Sow Thistle (plant) - Useful Properties And Use Of Sow Thistle. Field Sow Thistle, Garden, Pink, Yellow

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 17:49

Sow thistle

Useful properties and use of field sow thistle

Anyone who has a vegetable garden or a personal plot, the word "sow thistle" is notorious, because it is one of the most tenacious weeds. Of course, there is no place for fleshy springs in the beds with cultivated plants, but in the home folk medicine cabinet it would be very useful. Today we will tell you all about the types, chemical composition and uses of sow thistle, and you will probably be surprised to learn how much benefit lies in this annoying garden "terrorist".

Content: What is a sow thistle? Where does the thistle grow? Sow thistle is the most tenacious weed Sow thist species Yellow thistle (field) Garden sow thist Pink thistle The chemical composition of sow thistle Useful properties of sow thistle Application of sow thistle Thistle treatment Stems and leaves of thistle Sow thistle root Sow thistle juice Sow thistle broth Infusion of sow thistle Alcohol tincture of sow thistle Sow thist honey Contraindications to the use of sow thistle The best recipes with thistle Sow thistle broth against hemorrhoids Sow thistle vitamin tea Delicious thistle salad

What is a sow thistle?

Sow thist - the plant belongs to the Asteraceae (or Asteraceae) family, and can be both annual and perennial. Sow thistle reaches 50-170 cm in height and braids the surface layer of the soil with a dense and branched network of roots.

The stalks of the sow thistle are most often straight, glabrous, or slightly pubescent with spiny hairs, less often they are branched. Dense, juicy bright green leaves grow at the base of the stem, and on top it is always leafless. The shape of the leaves of a sow thistle can be regular, whole, pinnately-lobed or pinnately dissected, and their edges are almost always covered with spiny teeth. The lower leaves usually form a common petiole, so the sow thistle looks like a bunch growing from one point.

The flowers of the sow thistle are small, they consist of many soft, thin, needle-like petals, as if looking out of a common basket. One inflorescence can contain 4-8 such baskets, and in some species of sow thistle, they close in the evenings and in cloudy weather. Ripe sow thistle seeds are well distributed around the area due to the fluffy tuft, with which they fly in the wind.

Where does the thistle grow?

We will not be mistaken if we say - almost everywhere! Bunches of thistle thistle can be found in fields and vegetable gardens throughout the Eurasian continent, from Western Europe to the Far East. This plant is not too picky, and can settle even on dry and brackish soils, but most of all sow thistle loves moist chernozem soils, from where, as they say, you cannot drive it out.

Sow thistle is the most tenacious weed

Why should this plant be awarded an Oscar for the best role in the weed? Because it reproduces in two ways at once: vegetative and seed, and even does it continuously. One sow thist bush produces up to six and a half thousand flying seeds per year, which travel long distances through the air.

At the same time, each young plant in the first year of its life goes deep into the soil by two meters, and after a couple of years - by four meters. And whenever the root system is damaged by agricultural tools, new shoots form on it, which rise to the surface and sprout. This is a kind of natural protection against weeding of sow thistle.

How to deal with a thistle in the garden? If the bush is still young, 15-20 cm in height, it can be carefully pulled out of the soft soil along with the root. But you can get rid of thickets of massive, adult plants only by deep digging, shaking up the soil and extracting all the roots found. Moreover, even such measures do not provide guarantees. In areas where sow thistle was overgrown before domestication, it is necessary to carry out preventive weeding twice a month.

Important: sow thistle seeds, which have fallen deep into the soil during digging, retain their vegetative properties for twenty years and give life to new weeds!

Is it worth trying to eradicate sow thistle forever on your site, you decide, but before throwing out the plants, think about whether to prepare them for future use for medical purposes? With the help of sow thistle, you can lower the temperature, relieve headaches, relieve hemorrhoids and many other health problems.

The best time for collecting and harvesting the aboveground part of the sow thistle is summer and early autumn, that is, the flowering period, and it is recommended to dig up the roots in October, before the first frost. The raw materials must be properly washed from the remnants of the earth and laid out on clean paper somewhere under a canopy or on the windowsill of that window that overlooks the non-sunny side of the house. Sow thistle should gradually dry out without direct sunlight, and then it can be folded into paper or linen bags and put into a closet.

Sow thist species

Science knows about 80 species of sow thistle, but we will discuss in detail 3 of them: field, garden and pink, since these are the most common species and are of greatest medical interest.

Yellow thistle (field)

This perennial giant reaches the height of human growth and inhabits abandoned fields and wet valleys of river banks. The main vertical root of the sow thistle extends four meters into the soil, while the horizontal lateral roots extend radially one meter around.

