One of the worst weeds that is difficult to eradicate is pink sow thistle. It is also popularly known as prickly thistle and thistle. This plant is found almost everywhere (in fields, near roads, in wastelands and in places where livestock is pastured), preferring fertile and nitrogen-enriched soils.
External description
This perennial refers to the ability to reach a height of 120 cm. It is distinguished by a powerful root system, consisting of a main taproot with numerous shoots located on it. The erect stem is bare at the top; at the bottom there are branches covered with hard leaves. They have an oblong shape, jagged edges and a bright green color. The lower stem leaves, gradually tapering, form a winged petiole.
Flowering time is from June to October. Throughout the summer, thistle pink is covered with baskets of small reed flowers of pink or red-violet color. They close in the evening and in cloudy weather. In place of the flower, a fruit is subsequently formed, which is a laterally flattened and curved achene. One plant can produce up to 6,500 shiny gray seeds They have a grooved surface and a falling tuft, making them easily transported over long distances. Their germination can last for 20 years.
Thanks to this, thistle has excellent survival rate. Its botanical description is in many ways similar to other varieties of thistle - garden, yellow. All of them are considered harmful weeds, which are very difficult to get rid of.
Chemical composition
Vitamins and alkaloids were found in the leaves of this plant. Although chemical composition it has been studied very little, it is known that it contains fatty oils, tannins, inulin, and glycosides. This gives pink sow thistle analgesic, wound healing and anti-inflammatory effects.
Beneficial features
For cooking medicinal products All parts of the plant are used. Preparations based on the leaves and flowers of thistle improve hematopoiesis, activate mental and physical activity, and strengthen the immune system. With their help you can get rid of sore throat, various inflammatory processes, hemorrhoids and jaundice. Sow thistle helps improve metabolism, reduces blood sugar levels, normalizes the menstrual cycle and restores the functioning of the central nervous system. nervous system. Remedies prepared from the roots of this plant help with osteoarticular tuberculosis and fever. The grass is harvested during the flowering period, drying it in a dark, ventilated room.
Where does thistle grow?
Pink thistle (thistle thistle) is found almost everywhere: in the vegetable garden, in the field, near roads, in the garden. This is absolutely unpretentious plant capable of settling on any soil, including dry and saline. But it prefers moist black soil. Thistle is distributed throughout the Eurasian continent: in the Caucasus, Central Asia, Siberia and the Far East.
Tenacious weed
All types of thistle reproduce both by seed and vegetatively. These are the most difficult weeds to eradicate (photos and their names can be found in this article). Numerous sow thistle seeds have the ability to travel through the air over considerable distances. The root system penetrates so deeply into the soil that the plant is not afraid of any drought. In addition, thistle roots have an amazing property - when they are damaged, they produce many new shoots that rise as shoots to the surface. Thus, digging up the area does not get rid of this weed, but only leads to its greater spread. Thistle's roots are very fragile, so weeding only helps the weed reproduce.
How to fight?
There are several ways to get rid of pink thistle in the garden or on summer cottage. The choice of the most suitable one depends on the specific case. The main thing is to act quickly. As soon as pink thistle is noticed on the site, control measures should be used immediately. When the first shoots appeared, the root did not go deep into the ground and can be easily pulled out of the ground. If the weed has already grown, the following methods are used:
Application of thistle
You don't always need to get rid of this plant. Due to the analgesic, bactericidal, anti-inflammatory properties of thistle, it is prepared for the preparation of infusions and decoctions that help with neuroses, headaches, improve metabolic processes, etc.
This plant is also used in cooking. Salads are prepared from fresh young leaves, and dried herbs are added to meat and fish dishes. In order to get rid of the bitterness characteristic of sow thistle, it is soaked in salted water for at least 30 minutes before use.
Thistle is one of the best honey plants. Bees love this plant very much and can collect up to 140 kg of honey from one hectare of field overgrown with thistles. It has a special aroma, has a beautiful light yellow, almost white color and is very pleasant to the taste.
Thanks to its powerful rhizome, which penetrates deep into the ground, thistle receives minerals that are absent in top layer. Using the weed as mulch, experienced gardeners use it to enrich the soil in their area.
Contraindications
Use thistle for treatment and in cooking with caution, as it has a number of contraindications (pregnancy, breastfeeding, individual intolerance, etc.). Before using it, you should definitely consult your doctor.
