What Is Cnicus Benedictus?

Other Common Names: Ash Sherka Al Mubaraka, Cardo Santo, Chardon Beni, Derga Peroza, Holy Thistle, Mubarek Diken, St Benedict's Thistle, Cnicus benedictus

Range: S. Europe to W. Asia. Czechoslovakia; France; Iraq; Italy; Kurdistan; South Africa; Spain; Turkey; USA

Habitat: Dry sunny places in arable, stony and waste ground. The plant is harvested in the summer as it comes into flower and is dried for later use.

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. The plant is praised for its medicinal powers in Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing" and was recommended in early herbal treatises as a remedy for migraine and other headaches. Although less widely used nowadays, it is still seen to have a wide range of applications.

Despite its past popularity, Blessed Thistle is now considered genuinely useful only for digestive problems. It works by stimulating the production of saliva and digestive juices.

The whole plant is astringent, bitter, cholagogue, diaphoretic, diuretic, emetic in large doses, emmenagogue, galactogogue, stimulant, stomachic and tonic. 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. An infusion of the whole plant has also been used as a contraceptive and is often used in the treatment of liver and gall bladder problems. The plant is also used internally in the treatment of anorexia, poor appetite associated with depression, dyspepsia, flatulant colic etc.

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 - excessive doses of the plant cause vomiting.

The plant is used externally in the treatment of wounds and ulcers.

A homeopathic remedy is made from the plant. It is used in the treatment of the liver and gall bladder.

It's possible to develop a sensitivity to Blessed Thistle that extends to similar plants such as mugwort and cornflower. Outright allergic reactions are, however, quite rare.

Discuss It!