The natural ingredients of teasel tincture drops are : water, alcohol, teasel.
We use the root to produce these very valuable drops.
Rainwater and dew collect in their intricate leaf axils. Birds use this as a source of drinking water.
In the early Iron Age, the spent flower heads of teasels were used to roughen and seal woven cloth. A 16th-century image shows teasel makers at work. The workers pierce the seed heads of the weaver's teasel lengthwise and place them on rotating poles. This device gently roughens the fabrics being processed. Billiard table covers are still treated in this way today. Up until the 20th century, spent teasel heads were used to comb unspun wool.
The teasel forms a basal rosette in its first year. The leaves are light green and unarmed. The soft edges are slightly wavy or toothed. In the second year, a stem grows up to 2 meters tall. Two large leaves develop directly at the base of the stem, their point of attachment serving as a reservoir for rainwater. There are two theories regarding the purpose of these "receiving basins." They may serve to protect the flowers from crawling insect pests. Alternatively, the plant may feed on drowned insects.
The flowers are initially green and then begin to bloom from the center outwards, ranging in color from white to violet. The flowering zone moves both upwards and downwards simultaneously. Later, these develop into the spiky flower heads described above.