Correct crop rotation, with control on all wedges and correct distribution of crops across the fields, taking into account their infestation with thistle. The most important for the extermination of thistle are clean fallows and row crops, with their careful processing. When placing crops in fields, the cleanest fields should be used for wheat and industrial crops, while more weedy lands should be allocated for clean fallows, as well as for row crops and occupied fallows.
Thorough steam treatment, using clean (black or early) and busy steam. Treatment of black fallows should begin in the fall by plowing to a depth of at least 18-20 cm, with early harrowing in the spring and plowing in May to the same depth. In fields that have not been raised since the fall, the raising of clean early fallow should be done as early as possible in the spring (in April - May) to a depth of 18-20 cm. Immediately after raising and plowing the black fallow, harrowing in 2-3 traces is necessary. In the podzolic zone and on chestnut soils, the depth of fallow plowing is determined by the depth of the arable layer. During the summer, care for fallows should consist of systematic cultivation of fallows to a depth of 8-10 cm, as the thistle grows. In the southern and middle zones it is necessary to carry out at least 3-4 cultivations. In the north, in a zone of sufficient moisture, in addition to surface cultivation, steam plowing should be carried out twice to the depth of the arable layer. Cultivations should be carried out by frame multi-ploughshares, since processing with claw cultivators and other implements does not ensure complete pruning of thistle shoots. In the northern zone, due to the lack of polygons, cultivation should be replaced by shallow plowing with a plow. In the southern regions, in areas of pure fallow allocated for spring crops, in fields heavily infested with thistle, double deep plowing of these fallows should be practiced, followed by immediate harrowing; this technique kills a lot root system thistle. After harvesting, fallows occupied by herbs must be plowed to a depth of 18-20 cm, with immediate harrowing; further processing theirs is the same as for pure vapors.
It is possible to sow winter rye in fallow earlier. With strong tillering and early development in the spring, winter rye suppresses thistle much more strongly than sowing winter wheat.
Careful processing of row crops. To mechanize weeding work, sowing row crops should be done in straight rows, without blemishes, or in a square pattern, using bouquets for individual crops(beets, etc.). To exterminate thistle in row crops, it is necessary, as it grows, to carry out inter-row cultivation (at least 3-4), with mandatory weeding in rows and bouquets. After closing the rows, the emerging thistle should be destroyed by weeding. As for continuous sowing crops, they require double weeding of thistle.
Burning stubble immediately after harvesting crops, primarily those harvested by combines.
Stubble peeling, which should be carried out in all fields infested with thistle, to a depth of 8-10 cm with frame implements and end no later than 15-20 days after harvesting.
Autumn plowing. Plowed fields must be plowed into plowed soil as early as possible, to a depth of 18-20 cm; When the plowed land becomes overgrown with thistle, it is necessary to re-plow it. In spring, the cold requires appropriate pre-sowing treatment(early harrowing, plowing on compacted soils, pre-sowing cultivation when sowing late crops). In fields that are heavily clogged with thistle and have not been plowed since the fall, spring plowing must be done to a depth of at least 18 cm, taking into account the depth of the arable layer.
Culture of perennial forage grasses, when caring for them and when mowing them before the flowering of thistle; In addition, they suppress thistle by compacting the soil.
Prevention of the spread of thistle (cleaning of sowing seeds, inadmissibility of leaving thickets of thistle when harvesting crops, elimination of the dispersion of thistle seeds when transporting sheaves).
Destruction of thickets of thistle in all uncultivated areas by systematically mowing it before flowering.
Before getting rid of weeds in your garden, you should think about whether this or that herb is really useless? Thistle, popularly called thistle, despite its toxicity, can also be beneficial. Cultivated plants they only suffer from it, but in folk medicine it is actively used for medicinal purposes. How, when and in what doses field trampolin helps - in this article.
What is thistle: description of plant varieties
The grass also has a third name - sow thistle. It grows almost everywhere. It reaches a height of up to 160 cm. In total, there are about 250 species of weed; in Russia you can find about 125 of its varieties.
The most common varieties are:
- Common thistle. A biennial herb commonly found in Europe and North Africa. In Russia it grows in the North Caucasus and the European part. It has leaves with prickly edges and inflorescences in the form of ovoid baskets. The flowers are pink or crimson.
- Thistle is variegated. This species is perennial and grows mainly in Europe. The flowers of this herb are lilac, sometimes white.
- Thistle is bristly. Found throughout Eurasia.
- Thistle is elecampane. This variety can be found in Eastern Siberia.
