Description

Cynara scolymus, the globe artichoke, is a robust perennial herbaceous plant of the family Asteraceae, native to the coastal Mediterranean region from Morocco and Algeria through Spain, Italy, and Greece. It thrives in warm, dry climates with well-drained alkaline soils and has been cultivated as both a food plant and medicinal herb since ancient Egyptian and Greek civilisations. The large, silvery-green compound leaves contain cynarin and chlorogenic acid, compounds that have attracted significant phytochemical attention. In European herbal tradition, artichoke leaf preparations have been historically incorporated into formulations associated with hepatic and digestive support. Cultivated in limited quantities in Maharashtra and Himachal Pradesh, it is primarily imported into India for herbal commerce.