Blessed Thistle

Blessed Thistle

Latin name: Cnicus benedictus

Health Benefits of Blessed Thistle

Blessed Thistle is most commonly used to enrich and increase milk in nursing mothers.  It also helps balance female problems. Health benefits include: 

• Known as one of nature’s best cures for headaches.
• Helps with balancing hormones, and also helps to treat painful menstruation, as well as treating dysmenorrhea and amenorrhea.
• Known as a great prevention for chronic illness as it has strong blood purifying properties.
• Has been known to strengthen the heart and lungs, as well as the liver and kidneys.  It has been used to treat jaundice, hepatitis, and arthritis. It also improves circulation and memory. It is helpful with fevers and respiratory allergies. 

Nutritional Benefits of Blessed Thistle 

• It is an excellent herbal source of potassium and sodium.   

How to Use Blessed Thistle

• It has an intensely bitter taste so it is best used in combination with other flavor masking herbs such as mint if you are making to drink as a tea. It can also be used to make a tincture or powdered and then encapsulated.  

Cautions and Side Effects of Blessed Thistle

• Should not be used internally during pregnancy.  

Fun Facts About Blessed Thistle

• Blessed thistle was also commonly used to battle the Plague.