Burdock Root
Scientific Name: Arctium lappa
Introduction: Possessed of a deep taproot that can sink several feet straight into the earth, burdock proposes that we get right to the heart of our healing- whether it be a physical or emotional process, or one along the lines of our soul’s work. By its own living example, burdock encourages us to be as strong, grounded, and nourished as we can possibly be. Rich in minerals and cleansing qualities, burdock imparts strength and balance. This might sound like a grandiose mission for such a humble, common, and highly underappreciated weed, but if you dig up its root, you’ll witness burdock’s rooted tenacity. All plants have a signature, a unique calling card that invites us to interpret their gifts and teachings-and for me, burdocks is clearly about plumbing our debts so that we can send our own medicine out into the world.
Freshly dug and chopped burdock root
Burdock’s medicine works deeply on the cleansing systems of our body–the liver, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, and skin. It creates harmony where imbalance exists and gives strength to your entire being. Burdock root is a classic tonic herb-used for both food and medicine-with a long tradition of use across all of Eurasia. In North America, it has been known as a “bear medicine” an allusion to both its strengthening qualities and brown, fur-like burrs. These infamous burrs-seed heads that cling stupendously well to clothing, animal pelts, and hair-appear in late summer and are a sticky memento of burdock’s ubiquitous presence. Burdock is an abundant wild weed and can be foraged throughout most of the temperate world. It can also be cultivated in the garden, where deeply tilled soils allow the delicious taproots to be gathered with ease.
Identification: In my eyes, burdock is one of the true hunks of the plant kingdom. Big and handsome, with a whopping taproot, it has been blessed with a crush-worthy combination of strength and charisma. Wildly weedy, it prospers in most circumstances-in old fields and grazing pastures, farm and garden beds, parks, backyards and anywhere the earth has been turned up and disturbed.
There are many species in the burdock genus, but two are especially well known as food and medicine: Arctium lappa (greater burdock) and Arctium minus (common burdock). Although A. lappa is mentioned most frequently in herbal texts, A. minus is actually more common throughout North America and many parts of Europe. Both are interchangeably cherished as food and medicine, but there are a few physical distinctions to note so you can identify the species growing near you. Although we emphasize the identification of the two species, we want to make it clear that you can use both species for food and medicine in a similar fashion. Accordingly, in the medicinal and edible sections, we will not make any distinction between the two.
What most people remember about burdock are its burrs, but in fact the entire plant is quite memorable. Burdock’s gargantuan heart-shaped leaves are distinctive and can reach massive proportions for a temperate-world plant-up to 28 inches (70 cm) in length and more than 14 inches (36 cm) wide. With their wavy margins and thick, fuzzy texture, wild food forager Steve Brill has likened them to elephant ears.Â
They also possess a wonderful topography; rivers of sunken veins quilt the surface of the deep green leaves, while beneath, the veins are lifted in prominent ridges surrounded by a thick snow of white woolly hairs. The edges of the leaves are often attractively ruffled (botanically, we call this undulate), but not toothed, and both the midribs (central leaf vein) and veins are plainly pale in color.
The impressive leaf stalk (petiole) is grooved like celery and can be tinted purple or red, especially near the base. A simple way to tell greater and common burdock apart is to snap off a petiole-greater burdock’s (A. lappa) will be fleshy and solid while common burdock’s (A. minus) is hollow like a straw.
Arctium lappa
A biennial herb, burdock normally has a two-year life cycle. In its first year, it appears as a plush basal rosette of numerous leaves. In its second, the rosette returns but its accompanied by a flowering stalk that emerges in late spring. Alternate leaves, which are much smaller and more egg-shaped than the basal leaves, climb the stalk. They are also less ruffled at the margins and may not be lobed at the bases. The distinctive flowering stalk of burdock bears grooves traveling up its length, is slightly zigzagged, and is often tinted with red or purple highlights, especially toward the base of the stalk.
