Cirsium maackii
StarCirsium maackii
Synonyms: Cirsium japonicum var. spinossimum, Cirsium maackii var. spinossimum, Cnicus maackii, Cirsium maackii f. albiflorum, Cirsium asperum
Western Herbalism Properties
Traditional Uses
In Korean and Chinese folk medicine the Korean thistle belongs to the thistle group used as a hemostatic and detoxifying remedy, the leaves and flowers being taken to stop bleeding and, especially, to treat liver disorders and hepatitis (Kim et al., 2016). It has also been used traditionally as a diuretic and antiphlogistic agent. Modern pharmacological studies of Cirsium maackii confirm marked anti-inflammatory activity (attributed to flavonoids such as luteolin 5-O-glucoside) and hepatoprotective effects against chemically induced liver-cell injury (Lee et al., 2017).
Botanical Description
Cirsium maackii, the Korean thistle (often treated as Cirsium japonicum var. maackii), is a robust perennial herb of the daisy family (Asteraceae) native to north-eastern Asia, including Korea, north-eastern China, the Russian Far East and Japan. It grows from a thick, fleshy root, producing an erect, ridged stem up to about a metre tall. The lance-shaped leaves are pinnately lobed and spiny-margined, the lower ones large and stalked, the upper ones smaller and clasping the stem. In summer and autumn the plant bears showy, solitary or few flower heads at the branch tips; each head is enclosed in an urn-shaped involucre of spine-tipped bracts and is filled entirely with rose-purple to reddish-purple tubular disc florets, the rays absent as in all thistles. The fruit is an achene crowned by a plume of feathery bristles for wind dispersal. It grows in damp meadows, grassland, stream margins, roadsides and open hillsides.
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.
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