The Prepper Broadcasting Network - Herbal Medicine for Preppers: Carline Thistle

Starting point is 00:00:00 Hey y'all, welcome to this week's show. Today we're going to talk about the Carline thistle. Now several varieties of thistles are used medicinally and as far as I know all thistles are edible and they're really pretty widespread. I mean it's real easy to find bull thistle really throughout I mean everywhere east of the Mississippi. And you know when it's young and tender you can peel the stalk and eat it. The roots are edible. Anyway, really good edible plant. But the carlinthus has some interesting characteristics. Usually I look for thistles in old pastures and there's so many old pastures where I live. If I go on any hike, if I'm not in the woods, I'm

Starting point is 00:00:52 usually wandering through an old cow pasture and I'm going to find thistles. And I've stepped on thistles before. That's not real fun at all. Try not to do that barefoot. Really, really unpleasant. But yeah, most all of them as far as I know are edible and really a good survival food. You know we've, what would you call it, domesticated a few thistles for the garden such as the artichoke and the other one's not coming to me right now. But anyway, and I love artichokes. If you like artichokes you'll like most thistles they taste a lot alike so anyway carlinthistle has good medicinal properties and several of thistles do have very strong

Starting point is 00:01:35 medicinal properties and be different like milk thistle is very different than carlinthistle the other thing about carling thistle is it's one you may want to grow in the garden because you can eat the flowers. You pull the choke out it's just like an artichoke. So really going back to ancient Greece and Rome and such I mean Pliny the Elder wrote of thistles mainly as food. Dioscorides specifically wrote about the carlinthistle. And he said its leaves are similar to saliva, which is milk thistle, or cardos natans, it's musk thistle, and they're very ones that he said, you know, it was like it's the prickly the prickles on it

Starting point is 00:02:27 You know, essentially the stingers the root is thick and see goes on. All right, so modestly He says vinegar Infuse it taken. Yeah, we see if I get this my tongue untwisted take this thistle infused in vinegar I get this my tongue untwisted. This sizzle infused in vinegar taken as a drink could expel broadworms. He said it was taken in wine with a decoction of oregano. For dropsy, a teaspoonful of this is given to you with wine to ease them. People with dropsy or you know edema essentially. Decoction is taken a drink for frequent painful urination. Taken as a drink

Starting point is 00:03:06 with wine as an antidote to poison. That's probably how it made its way into the Swedish bitters because the Swedish bitters kind of comes from theriac and Mithridrate which were poison raths formulas, anti poisoning formulas that became digestive bitters as time went on, medicinal bitters. Let's see, needed with polenta, then diluted in water and oil, could be used to kill mice and such. That's interesting, I'm not sure how that worked. So by the Middle Ages, several thistles were used in monastic medicine. St. Hildegard von Bingen used what she called lady thistle which was likely milk thistle usually associated with the Blessed

Starting point is 00:03:50 Virgin Mary or Our Lady so it's called Lady's Thistle. She recommends Lady's Thistle for pain in the heart or a stitch or sharp pain in the side and she recommends eating thistle as an antidote for poison and used externally for rashes. Now why the stitch stitch to the paniside? That can be caused by a couple of things. Normally when you're running or whatever, and you get that stitch in your side, that's actually sort of a friction between the lining of the lungs and that area of the diaphragm. It can also be caused by a large liver.

Starting point is 00:04:22 And milk thistle is extremely good for the liver. It can actually help regenerate damaged liver even as used as an antidote for Amanita mushroom poison like the destroying angel or death angel mushroom that essentially dissolves the liver. German physicians use a strong extract of milk thistle as an antidote. It protects the liver even from such a toxin. I don't think that's really used in hospitals in America. So, but definitely look into that, you know, if you have any liver issues. German folk medicine, how Brother Aloysius said

Starting point is 00:05:00 blessed thistle. That's a conicus benedictus that's a different thistle but they'd like to say there's a lot of common use in these used for intermittent fevers stomach complaints when dropsy jaundice hypochondria and irregular menstruation powder of the plant recommended for sores infused in wine for scrofula that's a infection of the essentially the lymph nodes of the throat and for tumors and ulcerations powder and infection of essentially the lymph nodes of the throat. And for tumors and ulcerations, powder and wine used for phlegm in the chest, particularly good stomach, excellent for weak stomachs, for the intestines, for the lung and liver