Burdocks flower heads
When the flowers drop, the flower heads become dry and brown, revealing hook-like bracts. Thus emerge the notorious burrs that readily cling to seed dispersers, which include unwitting humans and their animal companions. Inside the burrs are a treasure trove of seeds-dark brown and shaped like tiny crescent moons. These seeds are adept at germinating in the worst conditions-such as in gravel driveways and scorched, rocky soils. Because they reseed so readily, second year stalks and first year rosettes are commonly found growing alongside each other.Â
Burdock’s mammoth taproots are equal to the mega-proportions of its leaves and stems. The roots are hugely carrot-like and, as Robin Rose Bennett says, are “planted as solidly in the ground as the mythic sword in the stone.” While younger roots may reach just a foot beneath the surface, more mature roots can penetrate deeply into the earth! The roots are often rough and dark in color toward the crown but become smooth and creamy or pale brown as the narrow toward the top.
Propagation: Burdock varieties are sown from seed in the spring to produce edible and medicinal roots by late summer to early fall. Plant seeds directly in the garden at a depth of 1/4 inch and allow at least 1 foot between rows. The seed germinates best when the soil temperature is 70 degrees F or higher.
Harvesting: Burdock’s life cycle is the first thing you’ll want to consider when sizing up burdock plants for harvest. Burdock is a biennial, which means in the first year of its life, it dispatches all of its photosynthetic bounty (carbohydrate reserves) down to its roots in preparation for next season’s growth and flowering. Imagine the muster needed to send up a giant flowering stalk when you’re only two years old: burdock accomplishes this Herculean feat by metabolizing the energy stored in its colossal taproot.
That first fall, winter and spring, its roots are the most tender and succulent. During the second year it sends up its flowering stalk, sets seed and dies. If you harvest the roots after the second year, they will be pithy and inert, shadows of their former vigorous selves. In summary, harvest burdock roots the fall of the first year of growth right up to the early spring season of its second year. (As a food, burdock can be gathered throughout the year, including in the summertime.)
Once your roots are clean, grade them for food or medicine use and the tender portions better for food. Washed roots can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, or tinctured fresh. If storing for tea, chop and dry the roots immediately. If using a dehydrator (we use this one), set the temperature for 100 degrees F to 110 degrees F.
Medicinal Properties: Root (and leaves and seeds) are the parts used for medicine.Â
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Medicinal Preparations of Burdock include decoction, tincture, infused vinegar, food, poultice, compress, and wash (food and tea are best for imparting burdock’s prebiotic qualities)
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Actions: Nutritive, alterative, diuretic, hepatic, demulcent, bitter, tonic, prebiotic, antioxidant, and hypoglycemic.
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Energetics: Slightly cooling with a balancing effect on moisture.
Medicinal Uses: Burdock root is one of my most esteemed nutritive allies, competing heavily with my passion for stinging nettles (Urtica dioica). Delicious and strengthening, burdock brings equilibrium to the primary cleansing systems of the body: the skin, kidneys, liver, lymph, and GI tract. It has been used in this way as a food and medicine throughout Europe and Asia for millennia and by cross-continental North American tribes, including the Cherokee, Chippewa, Ojibwa and Abnaki. Both bitter and sweet in flavor, burdock lends itself equally to cleansing the tissues of the body and building them. Herbalist Jim McDonald says: “What burdock brings to any formula is nourishment and balance. It is a restorative tonic par excellence, and helps to improve the functioning of the entire being when taken regularly for a prolonged period.”
Pleasantly flavored, burdock is a mild bitter; taken internally, it gently stimulates the appetite and increases digestive secretions and motility, while supporting healthy populations of intestinal flora. The root is high in inulin, a type of polysaccharide that plants produce for carbohydrate storage. (Inulin should not be confused with the pancreatic hormone, insulin.) Inulin feeds beneficial intestinal flora and is therefore prebiotic, a term used for plants or compounds with the ability to nourish the healthy bacteria dwelling in our intestines.. (Not to be confused with probiotic, which denotes a food, beverage, or supplement containing live bacteria that are normally part of healthy intestinal flora [bacteria].) This makes burdock a reliable helper following antibiotic treatment (along with probiotic-rich foods, like sauerkraut and kefir) and when there is poor absorption of fats by the body, constipation or dry stools.
