in emergencies when other oils were not available[16].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Mid Summer-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: Carbenia benedicta.
Links
References
- ↑ Sanders, Thomas. Popular Hardy Perennials. Collingridge, 1926.
- ↑ Bird, Alfred. Growing from Seed Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan, 1990.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Chiej, Roberto. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald, 1984.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Stuart, Malcolm. The Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism. Orbis Publishing, 1979.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Mills, Simon. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, 1983.
- ↑ Coffey, Timothy. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File, 1993.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Weiner, Michael. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books, 1980.