Blessed Thistle

Blessed thistle is the dried aerial part of Cnicus benedictus, an annual thistle of the daisy family native to the Mediterranean region and cultivated as a classic bitter herb. Nustras supplies it as dried cut herb, milled powder and extract powder. The herb contains the sesquiterpene lactone cnicin, which gives its intensely bitter taste, together with lignans, flavonoids and tannins.

Blessed thistle is formulated into botanical supplements in capsule, tablet and liquid form, into bitters and digestive-category blends, herbal tea mixtures and tinctures, and into multi-herb formulas for the women's-care and lactation categories.

Supplied as greyish-green cut herb or a green to greyish-green powder with a faint odour and a strongly bitter taste. Botanical identity is confirmed by macroscopic examination and thin-layer chromatography; cut size, moisture, ash and bitterness value are standardised to specification. Heavy-metal, pesticide and microbial limits are supplied to specification and confirmed on each lot's certificate of analysis.

Nustras supplies blessed thistle in bulk commercial quantities, in food-grade bags and fibre drums, to manufacturers and formulators internationally, with a certificate of analysis, specification sheet and country-of-origin documentation on every lot. Blessed thistle herb is an accepted botanical ingredient in major supplement and food markets; buyers confirm the plant part, preparation and permitted claim for their application. Contact us for grade, pricing per kilogram and lead time.