Stemless Thorn

Stemless thorn: botanical description, use in medicine and folk medicine

Stemless thorn (lat. Carlina acanthifolia) is a perennial plant that is fixed in the soil with the help of a long taproot. It is protected and found both on the plains and in the mountains, where it can be found at an altitude of up to 2600 m. In the Jura Mountains on poor soils and here and there on the steppe slopes, the thorn is still very common, but in order to save it from extinction, it is taken under protection.

The stemless thorn belongs to the Asteraceae, Compositae family. The parts of the plant used are the roots. The pharmaceutical name for thorn roots is Carlinae radix (formerly: Radix Carlinae).

A rosette of leaves extends from the thorn root and lies on the soil. Leaves are 5-15 cm long, coarsely pinnately dissected and needle-toothed. Individual leaf segments of uneven size. Directly on the leaf rosette sits an inflorescence-basket measuring from 6 to 12 cm, surrounded by a crown of rough silvery-white involucre leaves. In the middle of the basket there are many white, reddish or yellow tubular flowers. Blooms from July to September.

The main active ingredients of thorn are the essential oil with the antibacterial action of carlin oxide and tannins along with resins and inulin.

In medicine, thorn is currently almost never used, but in livestock farming its root is used as an excellent fattening powder. In folk medicine, thorn tea is prescribed for chronic bronchitis, urinary retention and dropsy.

An overdose of thorn should be avoided, as nausea and vomiting are occasionally observed as unpleasant side effects.

Thus, the stemless thorn is a plant that has a protected status. It is used in livestock farming as a fattening powder, and in folk medicine as a tea for chronic bronchitis, urinary retention and dropsy. Before using thorn, you should consult your doctor, as unpleasant side effects are possible.