Sonchus asper (L.) Hill
Vernacular name: Prickly sow-thistle, Spiny sow-thistle
Species Name: Sonchus asper (L.) Hill
Family: Asteraceae
Habit: Annual/biennial herb
Stem: Erect, hollow, smooth, milky sap, branched above
Leaf: Rosette and alternate, deeply pinnatifid, spiny-toothed, glossy green
Flowering: May-September
Flowers: Terminal panicles of 2-7 dandelion-like yellow flowerheads; involucral bracts appressed; ligulate ray florets, yellow disc florets; inferior ovary
Fruit: Achene with pappus of white hairs
Uses:
- Latex is used as wart remover in folk remedies.
- Poultice is made from fresh leaves and milky sap is applied externally in paste form to soothe boils, insect bites, eczema and injuries.
- Traditionally, herbal preparations are used for treating coughs, asthma, jaundice and gastrointestinal infections.
- In herbal remedies, leaf juice is used to aid digestion and reduce inflammation owing to its diuretic and laxative properties.
- Tender leaves are used in salads and soups though can be bitter and requires cooking.
- Plant is rich in Omega -3 fatty acid (so vegetarian source), Manganese and vitamin C.
- Nitrophilous weed of disturbed and cultivated ground and is cosmopolitan having wind-dispersed seeds.
- “Sow thistle” fed to pigs and believed to give magical protection against witchcraft.
