Teasel Thistle Root

DIPSACUS LACINIATUS (Cut-Leaf Teasel, Wild Teasel, Lacerated Teasel) Family: Caprifoliaceae (formerly Dipsacaceae)Part Used: Root (primarily), occasionally young shoots or seedsEnergetics: Warming, drying, mildly stimulatingTaste: Bitter, astringent, earthy BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION Dipsacus laciniatus L. is a tall, robust biennial or short-lived perennial herb reaching 1.5–2.5 meters (5–8 ft) in height. The stem is angular, square, and lined with small, downward-pointing prickles. Leaves are opposite, deeply pinnatifid (cut or lacerated), and unite at the base to form a basal cup capable of catching and holding rainwater — an adaptation thought to deter crawling insects and reduce herbivory. The flower head is cylindrical to ovoid (5–10 cm long), with stiff spiny involucral bracts that extend beyond the pale whitish-lavender corollas. Blooming occurs mid to late summer (July–August), typically in a centripetal pattern: flowers open first in a band around the middle of the head, then towa