Thistle is a headache for many gardeners. It inhabits both vineyards and meadows. It can often be seen along the sides of ditches, on roadsides and in places where garbage accumulates. The plant blooms from June to October. The grass has a strong taproot that can penetrate the soil to a depth of 6 meters, so controlling the weed is not easy.
Composition of the herb thistle and its properties
The composition of the herb has not been fully studied, so it is difficult to talk about its harmful or beneficial qualities.
The plant contains:
- Resin;
- Ascorbic acid;
- Essential oil;
- Inulin.
The herb also contains alkaloids and tannins. Due to lack of information, traditional medicine does not recognize medicinal properties weed and does not recommend using rose sow thistle as a remedy for various ailments.
However, in folk medicine the stems and root parts of the plant are used. The stems are cut at summer period, and the roots are dug up in the fall. Thistle is popularly used both fresh and in the form of decoctions, infusions, powders and lotions. It has been noted that thistle has an anti-inflammatory, analgesic and disinfectant effect. Its antibacterial properties are also noted.
How do traditional healers use thistle?
Cut leaves of multi-leaved thistle are applied to fresh cuts. Thanks to the healing qualities of the herb, it is possible to stop bleeding and relieve inflammation from the wound. You can also get rid of boils or swelling with the help of fresh weed leaves.
The roots of the plant are also used in folk medicine. They have milk-producing properties, so they are advised to be consumed by women during breastfeeding. Dried roots can be stored for no more than 2 years, but leaves cannot be stored. more than a year, it is necessary to protect them from dampness.
Badyag parts also help with:
- Cold;
- Osteochondrosis;
- Respiratory tract diseases;
- Purulent wounds;
- Sweating;
- Hemorrhoids;
- Bruises and bruises.
Contraindications to the use of thistle are: pregnancy, acute or chronic diseases Gastrointestinal tract, intestines or spleen, individual intolerance. We must not forget that thistle is a plant, although weak, but still poisonous, so it can only be used in small doses. Long-term use of the herb causes hypertension, varicose veins, and intestinal blockage.
To get rid of bruises, bruises or bruises, use powder from the roots of thistle. The powder, slightly diluted with water, is applied to the problem area.
For respiratory diseases, infusions of thistle are used. Take one tbsp. a spoonful of dried herbs, put in a glass and pour boiling water over it. After a few hours, filter and drink 1 tbsp. spoon three times a day.
What else is useful for common thistle?
An infusion of crushed grass roots will also help get rid of such a nuisance as sweating. It is added to the bath. Thistle gives the skin freshness. For severe headaches, it is also recommended to drink an infusion of thistle. Many healers use the herb as a cure for conjunctivitis, gout, epilepsy and rheumatism. Even toothache and inflammation of the gums can be relieved with the help of a herbal decoction. And although the medicinal properties of the plant have been little studied, traditional healers even recommend thistle as a cure for cancer.
Since ancient times, young leaves and shoots of the weed have been used as one of the ingredients in soups and salads. They add brightness to dishes green color. In difficult times, when the Great Patriotic War, thistle was officially introduced into the diet of Soviet soldiers. Boiled roots taste like Jerusalem artichoke, so they are also used in cooking.
The benefits of the herb thistle (video)
Despite the fact that traditional medicine does not recommend the use of thistle as medicine, traditional healers advise weeds, as medicinal. Scientific research There have been no studies confirming the benefits of thistle.
Today we will continue our conversation about our favorite weeds.
Our hero today is SOSOT and its varieties - BODYAKI.
Thistle (thistle, sow thistle) – Cirsium, belongs to the Asteraceae family. Plants of this family are usually perennial, but biennials are also found. Botanists believe that there are more than 250 species of thistle in nature, and there are about 200 of them in the Northern Hemisphere. Soviet encyclopedia it is said that in Russia there are more than 110 species of thistle, among which there are persistent weeds, honey plants and ornamental species.
Some species are more common than others - common thistle, field thistle, garden thistle, multi-leaved thistle, etc.
Most of the most common types of thistle have medicinal properties and are used in folk medicine, but their chemical composition is not only little studied, but not studied at all - this can be read in their botanical descriptions. Therefore, official medicine does not use thistle preparations and does not recommend using it for treatment.
Common thistle (Cirsium vulgare)
Common thistle (thorny sow thistle) is a biennial prickly weed with hard spiny pinnately divided leaves and purple tubular flowers, growing in the European part of Russia and in Siberia - along roads, in meadows and wastelands; he is and good honey plant, and a medicinal plant.
