As the weather becomes brisk, I start layering my clothes; as the leaves begin to fall, I turn to the roots. Autumn through early spring is the best time to harvest roots. A plant spends most of spring and summer sending its vital energy up. Autumn is a time for their above ground parts to die back and return the energy to the roots. This fall, I decided to harvest Teasel root (Dipsacus fullonum). Teasel is a biennial plant, meaning it takes two years to complete its life cycle. It is important to harvest first year roots in the fall or in the spring before the aerial parts start to grow in order to capture all the concentrated medicinal energy.
1st year Teasel
A fully-grown Teasel plant is easy to spot as it has a very distinctive rigid tall prickly stem and leaves, with an egg-shaped flower head, that is covered in long straight spines. However, first year Teasel leaves, while rather unique, are a bit more challenging to find. They do grow near Teasel elders that are brown and lifeless but first year leaves grow in a low basal rosette, sometimes hiding under leaves and other plants. The first leaves have two rows of curved spiky projections each side of the pale mid-rib. The curved spiked projections appear to be piercing through the leaf surface.
Teasel Elder
1st year Teasel basal rosette
Close up of the spikes on the front of the leaves
Close up of the spikes in the back of the leaf
Teasel is native to Europe, and was introduced to the North America some time in the 1700s. Until WWII, it was widely used in the U.S. textile weaving industry. The highly regarded dried Teasel heads were used as a natural comb for cleaning, aligning and raising the nap on fabrics such as wool.
For the most part, Teasel is a strong astringent, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, a styptic, diuretic, and diaphoretic. It assists digestion by supporting the liver and gallbladder. It is also used to treat jaundice. It promotes circulation of blood, soothes joint injuries, reduces stiffness and pain of bursitis, arthritis, and trauma injuries. There was very little history or mention of Teasel’s medicinal uses until Matthew Wood decided to take a look at it.
With a rise in Lyme disease, herbalists have been examining Teasel root’s healing properties closer. It is effective for chronic inflammation of the muscles, one of the major symptoms caused from the bacterial infection of Lyme disease. Matthew Wood notes that it is not an herbal antibiotic. Rather than killing the bacteria itself, it actually changes the environment in the body, which in turn allows the body’s own immune response to kill off the Lyme bacteria. By warming the cells and muscles, the Lyme bacteria moves from the muscles into the bloodstream where the body’s immune system can then do its job.
It is important to note that as Lyme bacteria dies they release endotoxins into the blood and tissues faster than the body can comfortably handle it. This is referred to as the Herxheimer die-off or simply herxing. From personal experience, it is quite horrible and feels like you are getting much worse rather than better. Symptoms include intense fatigue, brain-fog, loss of memory and confusion, muscle and nerve pain, chills and sweats. Herxing from Teasel is a force to be reckoned with, but well worth it as it is the result of the bacteria dying and leaving your body. It often shows up after the second week of Teasel use and lasts about a week. Matthew Wood typically recommends low dosages for tincture use and Teasel is no different. He recommends only a very few drops of tincture is needed to cause herxing. Like all things, Teasel root is not a silver bullet and does not work for everyone. Nevertheless, it is well worth it to give it a try.
When tincturing Teasel root, it is important to note that it oxidizes easily and quickly if there is any air space at the top of the jar. It will turn your tincture black from the top of the jar down. It doesn’t destroy the tincture, but it reduces the quality. So check on your tincture often and add more alcohol if needed. At first, you’ll note that the tincture is rather colorless and then after several weeks it will turn a beautiful rich amber color. Teasel root is no doubt a handy item in anyone’s apothecary.
Beautiful amber color
All information is shared for educational purposes only and has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.