THE FOLKLORE OF PLANTS: Thistle

Lisa Karen Miller

         We never know what history is lurking inside those plants we consider weeds.  Take, for example, the humble thistle.

         The thistle is the national flower of Scotland.  It first appeared on silver coins issued by James III in 1470.

          November 30^th is Saint Andrew’s Day, the feast day of Andrew the Apostle in the Christian calendar.  Scotland’s official national day commemorates the disciple who introduced his brother Peter to the man from Galilee.

          He is also the namesake of St. Andrew’s University and the original links where golf was first played.  Winston Churchill once said, “Golf is a game whose aim is to hit a very small ball into an even smaller hole, with weapons singularly ill-designed for the purpose.”

          Common Field Thistle is a biennial that grows up to seven feet tall. Found in Kentucky fields and roadsides, it symbolizes nobility, austerity, and harshness.

          Carry a blossom to rid yourself of melancholy, or fend off evil.  A vase of fresh thistle will renew the vitality of anyone who enters the room. Grown in the garden, it fends off thieves.

          Wizards used to search for the tallest stem they could find to use as a wand. Men sometimes carried its blossom, believing it would improve their lovemaking skills.

          Milk Thistle, or St. Mary’s Thistle, is native to the Mediterranean but, like so many of our common wild plants, its seeds hitched a ride to North America on the clothing of immigrants.

          Mary was resting beneath a thistle plant nursing Jesus, when a drop of her milk fell on the plant, giving it its white markings. The milky sap that exudes from the leaves was used, according to the Doctrine of Signatures, to stimulate milk flow in new mothers.

          In spring, the new leaves can be steamed and eaten as a vegetable. The seeds are high in proteins, healthy fats, and antioxidants. They can be soaked, ground, then sprinkled into cereal or smoothies. They can also be roasted and prepared like coffee to make a hot, nutritious beverage.

          Modern herbal practitioners believe that milk thistle can help the kidneys repair damaged cells.  In Europe, the extract is used to treat poisoning from Amanita mushrooms, a deadly fungus.

          It is also used to treat poor digestion, mood disorders, varicose veins, psoriasis, and acne. As it is believed to help the liver repair alcohol damage, it seems the perfect plant to represent a hard-drinking nation.

          On Saint Andrew’s Day, throw on your kilt, wave your thistle, and wet your whistle.

© Copyright 2023 Lisa Karen Miller