The stalk of the tallest species of sow thistle is hollow inside, straight and branching at the top, covered with spiny hairs. The color of the leaves is not as cheerful green as that of the garden weed. They are dark, with a gray or even bluish tint, rough, long and jagged at the edges.

Sow thistle is called yellow because of the flowers that form large broom-shaped inflorescences, consisting of pitcher-shaped baskets. In color and shape, the flower petals are similar to dandelion - the same long, needle-like and soft. The bees love this plant, which is why the sow thistle is considered one of the best honey plants. And it helps people to cope with headaches, vascular diseases and neuroses.

Yellow thistle is used in folk medicine to treat the following diseases:

• Hepatitis A;
• Sore throats;
• Jade;
• Osteoarticular tuberculosis;
• Inflammatory processes in the digestive tract and respiration;
• Feverish conditions.

Garden sow thist

The "cultured" relative of the sow-thistle, which causes headaches for all summer residents, is not tall: 30-100 cm. Its stem is also hollow, but branches much more intensively, starting from the base and up to the very top. The leaves are long, pointed and toothed, deep green, much softer and more juicy than those of the field cousin. The flowers of the garden sow-thistle are larger (baskets reach 3.5 cm in diameter), but at the same time they form not so extensive inflorescences. And the seeds look about the same - dark brown, oblong, with a fluffy tuft.

Garden sow thistle can help with the following health problems:

• Ascariasis;
• Boils and boils;
• Hepatic colic;
• Abscesses and ascites;
• Colds;
• Hemoptysis;
• Gout;
• Non-healing wounds and cuts;
• Bedsores;
• Diabetes.

For treatment, you can use not only dry, but also fresh garden sow thistle: pick the leaves, chop finely, pour one tablespoon of raw materials into a glass and steam with boiling water, pouring it to the top. After an hour, strain the infusion through a double layer of sterile gauze and take a tablespoon three times a day 20 minutes before meals.

Pink thistle

This species is a direct relative of the sow thistle, and it is also sometimes called the thistle. It differs in shorter growth (up to 120 cm), a different color of inflorescences (pink or lilac) and a more modest size of panicles. But the rhizome of pink sow thistle is as powerful as that of yellow, the leaves have about the same structure, shape and grayish tint, and it also belongs to perennials.

Pink thistle is widespread throughout the European territory of Russia, but it prefers to settle on fertile nitrogenous soils, especially along the banks of rivers and lakes. This is a wonderful honey plant - bees can produce up to 140 kg of honey in one season from one hectare of a sow-meadow field. Pink thistle is used in the same way as the two types described above - against fever, headaches, bleeding, inflammation, neurosis and to normalize blood sugar levels.

Important: sow thistle, especially young leaves of a pink and garden type, can be used not only for medicinal, but also for culinary purposes.

In Russia, there were many recipes for cooking sow thistle dishes: soups, stews, salads, sauces and gravies, and now, unfortunately, they are almost forgotten and out of use. Fresh salad from young thistle is able to enrich the body with vitamins, and seasoning from dried leaves gives a piquant taste to meat and fish dishes.

Before adding the thistle leaves to the salad, it is best to soak them in a mild saline solution for half an hour to eliminate the characteristic bitterness. And the stems and leaves that go to the soup can be simply rubbed in your hands - so they will acquire a softer taste. To prepare the seasoning, the pre-soaked sow thistle leaves are dried and then ground into powder and poured into a wooden sealed container.

The chemical composition of sow thistle

Interest in sow thistle, as well as in other poisonous plants with useful properties, has increased recently, but its chemical composition is still not fully understood.

It is probably known that the sow thistle contains:

1. Carotene:

   • Antioxidant and immunostimulant;
   • Regulates metabolism and redox reactions;
   • Promotes the synthesis of proteins;
   • Strengthens bones, hair and nails;
   • Slows down the aging of the body.

2. Vitamin C:

   • Essential for the proper functioning of the endocrine and immune systems;
   • Strengthens the walls of blood vessels and promotes hematopoiesis;
   • Fights free radicals and prevents cancer;
   • Increases endurance and mental alertness;
   • Normalizes the work of the nervous system.

3. Fixed oils:

   • Accelerate the regeneration and renewal of body cells;
   • Provide energy and stimulate metabolic processes;
   • Promote the removal of harmful substances and blood purification;
   • Helps speedy wound healing and tissue repair.

4. Saponins and bitterness:

   • Strengthen the body's defenses;
   • Facilitate digestion and stimulate appetite;
   • Relieves nervous tension and fatigue.

