Blessed Thistle, otherwise known as Holy Thistle, is a thistle cultivated for use by humans. The leaves and stem are dried for use in herbal treatments.
The use of Blessed Thistle has been recorded since the first century A.D. At one time in history, Blessed Thistle had a reputation as a cure-all, however current research has not been able to substantiate this claim.
The active constituents of Blessed Thistle are a bitter glycoside called cnicin; flavonoids, essential oil and mucilage.
Through its bitter principles, Blessed Thistle is a gastro-intestinal herb. Blessed Thistle increases the flow of gastric and bile secretions. In this way it acts to benefit cases of appetite loss, indigestion and dyspepsia. It may be used for any gastrointestinal problem in which wind is a problem.
Blessed Thistle is also used predominantly for nursing mothers as it is one of the popular herbs for promoting breast milk production.