Herb: St. Barnaby's Thistle


Latin name: Centaurea solstitialis


Family: Compositae



Medicinal use of St. Barnaby's Thistle:

The powdered seed is used as a remedy for stone. The powdered root is said to be a cure for fistula and gravel.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Annual/Biennial


Height:
60 cm
(2 feet)

Flowering:
July to
September

Habitat of the herb:

Cultivated land and waste ground.

Edible parts of St. Barnaby's Thistle:

The plant is eaten as a vegetable. The part used is not specified.

Propagation of the herb:

Seed - sow April in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer. If you have sufficient seed it can be sown in situ in the spring, and an autumn swing in situ might also be worth trying.

Cultivation of St. Barnaby's Thistle:

Cultivated land and waste ground.

Known hazards of Centaurea solstitialis:

There is a report that the plant causes brain lesions and a nervous syndrome called 'chewing disease' in horses.

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.