Herb library · Herb · Cnicus benedictus
Blessed thistle
A very bitter, woolly southern European thistle taken as a tea before meals for appetite and indigestion, and sold in blends promoted to increase breast milk. There are no clinical studies of it for any use.
Traditional use
Native to southern Europe and the Levant. A cold infusion was taken as a bitter tonic for poor appetite and indigestion, and a warm one to cause sweating. It flavors some liqueurs (Benedictine). Today European regulators accept it, on the strength of long use, for temporary loss of appetite and for indigestion and mild stomach cramps, and it is sold in lactation teas.
Traditional energetics
Galenic (hot or cold, dry or moist)
Hot and dry in the second degree. Culpeper's Complete Herbal (1814), p. 234 (opens in a new tab)
What studies show
No studies in people of this herb on its own yet. What is known of it comes from the traditions that use it.
- Insufficient
Loss of appetite and indigestion: EMA found no clinical studies of blessed thistle for any condition. Its approval for these uses rests entirely on long-standing use.
- Insufficient
Breast milk supply: blessed thistle is included in products promoted to increase milk, but LactMed says no scientifically valid clinical trials support this use.
Be careful of
Cautions
- AllergyDo not use it if you are allergic to plants in the daisy family, such as ragweed.
- AmountHigh doses (more than 5 g per cup of tea) have been reported to cause stomach irritation and vomiting.
- ConditionIt is traditionally believed to raise stomach acid, so it may be unsuitable for people with peptic ulcers. Not recommended under 18 (lack of data); see a doctor if symptoms last more than 2 weeks.
- PregnancyIt was used traditionally to bring on menstruation or induce abortion and should be avoided in pregnancy. Its safety while breastfeeding has not been established, and EMA does not recommend it then.
- NoteLactMed reports raised liver enzymes in a woman taking a lactation tea that contained blessed thistle among other herbs.
- Ask a clinicianTalk with a clinician or pharmacist before using this if you take prescription medicines, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are giving it to a child.
From the old books
What herbals and dispensaries of the past printed. History, in their words.
“I suppose the name was put upon it by some that had little holiness in themselves.”
“Their odor is faint and rather disagreeable, and their taste is exceedingly bitter. Their properties are yielded to water or alcohol, forming a pleasantly-bitter draught when infused with the former fluid, but a sickening and repulsive decoction.”
Sources
- European Union herbal monograph on Cnicus benedictus L., herba (opens in a new tab) · EMA · read September 25, 2026
- Assessment report on Cnicus benedictus L., herba (opens in a new tab) · EMA · read September 25, 2026
- Blessed Thistle (LactMed, Drugs and Lactation Database) (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
Reviewed September 25, 2026.