5. Wine acid:

   • Promotes weight loss and accelerates metabolic processes;
   • Neutralizes epigastric discomfort, eliminates pain and colic;
   • Has a delicate diuretic and laxative effect;
   • Relieves hangover and heartburn.

6. Choline:

   • Reduces LDL (bad) cholesterol levels;
   • Helps the liver and gallbladder function;
   • Promotes the complete assimilation of fats from food;
   • Prolongs youth and accelerates the processes of cell renewal;
   • Stimulates the work of all muscles, including the heart;
   • Supports the nervous system and helps to resist stress.

7. Inulin:

   • Regulates carbohydrate-fat metabolism;
   • Promotes the absorption of vitamins and minerals from food;
   • Strengthens the immune system and normalizes the microflora of internal organs;
   • Ensures the harmonious work of the digestive tract;
   • Reduces blood sugar levels.

8. Alkaloids:

   • Effectively relieve pain syndrome of any etiology;
   • Reduces high blood pressure and body temperature;
   • Prevents the emergence and development of tumors, including malignant ones;
   • Strengthen the walls of blood vessels and reduce bleeding;
   • Suppresses inflammation and promotes rapid healing.

Useful properties of sow thistle

The aerial part of the plant is used for medicinal purposes. Plant raw materials are harvested during flowering, dried in well-ventilated rooms without direct sunlight.

Sow thistle is a good honey plant. Bees willingly visit various types of plants, collecting up to 110 kg of nectar from one hectare of thickets per season. Sow honey is quite tasty, with a delicate delicate aroma, light yellow color. It is often used to feed bees in winter.

Sow thist properties:

• Anti-inflammatory;
• Toning;
• Immunomodulatory;
• Soothing;
• Pain reliever;
• Regenerating;
• Antineoplastic;
• Antioxidant;
• Antipyretic;
• Hypotensive;
• Myostimulating;
• Bactericidal;
• Diuretic;
• Laxative;
• Diaphoretic;
• Antihelminthic;
• Sugar-lowering;
• Cholesterol.

Application of sow thistle

In medicine, the aerial part of the plant is used for the preparation of drugs with hemostatic, anti-inflammatory, choleretic and lactogenic effects. Modern research has shown that the extract from it has an anxiolytic ("anti-anxiety") effect, that is, the plant can be used for diseases of the central nervous system.

In folk medicine, it is recommended in the treatment of vascular diseases and as an antihelminthic agent. Decoctions and herbal infusions help with headaches, have a beneficial effect on neuroses, and improve metabolism. They are used as a general tonic. For the treatment of painful seals after injuries and bruises, poultices from fresh grass are effective; warts are removed with its juice.

Sow thist drugs are used to treat fever, jaundice, and inflammatory liver diseases. It is a good antidote for opium poisoning. In addition, young leaves of the plant can be added to salads for dietary meals.

Thistle treatment

Sow thistle is used in folk medicine for the following purposes:

• Stimulation of hematopoiesis and activity of the endocrine glands;
• Normalize metabolic processes, regenerate body tissues and cells;
• Saturation of the body with vitamins;
• Relief of inflammatory processes;
• Prevention and suppression of tumor growth;
• Decrease in blood sugar and cholesterol levels;
• Strengthening the walls of blood vessels and removing the risk of bleeding;
• Removal of helminths;
• Decrease in blood pressure;
• Elimination of fever and pain syndrome;
• Normalization of the menstrual cycle in women;
• Relief of headaches;
• Fight stress and insomnia;
• Improving immunity and accelerating recovery after serious illness.

Stems and leaves of thistle

The aerial part of the plant is used for inflammatory diseases accompanied by pain and fever, as well as for the treatment of hepatitis, hemorrhoids, furunculosis, burns and non-healing wounds.

Poultices, infusions and decoctions are prepared from fresh leaves and stems, but you can also use dried raw materials that are well stored. If you need to quickly stop the blood from a cut and disinfect the wound, you will need fresh finely chopped sow thistle. The younger and more tender the shoots, the better.

Sow thistle root

In the underground part of the plant, the concentration of biologically active substances, especially poisonous alkaloids, is higher, therefore, a healing alcoholic tincture is made on the basis of sow thistle root. It is used to treat tumors, inflammatory diseases of the kidneys, liver and gastrointestinal tract, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and women's diseases.

Important: boiled sow thistle roots taste good, they resemble Jerusalem artichoke - an earthen pear, so you can add them to soups and salads.

