586. Carduus benedictus.—Blessed thistle.
Botanical name:
586. CARDUUS BENEDICTUS.—BLESSED THISTLE. The herb of Cni'cus benedic'tus Gaertner. Habitat: Levant and Europe. The drug consists of the woolly stems, with the soft, spiny leaves and a few of the large, ovate, yellow flower-heads; it has a slight, unpleasant odor and a very bitter taste. In cold infusion it is a bitter tonic, in hot infusion in large quantities diaphoretic and emetic. Cnicus marianus Gaertner has been used for the same purposes, and in Europe as a depurative.
