Health First Blessed Thistle

Health First Blessed Thistle

TRADITIONALLY USED IN HERBAL MEDICINE AS A DIGESTIVE TONIC AND BITTER TO INCREASE APPETITE AND AID DIGESTION

Blessed Thistle is native to Europe and Asia and is now cultivated all over the world, including North America. The whole plant (leaves, stems, and flowers) can be used in herbal preparations. 

Blessed Thistle, also known as Holy Thistle or St. Benedict’s Thistle, received its name from the Benedictine monks who initially cultivated the plant in their monastery gardens as a cure for various ailments. Historically, it was used to treat symptoms of the Black Plague. 

It has been traditionally used in Ayurvedic, Herbal, and modern Naturopathic Medicine as a digestive tonic and bitter to increase appetite while aiding in digestion for thousands of years.

Bitters stimulate bile flow and aid in liver cleansing. Blessed Thistle increases the flow of saliva through stimulation of receptors on the mucous membrane lining of the mouth. This bitter plant stimulates the secretion of digestive juices in the stomach to aid in breaking down fats while assisting in the assimilation of nutrients. 

Historically, Blessed Thistle has been used by midwives and Naturopaths as a galactagogue, supporting healthy breast milk production in nursing mothers. 

Health First uses a standardized 4:1 ratio which significantly reduces the number of capsules an individual needs to take in order to achieve beneficial results. Health First achieves this by extracting the active herbal constituents from the plant through liquid extraction. The insoluble and inactive ingredients are then separated from the active solid components and gently spray-dried into a powder, keeping the active ingredients intact.

Recommended dose (adults - ≥ 19 years): Take 1-2 capsules per day or as directed by a health care practitioner.

Medicinal ingredients:
Each vegetable capsule contains:
Blessed thistle (Cnicus benedictus L.).....1,600 mg (400 mg of 4:1 extract)

Non-medicinal ingredients:
Microcrystalline cellulose, colloidal silicon dioxide, magnesium stearate (vegetable source), hypromellose.

Risk information: Consult a health care practitioner if symptoms persist. Consult a health care practitioner if symptoms worsen. Consult a health care practitioner prior to use if you are breastfeeding.

Contraindications: Do not use if you are pregnant. Do not use if you have an allergy to Asteraceae/ Compositae (daisy) family.

Known adverse reaction: Hypersensitivity/allergy is known to occur, in which case, discontinue use

Free from: animal derivatives, added preservatives, artificial flavour or colour, corn, gluten, wheat, lactose, soy, added sugar, yeast and GMO materials.

Manufactured exclusively for Health First® Network, Burlington, ON

*Results may vary from person to person