Green Drink Reviews

Sow Thistle: The Herbal Cure From Your Back Yard

April 21st, 2009

by Edna Sousa
Two weeks ago, I was hiking not too far from my town and I found a very interesting plant, called Sow Thistle (technical name, Sonchus oleraceus). This plant is part of the Milk Thistle family and looks a lot like a dandelion plant. These plants belong to the Compositae family and include lettuce, daisies, sunflowers, absinthum, chrysanthemum and many others.

The Sow Thistle has a different name in Portuguese. In my native Brazil, it’s called serralha, or cerraja in Spanish. In French it’s laiteron maraicher, in Italian it’s crespigno-cicerbita, in Chinese it’s da’ ji, and in German it’s kohl-gansedistel. This plant is used in Brazil as a natural vitiligo cure.

It’s very simple to identify this plant. Just go into your back yard and look for plants that grow everywhere without permission. When it flowers, Sow Thistle has a puff-ball stalk, like dandelions, that spread all over your garden. Now you can look at this plant differently; instead of being angry at it, you can think of it as your next natural remedy.

The Sow Thistle has carbohydrates, proteins and fiber. It’s rich in minerals and vitamins too and its leaves contain calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamin A, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin and vitamins C and E. In addition, it contains glycideos, essentials oil, resins, tannins and steroids.

The Sow thistle acts as an anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, diuretic, blood cleanser, liver stimulant, and nervous system stimulant. It comes from temperate regions, and it’s found in everywhere around the world with that climate. Just take a look in your own back yard.

Read More On: exotic cures, liver