**In this post we are talking about all things Cnicus Benedictus AKA Blessed Thistle.**

*Come get some of her wisdom, love & care from this powerhouse of an herb that can support your entire body is wanting to reintroduce itself to you!*

Blessed thistle: Cnicus Benedictus Plant Feature with Recipe

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Today we’re going to be talking about Blessed thistle & I’m going to be sharing a tea recipe that you can use to help support your liver health

I would like to introduce you to, what I consider to be, a long forgotten remedy. Her name is Blessed Thistle.

The latin name Cnicus benedictus was given because Blessed Thistle had an ability to cure that was considered a gift straight from Source

When doing my research I came across this quote that sums up Blessed Thistle fairly beautifully.

“As Carduus Benedictus is bitter, so is it also hot and dry in the second degree, and also withal cleansing and opening. Blessed thistle taken in meat or drink is good for the swimming and giddiness of the head; it strengthens the memory and is a singular remedy against deafness. The same boiled in wine and drunk, heals the griping pains of the belly, kills and expels worms, causes sweat, provokes urine, and drives out gravel, cleanses the stomach; and is very good against the 4 day fever. The juice of the said Carduus is singular good against all poisons, as Heromenous Boeke witnesses, in whatsoever the medicine is taken, and helps the inflammation of the liver, as reported by Joachimus Camerorius of Noremberg. The powder of the leaves ministered in the quantity of half a dram, is very good against the pestilence, if it is received within 24 hours after the taking of the sickness, and the party sweat upon the same: the like virtue has the wine, wherein the herb has been boiled. The green herb pounded and laid to, is good against all hot swellings, as erysipelas, plague, sores and botches, especially those that proceed of the pestilence, and is also good to be laid upon the bites of mad dogs, serpents, spiders, or any venomous beast whatsoever; and so is it likewise if it is taken inwardly. The distilled water thereof is of a less virtue.”

— John Gerard from 1633

John Gerard (1545-1612) was an English Herbalist & this quote comes from his book The Herball (1633)

Maybe it’s just me but I love to read what the herbalist of yesterday said about certain plants & herbs. There is much we as a people have forgotten about the wisdom the botanical kingdom has bestowed upon those who have a heard willing to listen, ears willing to hear & heart willing to know

As you can see, there are a lot of pieces of the picture that Blessed Thistle is painting us, but what does this all mean?

Image of Blessed Thistle from Culpeper’s Complete Herbal

General Information:

Name: Blessed Thistle

Latin Name: Cnicus benedictus

Common Names: Holy Thistle, Spotted Thistle, St. Benedict Thistle

Family: Asteraceae

Parts Used: Dried leaves, stems & flowers

Taste:

Bitter: most bitters will have an effect on the digestive system, liver & gallbladder. They do tend to be cooling & drying energetically as they help drain fluid & dampness.

Herbal Actions & Bodily Affinities:

Brain: helps to improve memory by delivering oxygen to the brain
Digestive system: helping to stimulate the entire digestive process. It can also help in cases of diarrhea as it can go in & help to tighten up & tone the bowels.
Female reproductive system: galactagogue helping to stimulate blood flow to the breast & increase the production of milk. It also works as a general tonic as it can help balance hormones. Emmenagogue properties that are helpful if you are someone who experiences painful menstruation or dysmenorrhea
Urinary tract affinity with diuretic properties: helping to provoke urine as well as increase the flow & frequency
Immune system affinity with inflammation modulating & anit-microbial effects: contains a compound called cnicin which can help address inflammation as well as protect against certain microbes including e coli, staph & strep infections
Cholagogue: helping to support a healthy liver by promoting the production of bile & improving liver detoxification as well as overall liver function. When the bile production is stimulated your body is able to produce the appropriate amount of digestive acids & enzymes which in turn will help the body metabolize fats & proteins more efficiently & therefore can enhance the digestion process in that way
Choleretic: helping to support the gallbladder
Alterative: helping to clear congestion from the body
Diaphoretic: helping to support the body in its fever response. I’d use it during phase 1 of a fever. We did cover the fever response in the herbal action presentation, I will link that in the description box if you want to check that out
Mucus membranes: it can decrease the thickness & increase the production of mucosal fluids in the digestive & respiratory system
Astringent & antiseptic: helping to dilate peripheral blood vessels & tone inflamed tissues
Musculoskeletal affinity: helping with general aches & pains in the body. Helps to strengthen the entire body & can be used in cases of prolapse

As you can see Blessed Thistle has an impact & effect on almost every single system in the body.

Phytochemistry/Active Constituents

Cnicin: a sesquiterpene lactone that makes up 0.2-0.7% of the entire plant, which has been shown to slow the growth of cancer cells, contain inflammation modulating effects by reducing the generation of cytokines & obstructing the activity of inflammation related enzymes. Cnicin helps to stimulate the production of digestive enzymes & bile helping to breakdown fats & absorb nutrients
Essential oils: these make up 0.3% of the entire plant.
Flavonoids: these compounds are known for having inflammation modulating & antioxidant effects. The main flavonoids found in blessed thistle are apigenin, luteolin & quercetin which all have the ability to help encourage a healthy inflammatory response
Tannins: helping to soothe the digestive tract, promote wound healing & reduce inflammation

**Nutritional Content:**

1 cup of brewed blessed thistle tea

Signature:

The tough & prickly nature is a symbol for strength & resilience.