Starting point is 00:05:35 complaints. Tea made from it cures diarrhea and weakness, also chronic diarrhea. Worms are killed by it for good and prevents them from multiplying as it stops the formation of mucus in the intestines. For Carling Thistle, he listed the root as a stomatic, dissolves mucus especially in cases of cataract, pain in the side, and nervous complaints, cleanses the intestines and kidneys, stimulates the appetite, is an efficacious remedy for hysteria, blockages of the liver and spleen, stones, and above all promotes menstruation. Now in the Polish tradition, Sophie Hotaruk's

Starting point is 00:06:11 NAB tells us that Carleen Thistle has traditionally been used in Poland as both a remedy for impotence and to ward off the evil eye. The evil eye was apparently blamed for several ailments and annoyances, even including tangled hair. So, you know, take that with a grain of salt. But you know, even in modern times, in the Middle East especially, the evil eye is considered to be a thing. I knew a girl from Tel Aviv. She was very rare to be an ethnic Jew from Tel Aviv. She had blonde hair and blue eyes. And because of that, the Muslims especially in the area thought she had the evil eye. And she was kind of ostracized even in some of the more traditional Jewish communities. But a very interesting person anyway 1500s

Starting point is 00:07:07 England Gerard listed the carlinthussel and the dwarf carlinthussel not sure if there's any difference between the two at all but he describes them and you know they seem to be the same it's just one little smaller than the other but he said the root of carlin which is chiefly used, procureth sweat and driveth forth all kinds of worms from the belly. It is an enemy to all matter of poisons. It doth not only drive away infections of the plague,

Starting point is 00:07:37 but it cureth the same if it be drunk in time. Being chewed, it helpeth to toothache. It openeth the stoppings of the liver and spleen. It provoketh the urine, bring down the menses, and cureth the dropsy. And it is given to those that have been beaten or have fallen from some high place." He said, the juice also being drunk is of light virtue. He said, it was also good good against paying the side, good for sciatica, backache, and for them that are troubled with cramp. Culpepper wrote of several thistles under their common English names. Hard to know which one he was referring to, so I'm gonna just kind of skip ahead because

Starting point is 00:08:19 Miss Grieve, English herbalist in the 1930s, wrote of the Carling thistle, Carling vulgaris, she named it. And she said that this actually was the wild thistle that Culpepper mentioned, but you know, that's not really important to us right now. But interestingly, she said the name of this plant was Carolina, so-called after Charlemagne, of whom the legend relates, a horrible pestilence broke out in his army and carried off many thousands of men, which greatly troubled the Pius Emperor. Wherefore he prayed earnestly to

Starting point is 00:08:56 God, and in his sleep there appeared to him an angel who shot an arrow from a crossbow, telling him to mark the plant upon which it fell for that plant with that plant he might cure his army of the pestilence and the herb apparently cured his army of the pestilence so it was named after the Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne and now we call it Carline so anyway she gives pretty much the same uses. She does mention that it can be combined with El Campaine, another herb, and when it does it has a diaphoretic action, meaning it helps break a fever, but in large doses would be purgative, so strong laxative. Oh, it also had a camphorous nature, the smell like of camphor from the essential, the volatile

Starting point is 00:09:48 oil, so not the plant, its natural state, but that was antiseptic. So that's an interesting use. So in modern use, plants for future, interestingly enough, because they are usually quite, what's my word, thorough, says of Carling Thistle that the root and leaves are diaphoretic and purgative. Now that's interesting because Ms. Grieve said it was the essential oil. I'm not sure that Plants for a Future got that one right, but interestingly enough the Physician's Desk reference for herbal medicine, that's the book your doctor would use to look up an herb to tell you if it's safe or you know whether it contraindicates with you

Starting point is 00:10:27 know some prescription or whatever it says that the medicinal part of the plant is the root it says that carlinethysol is the root of carlina acula aculus collected in autumn and dried it states that the chief compound is the volatile oil, Carlin-A-Carlina oxide. The essential oil hinders the growth of Staphylococcus. Now isn't that interesting? So another reason you might want to grow Carlin thistle because the essential oil of the root is specifically good against Staphylococcus and staph infections can be awful. Awful and also has mild diuretic properties, spasmodic and diaphoretic effects. It says under folk uses used internally for atonic gastritis, dyspepsia,

