Bodyak
Useful properties and use of thistle herb
Botanical description of thistle
Thistle is a perennial weed from the Asteraceae family. It reaches a height of more than 1 m. The stem is hollow, erect, with a sticky liquid inside. At the top of the stem, densely crowded baskets-inflorescences are formed. They are surrounded by opaque, pale yellow leaves spiny at the edges. Thistle blooms in August-September. It grows mainly on wet ditch soils, along river banks, in wet meadows, as well as on wastelands and garbage places. Found in Siberia, the European part of Russia, the North Caucasus, Sakhalin.
Useful properties of thistle
Thistle has medicinal properties, although the chemical composition of this plant is not well understood. It is known that it contains tannins, alkaloids, glycosides, fats, resins, essential oil. The subtle delicate aroma of the thistle attracts bees. To prepare medicines, you need to dig out the root of the plant in the fall, rinse it thoroughly and dry it under an awning in the fresh air or in a special dryer. According to some sources, the aerial part of the bodyak can also be used.
Application of a thistle
In traditional medicine, the use of thistle for medicinal purposes is not yet accepted. Due to the fact that it is very little studied, it is not recommended to use it at all. Nevertheless, in some areas, the plant is used as a remedy for gout and rheumatism. A decoction of the herb is recommended for colic, skin diseases and hemorrhoids (in the form of poultices). Dry inflorescences in combination with other medicinal herbs are prescribed by traditional healers to patients with oncological diseases.
Fresh herbal gruel relieves inflammation, itching, eczema and lichen. Decoctions from inflorescences and roots help with headaches, epilepsy, neuropsychiatric diseases. But when using a thistle, do not forget that the plant is poisonous, therefore, when taking it alone, you should act extremely carefully.
Decoction from the roots: 1 tbsp. a spoonful of crushed raw materials are poured with 250 ml of boiled water, boiled in a steam bath for 8-10 minutes, insisted for about half an hour. The broth is used in the form of lotions to cleanse the skin, they rinse the hair with oily seborrhea.
Moisturizing face mask: 4 tablespoons of crushed plant leaves are mixed with 1 tablespoon of kefir and literally 1 drop of rose essential oil is added. The mask is applied to the face for 15 minutes, after which it is washed off with warm water, and the skin is wiped with an ice cube from a decoction of parsley.
Thistle varifolia
Thistle varifolia is a perennial prickly plant with medicinal properties. Its height is 50–100 cm, the stem is vertical, rigid. The leaves are pinnately-divided, prickly at the edges, narrowed upward, below - white tomentose. Inflorescence is a basket. The flowers are round, scarlet. The fruit is an elongated achene with long feathery hairs inside. This plant blooms in July-August, the seeds ripen in August-September.
This type of thistle grows in Siberia and the Urals. Grows among shrubs, mixed forests. The plant contains essential oil, alkaloids, flavonoids, rubber, anthocyanins. The herb is used for medicinal purposes, stocking up on it during the flowering of plants. It is used as a wound healing, hemostatic and anti-inflammatory agent.
Basically, thistle is used externally in the form of powders and lotions. Finely chopped fresh grass is applied to abrasions and boils. Wounds can also be healed with lotions made from thistle infusion. Powder from dry leaves is sprinkled with purulent wounds. Young leaves and shoots are eaten. The plant is also used in veterinary medicine.
Infusion from the roots of the thistle: 4 tbsp. tablespoons of dry crushed roots are poured with a liter of boiling water and insisted for 2–2.5 hours. After straining, the infusion is added to the bath at a temperature not higher than +38 o C. The bath time is 15 minutes. The procedure refreshes the body and reduces sweating.
Field thug
This herbaceous plant has a well-developed root system, which includes long tap and lateral roots. The taproot can extend more than 4 meters into the soil. The stem is straight, branched, with grooves. The leaves are oblong, alternate, tight to the stem. The leaf plates are solid, pinnately lobed, prickly at the edges. Unisexual flowers of purple color, collected in paniculate inflorescences.
The fruit is an oblong, laterally compressed achene, narrowed towards the base, inside there is a fly with feathery hairs. Seeds are small, matte, grayish. On each plant, the number of seeds can reach 36 thousand. This type of thistle reproduces by seeds and vegetatively. The plant blooms from June to late autumn. It grows mainly on wastelands and pastures. Refers to hard-to-eradicate weeds of vegetable gardens and orchards.
In the manufacture of infusions and decoctions, grass and thistle inflorescences are used, which are collected during flowering, the roots are harvested in the fall. The chemical composition of the plant is represented by glycosides, resins, essential oil, ascorbic acid. A volatile alkaloid was found in the green part of the plant. Fruits contain up to 27% fatty semi-drying oil.
