Łódź, Botanical Garden

It is native to the Mediterranean region. Ornamental plant. Bees feeding plant. Edible plant - flower buds raw or cooked, a globe artichoke substitute; stems cooked and used as a celery substitute; young leaves raw or cooked, eaten as a salad by the ancient Romans; roots cooked like parsnips; the dried flowers are a rennet substitute, used for curdling plant milks. Herbal plant - has become important as a medicinal herb in recent years following the discovery of cynarin which is bitter-tasting compound, found in the leaves, it improves liver and gall bladder function, stimulates the secretion of digestive juices, especially bile, and lowers blood cholesterol levels; the leaves are anticholesterolemic, antirheumatic, cholagogue, digestive, diuretic, hypoglycaemic and lithontripic, they are used internally in the treatment of chronic liver and gall bladder diseases, jaundice, hepatitis, arteriosclerosis and the early stages of late-onset diabetes. Usable plant - the plant is said to yield a good yellow dye; the plant is a potential source of biomass.