Learn more about the Doctrine of Signatures in the following posts HERE, HERE & HERE

Magickal Correspondence:

Offers spiritual protection & can be used to ward off negative energies, entities & ill intentions.
When burned as an incense it helps to purify the space, object & even individuals
Aids in clarity when focusing the mind during meditative or divination practices

Energetics:

Cooling to the entire system. It is considered to be cooling to the second degree which means it thickens fluids & reduces internal heat.
Drying due to the bitter flavor increasing digestive secretions, those secretions do eventually have to leave the body. Most herbal medicines are drying, especially those that have a cooling action
Tonifying helping to astringe, tone & tighten lax or relaxed tissues

Contraindications & Precautions:

Avoid if allergic to the Asteraceae family of plants
Avoid during pregnancy as it can act as a uterine stimulant.
Avoid if you have stomach ulcers or liver disease

Common Preparations & Recommended Dosage:

Tincture → Fresh Herb, [1:2], Dry Herb, [1:5], 60% alcohol 7.5-10 ml, up to 3X a day
Fluidextract → 0.5-3 ml 3 times/day
Dried herb & powder → 1 tsp dried herb per 1 cup of boiling water
Infusion → 1 oz dried herb in 1 pint water
Fomentation → hot infusion on a cloth or poultice for skin wounds, cuts & irritation
Eating → fresh or dried leaves, raw or cooked

Solubility:

Water
Alcohol
Acetic acid
Glycerin

Channeled Message:

Our message wasn’t words this time, but rather a feeling of certainly & a reminder of strength in who we are.

To learn how to communicate with plants to get your own message check out this post HERE

Additional Notes:

In large doses it can have an emetic & expectorant effect
In homeopathy it is held in high regard for treated jaundice, hepatitis & arthritis
It has been used as a treatment for anorexia
It may be helpful in addressing vertigo symptoms
There is research showing that blessed thistle holds some anti-cancer potential
It has been used as treatment for HIV infections

Ruling Planet:

Mars

Ruling Element:

Fire

Blessed thistle: Cnicus Benedictus Plant Feature with Recipe

That is not all there is to know about Blessed Thistle, but it is a great start. I personally don’t know if we'll ever know every single aspect about a plant, but it may be fun to try to learn. Think about it, we can be best friends with a person & still not know everything about them, why would we need to think plants would be any different?

One way to work with this herbal ally is to take her medicine. Just be aware, she is bitter, but sometimes it’s the bitter medicine that is needed to remind us of the sweetness life has to offer. I will be sharing 2 different versions of this tea. Version 1 is pretty bitter. Version 2 has some added licorice root to cut down on some of the bitterness.

Before we get to sharing the recipe we need to cover some basic information regarding herbal medicine making.

Parts:

A unit of measurement in herbalism

Here’s the fun thing about parts, you kind of get to determine the amount. This is going to come down ultimately to how much medicine you are wanting to make.

Let’s pretend one part is equal to 1 oz for the sake of ease.

This means 1 part = 1 oz

If the recipe calls for 2 parts, this would mean we would use 2 oz

If the recipe called for ½ part we would use ½ oz.

A part could be 1 tablespoon, 1 cup, 1 ounce, 1 liter, 1 gram, etc.

Weight to Volume:

There are 2 different ways you can prepare any herbal medicine, with dried or fresh herbs or you can use a combination of fresh & dried.

Just remember if you are using a combination of fresh & dried herbs you will need to adjust the total amount of menstruum or solvent.

Fresh herbs have their water content still which is why they require less water in the extraction process.

Dried herbs have their natural water content removed & additional water is needed for the extraction process

The weight to volume is always written as a ratio.

The number on the left = Weight
The number on the right = Volume

The ratio for dried herbs is typically: [1:5]

This means we have 1 part herb to 5 parts menstruum/solvent

The ratio for fresh herbs is typically: [1:2]

This means we have 1 part herbs to 2 parts menstruum/solvent

I do find it easiest & less confusing when my parts are 1 oz (weight) to 1 fluid oz (volume) but this depends pretty heavily on the amount of final product you’re looking to make

Menstruum/solvent:

The extraction medium. This could be water, alcohol, glycerin or acetic acid (vinegar) to name a few options we have available to us.

Equipment:

stove/hot plate
Pot with a lid
Teapot with strainer basket

Ingredients:

Version 1

Recipe: [1:5]

2 parts agrimony

2 parts burdock root

2 parts nettle leaf

1 parts mint leaf

1 part blessed thistle

½ part cinnamon stick

½ part dried ginger

Version 2

Recipe [1:5]

2 parts Agrimony

2 parts Burdock Root

2 parts Nettle leaf

1 part Mint leaf

1/2 part Blessed Thistle

1/2 part Licorice Root

1/2 part Cinnamon Stick

1/2 part Ginger Root

Method:

Make a decoction of burdock root, cinnamon & dried ginger by adding them to a pot of water
Place a lid on the pot & simmer on low for 15-20 minutes
Strain the herbs from the liquid
Add the peppermint, nettle, dandelion, blessed thistle, agrimony into the strainer of a teapot
Make an infusion by pouring the liquid from the decoction over the leafy herbs
Allow to steep for 20 minutes
Strain off the liquid
Add honey or lemon to taste & enjoy

Dosage:

Drink 1 cup up to 4 times a day

Substitutions & recommendations:

If you just wanted to throw everything in a pot & make a tea you can. No need to make this more difficult than it needs to be
Tea can be made in advance & stored in the refrigerator for 2 days

Comment down below & let me know what is your favorite way to help detoxify your liver?