In alternative medicine, decoctions from the root of the plant are used for intestinal, renal and hepatic colic. Also, the crushed thistle is applied to wounds, abscesses, boils. The inflorescences are used in a mixture with other herbs for cancer. When used internally, caution is needed, as this plant is poisonous.
Broth from inflorescences: for 200 ml of water, use 20 g of dry inflorescences. The mixture is boiled for 10 minutes in a water bath and infused for an hour. After straining, the broth is taken 3 times a day for 1/3 cup for malignant neoplasms.
Common thug
This biennial plant is classified as a weed. Its stem is straight, branched, covered with sharp thorns. The thistle reaches a height of 1.5 m. The root system is pivotal, the leaves are rigid, pinnately-lobed, prickly at the edges. The flowers are enclosed in spiny single baskets, have a crimson color. The plant can be found everywhere: along roads, in fields, under fences, in garbage places. Easily adapts to any climatic conditions.
In folk medicine, decoctions and tinctures of thistle root are used for both internal and external use. The collection and procurement of raw materials are carried out in late autumn, after the end of the growing season. The roots are washed, finely chopped, dried. Store in paper bags for three years. The broth helps with acute inflammatory processes, relieves headaches and migraines, relieves vascular spasms, strengthens the immune system and increases the body's resistance to infections.
The broth is also used as an antipyretic agent for infectious diseases accompanied by high fever. Alcohol tincture in the form of lotions and rubbing is effective for skin conditions such as acne and boils. It is used to treat wounds and abrasions. Official medicine does not recognize this plant as medicinal.
Thistle bristly
This herbaceous perennial weed has a well-developed root system, consisting of a straight rhizome and many root processes. The stem is erect, with many branches, ribbed, slightly pubescent or glabrous. The leaves are alternate, densely or weakly adhering to the stem, smooth above, slightly pubescent below, green, oval in shape, bristly at the edges. The flowers of this type of thistle are bisexual, lilac-red or purple.
The fruit is an elongated yellow or brown achene. The plant propagates by seeds and vegetatively. Blooms from June until frost. The seeds ripen in September-October. The plant is widespread in the European part of Russia, in the Caucasus, in Siberia. Under natural conditions, it grows in meadows, along river banks, in pastures and garbage places.
In folk medicine, baths and lotions from bristly thistle are used for dermatitis of various etiologies, eczema, dandruff. Dry and fresh leaves are steamed and applied to purulent wounds, abscesses, ulcers. Juice from the leaves of young plants is used as a wound healing agent.
A decoction of inflorescences and juice from the leaves is prescribed for uterine bleeding and menstrual irregularities. Infusion and decoction from all parts of the plant are drunk with nervous disorders. Rhizomes are harvested in autumn and spring. It is washed from the ground, the adventitious roots are removed and dried. The upper part of the plant is harvested during the flowering period. They dry it in the usual way.
Poultices: steam 2-3 tablespoons of crushed grass or roots of thistle with boiling water, after a couple of minutes wrap the grass in gauze in the form of pads and use for hemorrhoids, boils, abscesses.
Thistle garden
Perennial, thorny herb more than 1 meter high. Blooms in August-September. Grows in nitrogen-rich soils. Likes to settle around water bodies, along the shores of lakes and rivers. Grows in the eastern part of Russia and in Western Siberia. The people use the aboveground part and the root of the garden thistle.
A decoction from the root can cure rheumatism and gout. Healers prescribe this remedy for toothache and cramps. In the literature, you can find mention that the plant is used as salads, using young leaves and shoots. This salad is believed to improve digestion.
Herb decoction: pour a tablespoon of herbs with a glass of boiling water, cook in a water bath for 5-6 minutes, leave for 1 hour, drain. Dosage: take 4 times a day, 10-15 minutes before meals, a quarter cup. The broth helps with epilepsy. Outwardly, it is used for conjunctivitis. Cotton swabs dipped in broth are placed on the eyes for 20-25 minutes.
Bodyak marsh
This herbaceous biennial or perennial plant can reach a height of two meters. Its stem is completely covered with thorns. The leaves are pinnately dissected, smooth, below - white, pubescent. The teeth of the leaves are covered with sharp spines. Inflorescences on the tops of the stems are collected in groups of 2-8 pieces. The flowers are light pink or white. The flowering period is July-September, the seeds ripen in August-October. This type of thistle grows in swampy forests, along the banks of grassy swamps. Grows in Siberia.
Contraindications for thymus
Thistle is considered a poisonous plant, and it should be used with caution, strictly adhering to the dosage. It is not recommended for myopathy and encephalopathy. In addition, long-term use of herbal medicines can cause hypertension and varicose veins. If the body is prone to the formation of blood clots, then the treatment with a thigh is carried out under the supervision of specialists.
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).
