The artichoke originates mainly from Europe. Presumably, the species existing today is a cultivated form that has been grown as a garden plant since ancient times. The drug used medicinally comes mainly from leaf crops in Franconia, Brandenburg, Thuringia, and Brittany, as well as from southern and southeastern European countries.
From what is the medicine obtained?
In herbal medicine, the fresh or dried, whole or cut leaves of the artichoke (Cynarae folium) are used. More rarely, the roots, flower buds, or a pressed juice from fresh parts of the plant are also used. Common medicines usually contain dry extracts obtained from the fresh artichoke leaves.
Artichoke: characteristics of the plant
Artichoke is a vigorous perennial plant that grows up to 2 m tall and resembles a thistle in appearance. It bears large gray-green foliage leaves and showy flower heads with outer green bracts and inner blue-purple tubular flowers. The plant forms a basal rosette of leaves in the first year and a long stem bearing the large, purple flower heads in the second year.
Artichoke as a vegetable
The flower heads harvested before flowering are commonly used as vegetables. In particular, the fleshy flower base (“artichoke heart“) is considered a special treat.
What makes the drug?
The cut drug consists of felty, gray-green leaf clusters and fragments of the petioles and leaf veins. The underside of the leaves is gray hairy, while the upper side of the leaves is hairless and green. Leaf veins can also be seen on the underside.
Artichoke leaves smell faintly aromatic and slightly acrid. The taste of the drug is slightly salty, while the aftertaste is bitter.