People have long noticed the healing effect of a decoction and infusion of the roots of thistle, and began to use it for appropriate purposes. Thistle has a diaphoretic, wound-healing, anti-inflammatory, bactericidal, analgesic effect, so it is used in the treatment of colds, kidney, liver and intestinal diseases; fresh roots are crushed and applied to boils, wounds, tumors and severe purulent abscesses.
For oral administration for pain or as a diaphoretic, prepare a decoction: crushed thistle roots (2 tsp) pour a glass of water, boil for several minutes, leave for 2 hours and filter. Take 3-4 times a day, 1 tbsp. 30 minutes before meals.
Compresses are made with the same decoction for thrombophlebitis, soaking napkins in it and applying to sore spots. For bruises, bruises, contusions, thistle root powder (2 tbsp) is mixed with water (1 tbsp), the resulting mass is applied to the sore spot, fixed with a bandage and kept for several hours. When most of the water evaporates, the healing effect of the powder increases.
Thistle Cirsium arvense
Thistle (pink or pink thistle, prickly thistle) also has medicinal properties. It also has thorns, hard and prickly, it is quite tall - up to 130 cm, and for gardeners it is a real scourge; it is very tenacious and grows quickly, but at the same time bees collect a lot of honey nectar from it.
In Russia, it is distributed everywhere - it is absent only in mountainous regions, in the tundra and in the extreme south, where it is very dry. This is a root-sprouting perennial, and it is almost impossible to remove it from fields and vegetable gardens; in addition, even within its species it has several forms - pale-scaly, gray-felt, etc., which can be cross-pollinated, so that its ranks are replenished - new crosses appear every year.
An infusion of the herb thistle has disinfectant and anti-inflammatory properties, and is often used externally in folk medicine: in the treatment of skin diseases, including the scalp - with hyperkeratosis, and hemorrhoids. For hemorrhoids, a poultice is made with thistle herb: 2-3 tbsp. the herbs are wrapped in gauze, scalded with boiling water and the resulting “pads” are applied to the hemorrhoids.
Internal use is also possible: infusions and decoctions are taken for liver, kidney and intestinal colic; A decoction of inflorescences mixed with other plants is taken for cancer.
Thistle contraindications:
The plant is poisonous, do not use it yourself. Overdose: signs of hydrocyanic acid poisoning may appear: bitter taste in the mouth, nausea, vomiting, pain in the head, disturbances in the functioning of the heart and lungs. Hospitalization required.
Thistle (Cirsium heterophyllum)
Thistle, unlike the species described above, is a non-thorny plant and usually does not cause trouble for gardeners - it grows on forest edges, in light forests and in clearings.
Its flowers are large, pink-violet or purple, and the leaves are different - entire lanceolate or pinnately dissected.
It is popularly called gourd, white-sided, and is used almost in the same way as other types: powdered leaves are sprinkled on purulent wounds; apply fresh crushed leaves to wounds, boils and abrasions. An aqueous infusion of thistle is also used in the treatment of diseases such as bronchial asthma and tuberculosis: brew 1 tbsp with a glass of boiling water. dried herbs, leave for 2-3 hours, filter and take 1 tbsp. 4 times a day.
Like many weeds, thistle has a lot of useful properties. medicinal properties. Infusion and decoction of the Herb Thistle is used in folk medicine for various nervous diseases, epilepsy, liver diseases, goiter, stomach colic, gastritis, stomach ulcers and duodenum. Lotions made from herbal infusion are used as a healing agent for wounds.
EPILEPSY. Pour 1 tablespoon of herb into 1 glass of water, boil for 5 minutes, leave for 1 hour, strain. Take 1-2 tablespoons 3-4 times a day half an hour before meals. The same infusion is useful for nervous diseases and goiter, liver diseases, anuria (insufficient urine production by the kidneys).
WOUNDS, BURUNCULES, SKIN RASHS. Pour 3 tablespoons of the herb into 2 cups of boiling water, leave for 2 hours, strain. Use as a lotion and can be used for a long time. You can take 2 tablespoons orally 2-3 times a day for BLEEDING. The same infusion can be used to make eye lotions for CONJUNCTIVITIS.
Attention!!!
Thistle is a vegetable garden. Cirsium oleraceum (L.) Scop. (family Asteraceae)
Thistle is vegetable (Thistle is yellow)
And this is the GARDEN SOLUDE Sonehus oleraceus
Don't get confused! Sometimes they are listed separated by commas as one plant, but this is not the case. You can see the obvious difference. And the most important guideline when determining the type of plant can only be its Latin name.
