Scottish Thistle

There is a book I have been reading called Healing Threads by Mary Beith.


In there she mentions the old uses for thistle - a sweet for children and a tea for melancholy.

So we set about researching it and looking at the varieties we have growing near us.

There are several kinds of thistle that grow world wide.  Looking at the flowerhead, leaves and stem give you a good idea of which one you have.  The Scottish Thistle has a very different flower head.

There is little to no info on the culinary / medicinal value of Scottish Thistle.

We did find this site though that echo's the info by Mary Beith.


http://scienceray.com/biology/botany/thistle-do-nicely/

Extract:  Once upon a time, tea was brewed from the mighty thistle. It was said that it was a good cure for depression and everyone knows that in time past depression was surely a good part of the Scottish psyche. If the thought of thistle tea puts you off then I can only imagine at how you would feel about the children eating the bulbous head of the thistle – rumour has it that it tastes chewy and sweet.


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Personally I think its very useful culturally to investigate the thistle further and we will be doing this over a period of time.


Certainly with herbs its essential to correctly identify the plant as many look similar with toxic results.

Herbal Teas: Rose Geranium / Lemon Verbena

The refreshing lift of natural, calming rose geranium tea (leaves) is felt immediately. Pleasantly combined with de-stressing Lemon Verbena (leaves), its a super herbal tea either hot from the pot or iced. Best sweetened with ethically obtained honey or brown sugar. A pinch of dried herbs is enough for a pot. Its a very pale tea not like conventional tea blends.

We use only glass teapots for our herbal teas for great flavour and sterile brewing.

Grow your own herbs and make sure you buy them correctly labeled from a knowledgable plant nursery, specialising in herbs. Just a couple of plants of each will soon grow to give you an endless supply of fresh herbal tea straight from your own garden.

Both of these herbs also dry successfully and a good way to dry them is by placing them in a hanging paper packet.

They are low in tannins and caffeine.

Using herbs

• If any side effects are experienced, immediately stop using the herb and if necessary consult your doctor.
• Only use the herb if you are 100% sure that it the correct herb.
  
• If you are ill or have any health concerns, consult your doctor.
  
• Don't always drink the same infusion. Max use - 10 days and then skip a week.
  
• One cup of a particular herbal infusion per day, is enough.

Relax and enjoy!