Starting point is 00:11:19 that's basically just burping and upset stomach, diseases of the biliary tract, colds and fevers, exterlies used as a wash for dermatosis and a rinse for wounds and ulcers as a mouthwash to alleviate symptoms associated with cancer of the tongue. And it states no health hazards or side effects are known in conjunction with proper administration of designated therapeutic dosages. are known in conjunction with proper administration of designated therapeutic dosages. The carlinthistle, as I mentioned, is only one of many edible immidistal thistles. I enjoy, like I said, I enjoy thistles. I'm a huge fan of artichokes.

Starting point is 00:11:58 And the cardoon, the cardoon is the other one that is domesticated. But like I said, the carlinthistle can be grown in the flower eaten as well. But here is sort of a brief list of edible thistles. Find out which of these grow in your area and look up the individual uses and the edibility of them. All right, it's a long list so get ready. You're probably gonna have to replay this one a couple of times, but Cardus crispus, that's welded thistle, that's W-E-L-T-E-D, welted thistle. Cardus nutans, that's musk thistle. Carlina aculus, that's stemlus, Carlina thistle. Carlina vulgaris, that's Carlina thistle. Carthamnus lanatustle Carthamnus what one not us carthamnus one not us that's distaff thistle Centuria calic

Starting point is 00:12:53 Trappa common star thistle Centuria Iberica Iberian star thistle Centuria Melaton nitsis Multi star thistle you know what I'm just gonna give you the common names. This is getting ridiculous. So St. Barnaby's thistle blue sow thistle Stimulus thistle

Starting point is 00:13:15 Creeping thistle Indian thistle Eaton's thistle Edible thistle now. That's just an interesting common name isn't it? That's the rhizome edu late That actually means edible thistle in Latin. So woody thistle, white thistle, cobwebby thistle, cobwebby like cobwebs, yellowspined thistle, cabbage thistle, pale thistle, marsh thistle, tuberous thistle. That's Cirrhizium tuberosum. It has the tuberous roots that like I was telling you that bull thistle can have. Very good survival food. Wavy leaf thistle, common thistle, that's cerysium vulgari, blessed thistle, conicus spinae dictus, that actually just means blessed thistle. So globe thistle, Scotch thistle, cotton thistle, prickly Russian thistle,

Starting point is 00:14:08 thistle sage, spotted golden thistle, milk thistle, field milk thistle, prickly sow thistle, shore sow thistle, and sow thistle. So those are the 38 thistles that have documented use in herbal medicine and as I said the bull thistle is another one and there are probably several others that are edible probably have medicinal uses but they haven't really been documented. So check out the thistles in your area. They can be troublesome weeds. You can either purse them or love to eat them and use them and really come to appreciate them as I have remember

Starting point is 00:14:48 God created every everything in the world that includes all the plants and he looked at them and said they were good So there is a good use for every single plant There are many plants that could be misused but there is a good use for every single plant Y'all have a great week and I will talk to you next time. The information in this podcast is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease or condition. Nothing I say or write has been evaluated or approved by the FDA. I'm not a doctor. The U.S.

Starting point is 00:15:20 Government does not recognize the practice of herbal medicine and there is no governing body regulating herbalists. Therefore, I'm really just a guy who studies herbs. I am not offering any advice. I won't even claim that anything I write or say is accurate or true. I can tell you what herbs have been traditionally used for. I can tell you my own experience and if I believe in herbs help me. I cannot nor would I tell you to do the same.

Starting point is 00:15:42 If you use an herb anyone recommends, you are treating yourself. You take full responsibility for your health. Humans are individuals and no two are identical. What works for me may not work for you. You may have an allergy, a sensitivity, an underlying condition that no one else even shares and you don't even know about. Be careful with your health.

Starting point is 00:16:02 By continuing to listen to my podcast or read my blog, you agree to be responsible for yourself, do your own research, make your own choices, and not to blame me for anything ever.

The Prepper Broadcasting Network - Herbal Medicine for Preppers: Carline Thistle

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