Thorn

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

Thorn / Prunus Spinosa / is a highly branched thorny shrub of the Rosaceae family, 1-3 m tall, with dark gray bark. The leaves of the thistle are elliptical to obovate, 2-4 cm long, serrated.

The flowers are white, usually solitary, 1.5-2 cm in diameter, with 5-6 mm long stalks. The calyx and corolla are petal-shaped, and the stamens are numerous. The fruit is stone, spherical to elliptical, dark blue with a bluish waxy coating and astringently sour taste.

The thorn blooms before leafing in March and April. It grows in bushes, on syllables and along roads in the area of oak forests in the lowlands and mountains of the whole country up to 1200 m above sea level. The shrub is also grown as an ornamental. Apart from our country, the plant grows in other parts of Europe, West Asia and Northwest Africa.

In fact, thistle serves as a significant plant food for the caterpillars of many different species of butterflies, especially black and brown hairy butterflies. The bush is also a good source of food for bees. As the thistle grows freely, it creates excellent nesting places for various birds, especially the nightingale.

Composition of thistle

The flowers of thistle contain flavonoids (mainly kaempferol and quercetin), some cyanogenic glycosides, sugars and more.

The fruits contain sugars (glucose and sucrose), pectin and tannins, anthocyanin dyes, vitamin C, organic acids and more.

Growing thistle

The thorn propagated by its seeds. The seeds germinate quickly and it is better if they are sown in cold soil as soon as they are ripe. The seeds need two to three months of cold stratification (putting them in cold conditions). Remember to protect the seeds from rats and other pests. In fact, the germination of seeds can take a very long time, they can take up to 18 months to germinate.

Once the shoots have emerged and are large enough to handle themselves, take them individually and place them in separate pots. In the first winter, the plants should be grown in a greenhouse in order to protect against frost.

The plants can be planted in their permanent place outdoors during the following spring or late summer. Thistle can be grown from cuttings of the bush in July - August and planted in pots. Soft wood from mature and vigorous plants can be cut in spring or early summer and planted in pots. Layering or stratification can be done again in the spring.

A valuable quality of thistle is that this shrub is resistant to marine conditions and has the potential for rapid growth and expansion. If the fences made of thorn bushes are preserved, they are able to withstand harsh weather conditions. However, a fence of such shrubs stands with bare branches during the winter months due to the falling leaves of the bush.

The thorn is revived quickly, even after being cut or devastated by the rapid spread of forest fires. This shrub allows secondary shoots to grow from the ground and regenerate quickly to create a dense wall of shrubs. Otherwise, the thorns remain remarkably unaffected by fungi.

Collection and storage of thistle

Fruits, leaves, flowers of thistle are used for healing manipulations. The flowers are picked during flowering from April to May. The herbs are dried in dry, ventilated dry rooms or under sheds, spreading in thin layers. The best results are observed when drying in an oven at a temperature of up to 45 degrees. The dried flowers are white or cream, with a faint characteristic odor and a slightly bitter taste.

The fruits are harvested in autumn in October and November. They are dried in the shade or in an oven at a temperature of up to 70 degrees. The dried fruits are dark blue, odorless and with a sour astringent taste. The herbs are dried for a maximum of 5-6 hours after picking. At the end of the drying, the fresh herb has already been turned into a drug, which is a durable medicinal raw material.

When properly dried, the active substances are preserved in the drug, as it does not turn black and does not ferment. In addition, the drying must take into account the nature of the active ingredients. Drying should be done quickly and with good ventilation. Slow drying leads to rotting of the plants, and fast drying without ventilation - to the decomposition of the active substances contained in them and to the loss of their healing effect.

Benefits of thistle

Almost all parts of the thistle are useful and can be used for healing. The leaves, flowers, fruits and even bark of this tree shrub have cleansing, tightening, purifying, diaphoretic, laxative, disinfectant and diuretic properties and are very useful for the stomach. A tea made from the flowers of thistle is a safe and secure cleanser useful for the stomach, and at the same time increases the appetite for food.

Healers and practitioners prescribe thistle tea to treat minor gallbladder problems, skin complaints, catarrh, stone formations and stomach cramps. It is extremely effective in treating diarrhea in children and also in treating kidney problems.

The fruits of the thorn they are usually more pleasant to eat when collected in a frozen state. The juice extracted from the fruit, as well as the fruits of thistle themselves are useful in the treatment of swelling and irritation in the mouth, gums and throat. On the other hand, a decoction prepared from the bark of this shrub helps to reduce fever.

However, the flowers of the thorn bush seem to have the most therapeutic and curative value. Traditionally, herbalists and specialists attribute many healing properties, such as expectorant, diuretic, gentle laxative and diaphoretic to thistle flowers.

The thorn includes amygdalin (a bitter cyanogenic glucoside, usually derived from apricot and plum stones) and prunazine (the crystalline cyanogenic glucoside found in various plants of the genus Prunus), constituents that break down in water to form hydrocyanic acid. It is an extremely poisonous substance, but when taken in small doses, it chemically improves breathing, improves digestion, and also causes a feeling of health and happiness.

Thistle bark is also usable for various medicinal purposes. For example, it is not only an excellent resource for natural tannin, but is also widely used in the preparation of ink. When the bark of the thistle is boiled in an alkaline environment, a yellow color is obtained. Even the juice extracted from the unripe fruits of the thistle is used by the washers to mark the clothes, as it is difficult to wipe.

Soft tissues (fleshy part) or pulp of ripe fruit are used for cosmetic purposes, such as the preparation of firming face masks. On the other hand, the green leaves of the bush are used to prepare a green colorant, while the fruit can be used to obtain a colorant that varies in shade from deep gray to green.

The stems of the thorn bushes are so strong that they are usually used in the production of turning materials (turning machines), garden tools, teeth of rakes or hoes and other similar elements. The straight branches of the thorn are used for the production of canes and are extremely valuable for this use due to their intertwined and attractive shapes.

Folk medicine with thistle

The infusion of the flowers of thorn acts as a laxative and diuretic. It is used for constipation, stomach and intestinal pain, neuralgia, inflammation of the kidneys and bladder, albumin, hemorrhoids, leukorrhea and others.

For this purpose, 2 tablespoons of the flowers are soaked for 1 hour in 400 ml of boiling water. The infusion is filtered and drink 100 ml 3 times a day before meals. Two tablespoons of the fruit are boiled for 10 minutes in 500 ml of water. The decoction is filtered and drink 100 ml 3 times a day before meals.

The fruits of thistle are consumed as an astringent for diarrhea, as well as for stomach ulcers, indigestion, shortness of breath.

Harm from thorns

As mentioned earlier, HCN or hydrocyanic acid (also called hydrogen cyanide or hydrogen cyanide), formed by some chemicals found in thistle, is a very powerful poison and medicines made from the bush should not always be taken internally.

Even cherry solution prepared from P. larocerasus, which is useful for stimulating respiration, may contain HCN. Therefore, you should be especially careful when using drugs prepared from thorn or parts thereof. This should always be done under the supervision of a qualified medical professional.