Thistle may also have different leaves: pinnately divided, pinnately lobed, pinnately dissected; yellowish-white, green above and bluish below; its flowers are pale yellow or yellowish-green, with a pinkish tint - this distinguishes it from many types of thistle. The plant can reach 2 m in height and grows in swamps, ravines, damp forests and damp meadows.
Like other types of thistle, it is often cross-pollinated - mainly with marsh thistle. Young leaves can be eaten - fans put them in salads, prepare purees and soups, but they taste slightly bitter.
Green cabbage soup from sow thistle
Grocery list
- sow thistle (young leaves) - 50g
- potatoes - 30g
- onion- 15g
- wheat flour - 8g
- butter- 5g
- egg - 1/2 pcs.
- sour cream - 10g
- meat broth - 370g
- salt, spices.
Cooking method
Prepared and cut into slices potatoes are placed in boiling broth, 10 minutes before readiness add chopped sow thistle, sautéed onions, salt, and sautéed flour. Before serving, add sour cream and slices of boiled egg.
Photos of ready-made food Green cabbage soup from sow thistle
Green cabbage soup from sow thistle is a tasty and healthy culinary recipe. We hope you check out our other culinary recipes.
Cirsium esculentum
Among the types of thistle there is also an edible one - although many of its species are edible, it is called just that - Cirsium esculentum. Its flowers are decorated with a pink or red corolla, and the leaves are pinnately divided, with deep notches, long - up to 30 cm; there are a lot of them at the roots.
There is almost no stem, or it is very short; Edible thistle grows along roads, in pastures, wet meadows, near reservoirs and on salt licks - in the European part of Russia, in Siberia, sometimes in middle lane. The bases of the stems and thickened parts of the plant’s rhizomes can be eaten.
A decoction is prepared from the roots of the edible thistle, which is used in the treatment of lung diseases: tuberculosis, pneumonia, bronchiectasis (bronchiectasis) - irreversible dilatation of the bronchi with inflammation of their walls and lung tissue, lung abscess and even cancer - as a aid.
Chopped roots (2 tbsp) should be poured into 1.5 cups clean water(not from the tap), bring to a boil and simmer for 5-7 minutes over low heat. Then leave for an hour, strain, and take 3-4 times a day before meals, ½ cup.
For tuberculosis, diseases of the biliary tract, gastroenteritis, excessive sweating, neuroses and neurasthenia, an infusion of flowers and herbs of thistle is also taken.
A decoction of the seeds of this plant is used for some female diseases - for example, inflammation of the uterine appendages. Seeds (1 tsp) are poured into a glass of water, brought to a boil and simmered for 5 minutes over low heat; leave for 2 hours, filter, and drink 3 times a day, ½ cup.
Garden thistle (thistle) is also suitable for food, although it almost does not grow in vegetable gardens - you can rather find it in forest swamps and ravines, in damp meadows and bush thickets, on the edges of forests and near reservoirs. This type of thistle is also called vegetable or herbaceous; it is also tall - up to 120 cm, its flowers are light yellow, and its spines protect it from being eaten by livestock, although it often grows in meadow pastures - people sometimes call it the devil's rib. Young shoots and leaves of this species are used to add to salads, soups and other dishes.
Many types of thistle are used for medicinal purposes; Considering that there are a lot of them on the territory of Russia, it is impossible to talk about even most of these species here. It is more advisable to use the herb of some types of thistle to treat skin diseases when the plant is in bloom: its decoctions and infusions, as well as fresh herbal gruel, treat lichen and eczema, diathesis, dandruff, relieve itching and inflammation.
Decoctions of inflorescences and roots are taken for bleeding, disorders menstrual cycle, headaches, epilepsy, neuropsychiatric diseases and paralysis.
A decoction of the herb is taken for goiter, rheumatism, pharyngitis, metabolic disorders, jaundice, breast, stomach and lung cancer; it is also used as a diuretic, and even helps with anuria - a complete absence of urination, which occurs in some serious diseases and kidney damage.
Pregnant and nursing mothers were given decoctions and infusions of thistle to drink, as this promotes the overall health of the body and milk production, but today doctors do not give such recommendations - because the composition of the plant has not been studied.
However, judging by the recipes that we were able to provide here, thistle deserves much more attention from official medicine - one can only hope that it will soon begin to be seriously studied.
