A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

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Sonchus oleraceus

Sonchus oleraceus (Pualele / Sow Thistle)

PLANT NAME: Sonchus oleraceus L.

SIMILARLY USED SPECIES: Sonchus alpinus, S. arvensis, S. asper, S. brachyotus, S. kirkii, S. palustris, S. tenerrimus, S. uliginosus, S. wightianus.

COMMON NAMES: Pualele [Hawai'i]; sow thistle, hare's thistle, hare's lettuce [USA]; rauriki, pororua, puwha, puha [Maori]; cerraja, serraja, diente de leon lechoso [Colombia]; leche [Bolivia]; llamp'u [Aymara]; qarasapi [Quechua].

NOMENCLATURE: Sonchus oleraceus was named by Carolus Linnaeus in 1753 in his "Species Plantarum." "Sonchus" is the Greek name for sow thistle and means "hollow." This is a reference to the hollow stems. The epithet oleraceus means "kitchen vegetable."

FAMILY: Asteraceae (Daisy family).

CATEGORY: Clear heat and toxins~.

PROPERTIES: Bitter, cool to cold, mildly toxic.

PLANT PART USED: Leaves, stems, juice, root.

TOXICITY: Possibly mildly toxic. May contain large quantities of nitrates. See Use as Food.

CAUTIONS AND CONTRAINDICATIONS: Not in pregnancy. Overuse of stem juice as a cathartic can cause anal irritation and GI cramping.

ENERGETIC CAUTIONS: Caution with cold deficient spleen / stomach~.

PREPARATION OF MEDICINE: Infused or decocted.

DOSAGE: 15 - 30 grams. 10 - 15 grams in formulation.

STATUS IN HAWAI'I: Alien. Moderate pest factor. Get rid of it. Sonchus has the questionable distinction of being considered one of the world's worst weeds, a pest in more than 55 countries. In Hawai'i, however, I have never seen it out of control.

WESTERN FUNCTIONS: Abortifacient [Houma]; anticancer (sap); antidiarrheal [Houma]; anti-inflammatory [China]; "blood purifier"[Hoama]; calms the nerves (leaves); cathartic [Pima (stem juice), Turkey]; clears infections [China]; cure for opium addiction [China, Pima]; digestive purgative [Pima]; diuretic [Turkey]; emmenagogue; emollient [Haiti]; febrifuge (leaves and roots infused); gynecological aid [Potawatomi (S. arvensis)]; heart medicine [Navaho (S. asper)]; hepatic; hydrogogue (stem juice) [Turkey]; insecticide; lactogogue [Turkey]; mild laxative [New Zealand]; narcotic [China]; pectoral; pediatric aid [Houma, Iroquois (S. asper)]; poison [Navaho (S. asper)]; poultice; refrigerant [Spain, Turkey]; sedative [China, Iroquois (S. asper)]; stop bleeding [China]; to prevent infection (topical) [New Zealand]; tonic [Sudan, Turkey]; toothache remedy [Houma]; vermicide [Tanzania].

TRADITIONAL CHINESE ENERGETIC FUNCTIONS (~ = extrapolated):
1) Clears heat and toxin.
2) Invigorates blood and stops bleeding.
3) Clears heat and fire ~.
4) Clears damp heat ~.
5) Cools the blood ~.

RANGE: Native to Europe. Found in Australia, Europe, Asia, Middle East, and North and South America.

HABITAT: Sonchus was part of the "Thistle Invasion" of North America three hundred years ago that involved as many as 120 different species. See Notes 'n Quotes. As all good asteraceaes are wont to do, Sonchus spp. spread quickly. It is known for its remarkable skill in adaptive radiation [Kim 1996]. In Hawai'i it lives upcountry on both wet and dry sides.

GATHERING: Please do. Flowers June through October in America. Sonchus can be differentiated from the common dandelion (Taraxacum spp.) in that the Sonchus stem will fork with leaves growing on the upper stem. In a true dandelion, the leaves only grow at the base of the stem, which never forks.

PROPAGATION & CULTIVATION: Please don't.

RESEARCH: The leaves as a green are anti-oxidant [El 2004].

NOTES 'N QUOTES
"The juice [of S. alpinus] is useful in deafness, either from accidental stoppage, gout or old age. Four spoonfuls of the juice of the leaves, two of salad oil, and one teaspoonful of salt, shake the whole well together and put some on cotton dipped in this composition into the ears and you may reasonably expect a good degree of recovery." Also: "The juice boiled or thoroughly heated in a little oil of bitter almonds in the peel of a pomegranate, and dropped into the ears, is a sure remedy for deafness, singings, etc."
- - Nicholas Culpepper
[Please note: this is most likely "deafness" due to earwax.]

• It is recorded by Pliny (Caius Plinius Secundus, A.D. 23-79) that before Theseus encountered the bull of Marathon, he had a meal of sow thistles.
• According to the 16th century herbalist John Gerard, unscrupulous upholsterers filled mattresses and pillows with sow thistle down instead of goose down.
• Sonchus is a prime example of a "DYC" among botanists: a "Damned Yellow Compositae." They are so named because of the difficulty in differentiating species within the family. See Habitat.
• Traditionally used similar to dandelion.
• Like some mumbling old eccentric uncle, Sonchus has that familiar and raggedy appearance that is at once comforting and amusing. Sonchus is an old friend and I treat it as such. It is reasonably effective for bronchial infections with yellow phlegm; and if the phlegm has caused digestive disturbances, Tropaoleum majus (pohe haole) can be added. Sonchus also makes a good secondary herb in formulas for tonsilitis and sore throat. It is useful in small doses as a bitter tonic for the Spleen deficient patient with a sluggish liver.