What is thistle tea?

This is a single-use tea bag made from the whole thistle plant. "Whole plant" refers to the entire plant, including the roots, leaves, stems, flowers, and seeds. By steeping it in hot water for just 1-2 minutes, you can fully enjoy the benefits of thistle in this healthy herbal tea. Although thistle tea has a bitter taste, it is a pleasant bitterness for those who enjoy such flavors. It tastes even better when enjoyed hot. Here is a brief introduction to the thistle.

Thistle

Thistles are characterized by the thorns at the tips of their leaves. Due to these distinct thorns, they were recorded as 'Hangeosae' in the *Gugeupganibang* (a Korean medical book published during the reign of King Seongjong of the Joseon Dynasty), as 'Hangase' in the *Dongui Bogam* (published in 1610), and as 'Eongeotgwi' in the *Yeogyeoyuhae* (published in 1690). The name finally evolved into 'Eonggeongkwi' in the *Mulmyeonggo*, a vocabulary dictionary from the 1820s, which is the name used today. Our ancestors observed that applying fresh Hangase juice to sickle wounds stopped bleeding effectively, leading 17th-century ancestors to nickname it 'Eongeotgwi' (meaning 'spirit that causes blood to coagulate'). This nickname eventually transformed into 'Eonggeongkwi', and has been used as such since the 19th century.

In Korea, the thistle was first documented in the 1489 *Gugeupganibang*. In China, it was recorded in the *Shennong Ben Cao Jing Jizhu* written by Tao Hongjing (456-536 AD) during the Southern and Northern Dynasties. In Europe, the name "Milk Thistle" was coined in connection with the life of Jesus, indicating that humanity has been aware of the thistle for over 2,000 years and has been using it for health purposes for more than 1,500 years.

Thistle is a general term for certain plants belonging to the tribe Cardueae of the family Asteraceae in plant taxonomy. While some other plants are also classified as thistles, the term is generally used to refer to plants in the genera *Cirsium*, *Carduus*, *Silybum*, *Hemisteptia*, and *Cephalanoplos*. Among the thistles found in nature in Korea, the one most commonly used by our ancestors—who called it by names such as *Gasinamul*, *Hangase*, *Eonggeongkwi*, and *Dae-gye* (大薊)—is a variety of the *Cirsium* genus. Thistle flower colors are diverse, including purple, pink, yellow, and white.

There are 30 total species of thistles native to Korea: 23 species of the genus *Cirsium*, 3 of the genus *Carduus*, 1 of the genus *Silybum*, and 3 of the genus *Hemisteptia*.

The fact that the "Standard of Herbal Medicines Outside the Pharmacopoeia of the Republic of Korea" defines thistle as "thistle or the whole plant of other related species of the genus *Cirsium*" indicates that most of the 23 species of thistle growing in Korea's nature are used for health purposes. Below are the flowers and leaves of some thistles native to Korea.

Why thistle is famous

Thistle has been used for food and health purposes in European folk medicine for a long time. Research on thistles began in Germany in the 1950s, and a product was developed in 1968. Companies like Madaus in Germany, Indena in Italy, and NOW Foods in the US produce and sell products using Milk Thistle. In Korea, German products are imported and sold. The fact that thistle is used as a raw material for products in Europe and the US is likely the reason why it has become famous globally, including in Korea.

Milk Thistle

Thistle is called "thistle" or "milk thistle" in English. In the West, it is called Milk Thistle because white patterns that look like spilled milk appear on the surface of the leaves. In Korea, this is called *Huin-muni-eonggeongkwi* (white-patterned thistle). Strictly speaking, "Milk Thistle" refers to the white-patterned thistle, but it is also used as a general term for thistles in the West. Milk Thistle is native to Asia and Southern Europe and also grows in Korea. The component Silymarin was discovered in Milk Thistle in 1968, and subsequently, products using Silymarin were developed and have been used to this day.

Components of Thistle

Below is the general composition table of thistle, showing the content ratios based on dry weight (excluding moisture). The analysis table below is for the whole thistle plant, which refers to the entire plant including the roots.

General Composition Table of Whole Thistle Plant (Journal of the Korean Society of Food & Cookery Science, 2009, Dry Weight Basis)

There is nothing unusual about the general components of thistle. Looking more closely at the analytical table from the society, it can be seen that it is quite rich in minerals such as potassium, calcium, and iron, and also contains vitamin E and beta-carotene.

The thistle used in the product is a species of Cirsium (thorny thistle). Since we could not obtain analytical data for the thorny thistle species specifically, we have provided data for the thistle, which is a closely related species. Because thorny thistle and thistle belong to the same genus and are closely related species in plant taxonomy, one can generally infer the components of thorny thistle by looking at those of thistle. Below is a brief introduction to some special components found in the most common thistle in Korea and the famous Western Milk Thistle.

The product supplier is Onyudam (CEO: Yoon Sung-hyun, Jo Soo-in) and the manufacturer is Hapcheon Herb Processing Farming Association Corp. (CEO: Baek Moon-gi). CEO Baek, while running a health produce farm for over 20 years with his parents, established the Hapcheon Herb Processing Farming Association in 1996 and built a processing factory the following year. He first received the $500,000 Export Tower award in 2003 and served as the 17th-18th Chairman of the Korea Herbal Medicine Association.

The Hapcheon Herb Processing Farming Association cultivates approximately 60 types of health plants—including chrysanthemum, hydrangea, mulberry, persimmon, peony, achyranthes, safflower, motherwort, schisandra, goji berry, cornelian cherry, milk vetch root, green tea, actinidia, and bellflower—in Hapcheon-eup, Hapcheon-gun, where the association is located, and uses them as ingredients for health teas. The Hapcheon Herb Processing Farming Association sells its produced goods through domestic and international sales channels and also supplies products to other companies through OEM manufacturing.

The Hapcheon Herb Processing Farming Association received the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Award in 2002, registered the trademark 'Sangrime' in 2007, received the ISO 22000 International Food Safety Management System certification in 2015, was registered as a venture company in the same year, patented its bellflower tea manufacturing method in 2017, received the HACCP (Food Safety Management System) certification from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in 2018 (No. 2018-2-9156), and received Organic Certification for chrysanthemum crops in 2019 (No. 17100199), establishing itself as a strong small business. Below is a brief introduction to the Hapcheon Herb Processing Farming Association.

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