Blessed Thistle
Cnicus benedictus
Family: Asteraceae
Annual. Native to the Mediterranean basin and Asia Minor.
The most forgiving of the thistles, bushy, growing to only 2 feet, covered
with down, barely prickly at the leaf tips. Contains the bitter volatile
oil cnicin (which is a sesquiterpene lactone). The entire plant is
harvested in early flower and shade dried. After the first cutting
the plant will re-generate, and a second cutting is usually possible.
Even the stems are good medicine. The tea stimulates appetite and
aids digestion, diminishes the pain of migraine, stimulates bile production
(cholagogue), and is a general anti-inflammatory. Along with Angelica,
it was once relied upon to avert and cure the plague. Cultivation:
Easy. Direct seed anytime from fall to late spring. Thin
seedlings to 1 foot apart. Grows about 1 foot tall.
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