Holy (Blessed) Thistle ~ Amazing Bitter Herb

"...[T]he Blessed Thistle, which is much used in the time of any infection or plague, as also to expel any evil symptom from the heart at all other times." 
~William Shakespeare; from Much Ado About Nothing

So many people seem to have issues with their digestion ~ reflux, bloating, bile flow in the liver, stomach pains from poor digestion, all the way down to the intestines. It's a bother to anyone who suffers with these issues, but especially hard if your are nursing or elderly.

Bitter herbs a are a group of herbs that work well with the liver and digestive organs. And we all know that if your liver and digestion are going along as they should, barring any other health issues, you will probably have a healthy day.

Holy Thistle, also known as Blessed Thistle, has been well known since at least the Middle Ages and is a very effective bitter herb that is often confused with Milk Thistle ~ they are related by NOT the same thing . . . 

BOTH help with liver function, diuretic and helping nursing mothers' milk flow, but also . . . 

Holy Thistle stimulates bile flow, saliva production, aids digestion in that it helps the intestines and gallbladder and so helps the whole digestive tract. Holy Thistle, being in the Feverfew family, is an anti-inflammatory and helps with headaches and body aches and is mildly antibiotic. Another benefit is that they contain cancer fighting lignans (as does flax). [DO NOT use if you are pregnant or allergic to the Chamomile/Feverfew family of herbs]

Holy Thistle can be used ~ up to 3x per day ~ as a single ingredient tea, a tea blend, a tincture or in a balm for boo-boos of all sorts ~ from hangnails, to skinned knees, to small open wounds.

In the United States, Holy Thistle is most commonly used to increase nursing mothers' milk production ~ blending it with fenugreek and/or fennel seeds makes a yummy and even more effective nursing tea.

 I love my Blessed Thistle.

As you can see, when I label my 

herb jars, I also include

what they are best used for.

To make a tea, my general rule is 1 ts. in your tea ball per cup OR 1-1/2 or 2ts per mug.

To make a tincture, click HERE. 

To make a balm/salve, click HERE. Simply replace the chamomile in this recipe with Holy Thistle OR blend half-and-half.

Have you used Holy Thistle? What are your favorite ways?

Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><
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