Blessed thistle is generally taken as an herbal tea three to five times per day. As an aromatic bitter, a cup of the unsweetened tea is drunk half-an-hour before meals. German authorities recommend using 1.5-2 g of the finely chopped drug per cup of tea (1 teaspoon of cut blessed thistle weighs approximately 1 gram). It is recommended that boiling water be poured over the finely chopped herb, or alternatively that cold water is added to the herb material and brought to the boil and after 5-10 minutes strained.