Sow thistle juice

Milk-colored juice protruding from the leaves of the sow thistle at the site of the fracture has been an excellent folk remedy against warts since ancient times. It is recommended to apply it to the affected skin several times a day until the wart is dry. Sow thistle juice is also an excellent diuretic, and in combination with egg yolk - a cure for breast cancer.

With the help of this juice, you can provide emergency assistance to a person with poisoning with certain herbal poisons, for example, opium. Remember that thistle juice contains volatile alkaloids, so it can only be used immediately after being squeezed.

Sow thistle broth

To prepare the broth, take one tablespoon of fresh or dried sow thistle leaves, steamed with a glass of boiling water or simmer for three minutes, and then filter and drink in several doses throughout the day, 20-30 minutes before meals.

Such a decoction is used for pulmonary bleeding, heavy menstruation, renal colic, stomach pains, colds with high fever, hepatitis and nephritis. You can use sow broth and externally, for example, as compresses and lotions for furunculosis or purulent wounds.

Infusion of sow thistle

The infusion is prepared from the same amount of raw materials and water, but before use, it is kept for at least an hour, or better, it is left in a thermos overnight. You need to drink the finished strained medicine one tablespoon 20 minutes before a meal, it perfectly relieves headaches, normalizes blood pressure, strengthens blood vessels and increases immunity.

It is good to rinse your mouth with infusion with periodontal disease: it relieves bleeding gums and freshens breath. You can add a glass of sow thistle infusion to a bowl of hot water and soar your legs, this not only saves you from the onset of a cold, but also reduces sweating, helps to get rid of fungus and an unpleasant odor.

Alcohol tincture of sow thistle

This is the most concentrated dosage form that is used to treat diabetes, hypertension, hepatitis, tuberculosis, obesity and even cancer. To prepare the tincture, take finely chopped fresh sow thistle root, pour it into a glass jar and fill it up with medical alcohol, then keep it in a dark place for 3 weeks, filter it and put it in the refrigerator.

Alcohol tincture of sow thistle should be taken according to the "slide" system, like other tinctures on poisonous alkaloid plants. Start with two drops three times a day and gradually increase the dosage by one drop, and then gradually reduce it to the original level. During this time, alkaloids accumulate in the body, and immunity is activated, due to which it is possible to defeat serious diseases.

Sow thist honey

Honey, which is harvested by bees as a result of pollination of pink or yellow thistle, is highly valued in medicine. It is especially rich in vitamins and biologically active substances that strengthen the immune system, normalize digestion and blood pressure.

Sow honey is light, pale yellow, with a delicate floral aroma and mild taste. Unfortunately, it quickly thickens and crystallizes, but does not lose its nutritional and medicinal value.

Sow thist honey is recommended for the elderly and patients who have recently had a serious illness. It has not only tonic and strengthening properties, but also anti-inflammatory, therefore sow honey is useful for ulcers. You can also apply it externally, for example, with furunculosis.

Contraindications to the use of sow thistle

Sow thistle is contraindicated:

• Pregnant women;
• Nursing mothers;
• Individuals with individual intolerance to plant components (primarily alkaloids).

Important: if you have serious diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, spleen and liver, be sure to consult with your doctor about the treatment of sow thistle, because this plant, although moderate, is poisonous!

The best recipes with thistle

Sow thistle broth against hemorrhoids

Sitting baths with a decoction of sow thistle help relieve the course of hemorrhoids, relieve pain and reduce bleeding. Take a handful of dried leaves and stems, pour in a liter of water, boil and simmer for five minutes, then strain and pour into a bowl of cold water to make a cool bath. You need to take it for fifteen minutes three times a week.

Sow thistle vitamin tea

Steam a tablespoon of finely chopped young sow thistle leaves with a glass of boiling water, strain after twenty minutes, and drink before breakfast. Repeat in the evening, no earlier than two hours after dinner. Taken on an empty stomach, the vitamin sowling tea is excellent for stimulating digestion, calming the nerves and promoting good sleep.

Delicious thistle salad

Soak tender young sow thistle leaves in salted water for 30-40 minutes. Meanwhile, boil 2 hard-boiled eggs, cool and cut into slices, cut two large cucumbers into large strips, put everything in a salad bowl, add torn sow thistle leaves, half a teaspoon of mustard, a little vegetable oil and salt to taste. Stir the salad, soak for half an hour in the refrigerator to soak and reveal its taste, and serve.

The author of the article: Sokolova Nina Vladimirovna | Phytotherapist

Education: Diploma in "General Medicine" and "Therapy" received at the Pirogov University (2005 and 2006). Advanced training at the Department of Phytotherapy at the Peoples' Friendship University of Moscow (2008).