Blessed Thistle Powder

What is Blessed Thistle Powder?

Blessed thistle, or Cnicus benedictus, is a plant that grows naturally from southern France to Iran along the Mediterranean. It is easy to spot because it has soft yellow flowers and hairy leaves that look like dandelions. Blessed thistle, which is also called holy thistle, has been used to treat bubonic plague, improve digestion, and keep infections away since the Middle Ages. Most of the time, blessed thistle is used today to help nursing moms make more breast milk.

Most of the time, the tops, leaves, and upper stems of blessed thistle are used to make a tea, or the plant is sold as a vitamin in pill, extract, or powdered form. Blessed thistle is thought to increase hunger, treat diarrhea, bloating, colds, and flu, and help with nursing. Some people put blessed thistle on boils, abscesses, and other skin diseases to help them heal faster. Blessed thistle is used as a medicine, but it is also a key ingredient in the alcoholic drink Benedictine.

How do I use Blessed Thistle Powder?

One cup of boiling water should be steeped with one to three tablespoons of dried blessed thistle herb for ten minutes. Proponents claim that combining blessed thistle with fenugreek may boost lactation even more. Some may combine it with goat's rue, stinging nettle, or alfalfa.

Blessed Thistle Powder benefits:

Tannins, which are chemicals found in blessed thistle, might help with diarrhea, a cough, and swelling. People use blessed thistle for heartburn, illnesses, cuts, and many other problems, but there is no good scientific proof to back these uses. Milk thistle is not the same as lucky thistle.

◉ Benefits of breastfeeding: When a baby latches on to its mother's breast, it makes a lot of nerves in the mother's nipple work. This sends chemicals all over the body of the mother. Two of these hormones are prolactin and oxytocin. Prolactin makes the mother make more milk, and oxytocin makes the milk come out. Not all moms make enough milk on their own. Some women who need more help take blessed thistle, which is thought to make their bodies make more breast milk.

A 2016 review says that blessed thistle is often used as a galactagogue. A galactagogue is a food, plant, or drug that makes more breast milk come out, usually by making more prolactin. But the review also said that there haven't been enough high-quality clinical studies to really know how well it works.

◉ Digestion: Blessed thistle has a chemical called cnicin, which is found in a lot of bitter herbs. It is thought that cnicin makes the body make more saliva and stomach acid, both of which help digestion. This may be why blessed thistle has been used for a long time to treat gas, diarrhea, and stomach pain.

◉ Coughs: Blessed thistle has also been used for a long time to help people cough. These are herbs or medicines that help soften and thin mucus, making it easier to cough up. But there are no studies that look at how well it works as a cough suppressant.

◉ Skin infections: Blessed thistle is a plant in the family Asteraceae. A study done in 2015 showed that plants in this family have antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory qualities that can be measured. This shows that the traditional use of blessed thistle as a cosmetic treatment for small cuts and bruises might be based on some science.

Where can I buy Blessed Thistle Powder?

Buy Blessed Thistle Powder from the health food store in the USA, Alive Herbals.

Blessed Thistle Powder information (at a glance):