Silver thistle is also known as weather thistle. The applications of this versatile plant are wide-ranging. What makes silver thistle so special and how is the medicinal herb used?
Occurrence and cultivation of the silver thistle
The effects of silver thistle are antibiotic, antispasmodic, laxative and diaphoretic. Silver thistle belongs to the genus of boar’s thistle (golden thistle) within the daisy family. In 1997 it was even elected flower of the year. It can be found in the latitudes of Europe and in Germany it belongs to the protected plant species. Since the thistle is a protected species, it cannot be collected. Its extinction is favored by the fact that many grasslands are converted into forest and arable land. The silver thistle thrives best on summer-warm, mostly grazed rough grasslands on base-rich soils with a low humus layer. It grows particularly well in limestone areas with low rainfall. Two types of thistles are distinguished: the common silver thistle and the curly-leaf silver thistle. The herbaceous plant is almost without stems and has a growth height of up to 40 centimeters. The taproot reaches up to one meter in depth and therefore the silver thistle belongs to the deep-rooted plants (the root reaches up to one meter into the ground). The leaves are crenate, pinnately lobed and thorny. Mostly they have the form of a rosette. The underside of the leaves is glabrous. The size of the leaves ranges from four to eight centimeters. Usually there is only one basket of bracts on the stem. The inner bracts are silvery-white above and usually dead by the time of flowering. The actual flower basket is composed of countless white to reddish tubular flowers. Because the flowers close in bad weather, it is also known as weather thistle. Flowering of the silver thistle peaks at up to 14 centimeters from July to September. Seeds develop from the flowers in the fall.
Effect and application
The silver thistle has numerous, valuable ingredients. In addition to essential oils, it contains bitter substances, enzymes, tannins, carlina oxide, inulin and resins. Silver thistle was already used in the Stone Age. Cooked as a vegetable, eaten raw or the root cooked and eaten as a winter vegetable. The effect of silver thistle is antibiotic, antispasmodic, laxative and diaphoretic. It is used as a remedy for colds and skin diseases, but its effect is also considerable in other ailments. Taken during nervous excitement, it also helps. Generally, the root of the silver thistle is used, which is collected in autumn. After collecting, the root should be cleaned, cut into small pieces and dried. A teaspoon of the root is brought to a boil with water and then boil the mixture for a few minutes. The tea should cool and is then strained. The tea is drunk in sips warm to lukewarm, optionally with a few spoonfuls of honey. It helps against worms, digestive disorders, colds and fever. To make a mouth rinse, boil two teaspoons with water. This makes the rinse more intense. Such a mouthwash provides relief from gingivitis and helps inhibit the pain of tongue cancer. Skin diseases and eczema are very stubborn diseases that recur. Two teaspoons of silver root with water or boiled in vinegar is optimal for poultices. A cloth is soaked in the strained tea and placed on the affected skin area. Such compresses also help with lumbago. According to one tradition, it should even help to wear the silver root only on a ribbon around the neck to cure lumbago.
Importance for health, treatment and prevention.
The boar’s root tincture is named after its popular name boar’s root. Also made from the root of the silver thistle, here it is made with alcohol instead of water. Wine is best suited for this purpose. If the root is soaked in white wine and placed in a warm place for 14 days, boar’s root wine is produced. If digestion is slow and poor, a shot glass full of boar tuber wine is drunk before meals. This stimulates digestion. The use of medicinal herbs usually have few side effects, but advice should still be sought from a doctor or pharmacist. There is no scientific confirmation of the effect of silver thistle.Nowadays, the use of silver thistle is very much in the background. However, if it is used, some things must be taken into account:
Generally, a maximum of two cups of tea from silver thistle should be taken per day. In case of an overdose, side effects may occur. Symptoms of overdose are nausea, diarrhea and vomiting – the signs of poisoning. The root of the thistle also has poisonous parts. If there is an allergy to composite plants (the largest family of the order of aster-like plants), it should not be taken, as cross-allergy is not excluded. During pregnancy and lactation it is not recommended to take silver thistle. Silver thistle is under natural protection and may not be collected in the wild. However, the seed of the plant can be purchased. Sowing it in your own garden is quite possible. The seed is available in selected online stores, herbal stores and often in hardware stores. The root is also available for infusion as a tea in drug stores. Many plants of silver thistle are also offered on the Internet. Here, care should be taken to find a reputable seller.
