Field Eryngo Herb | Eryngium campestre Tea

What Is Field Eryngo?

Field eryngo (Eryngium campestre) is a hardy, thistle-like plant from the carrot family that grows in dry grasslands, pastures and roadsides across southern and central Europe. Despite its spiny look, it is not a true thistle. Its pale, silvery-green stems and leaves end in small round flower heads in summer.

The plant is also known as watling street thistle, and in the Balkans it is a familiar wild herb of dry meadows. The aerial parts are harvested in summer, dried and cut for use as an herbal tea.

Field eryngo has a long history in the folk herbal traditions of southern and Eastern Europe. Brewed as a tea, it has an earthy, herbal and slightly sweet taste. It is enjoyed on its own or in blends with other meadow herbs such as yarrow, mint or lemon balm.

Field eryngo is very drought tolerant, with a deep taproot that lets it survive hot, dry summers. In late autumn its dry, rounded stems often break off and roll across the fields in the wind, much like a European tumbleweed.

Our field eryngo herb contains only the dried herb with nothing added. It is sold by weight, from small packs to bulk.