Burdock’s rich supply of inulin can also assist in weight loss and the regulation of blood sugar levels, making it beneficial for those who are obese, diabetic, or at risk for diabetes. It can be combined with other inulin-rich herbs and foods like dandelion root (Taraxacum officinale), chicory root (Cichorium intybus), asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) and Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus). Those with diabetes should use plant based inulin therapy with careful monitoring of blood sugar levels by a medical professional, as it can affect the amount of supplemental insulin needed by the body. Do not attempt this therapy without the guidance of a skilled practitioner. Inulin is water soluble and is best assimilated as a tea or food. It is found in our most popular tea blend in the shop here, Nutritive and Nourishing Tea. Alcohol is not a good solvent for inulin, and although burdock tincture may be beneficial for other reasons, it will lack prebiotic qualities.
A deep-reaching alterative herb, burdock is beneficial for skin conditions, especially those that are dry and scaly. Eczema, psoriasis, dandruff, and acne can all be improved using burdock’s medicine, especially in combination with red clover, dandelion root and or yellow dock root. Rosemary Gladstar counsels that young people who suffer the distress of teenage acne will find a friend in burdock, as long as it’s used consistently for several weeks to several months. This remedy is especially relevant for adolescent girls, whose bodies will be further nourished by this liver tonic-helping with optimal hormone metabolism-as they menstruate.Â
Bear in mind that skin conditions often present themselves when our other cleansing and filtration systems are overwhelmed. This reveals that issues like eczema and acne are more than just skin deep-they require tonic healing. This is often slow and steady work, and as metabolic wastes and toxins begin to release and move out of the body, its not uncommon for a skin condition to worsen before it clears. Persist through this uncomfortable period, however, and radiant skin often awaits. To assist and speed healing, burdock can also be applied topically as a poultice, using either leaves that have been boiled or steamed, or roots that have been cooked and mashed.
Burdock is used tonically to treat other chronic inflammatory conditions such as gout, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis. It is antirheumatic properties likely stem from its ability to support the kidneys as well as its diuretic and alterative qualities. This affinity for the kidneys also makes burdock an appropriate remedy for kidney stones and cystitis, in combination with the moistening, smoothing medicine of corn silk (Zea mays). In traditional chinese medicine, the kidneys house the emotion of fear, and an imbalance can manifest as a tendency to worry or dissolve into fearful states. Burdock is grounding on both physical and energetic levels and can be combined with skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) to amplify peace and bliss. In the words of Robin Rose Bennett, “Burdock is a powerful protector, and can help transform you from being a worrier into a warrior. It does this by offering such life-enhancing medicine that you become physically stronger and healthier.” These strengthening qualities also make burdock an ally when the body needs extra reserves-such as during convalescence and after child birth.”
Nutritive and Nourishing Tea including Burdock Root, Stinging Nettles, Red Clover, Red Raspberry, Oatstraw and Rosehips
As a tonic cleanser and detoxifier, burdock is credited with antitumor and antimutagenic qualities. Applied both topically and internally, it can assist in clearing lumps, tumors, and swellings. It pairs well in formulas with red clover (Trifolium pratense) for this. Several in vitro clinical trials support this practice, but to date, no human trials have been conducted. Taken regularly, burdock may also protect against ingested toxins like food coloring and other chemicals.
Tidbits: Burdock was the muse that inspired Velcro. The inventor, a Swiss engineer named George de Mestral, was apparently impressed by the plant when hiking in the Alps with his dog in 1941. The burrs, which clung vehemently to both his wool socks and his dog’s fur, caused him to wonder if he could replicate their gripping action. Years later, he did indeed, and in 1955, Velcro was patented. The word Velcro is derived from the French words for velvet, velour, and hook, crochet.
Precautions and Contraindications: Burdock may cause reactions in those who have a sensitivity to plants in the aster family (Asteraceae), although this is rare. A few cases of contact dermatitis have been reported following the topical application of burdock root poultices, but again this is not something we typically see as a reaction. The burrs have caused irritation of the eyes in dogs and humans. Burdock has been adulterated with belladonna, resulting in two cases of anticholinergic poisoning. Harvest the roots yourself or purchase from reputable sellers. See the precautions on insulin sensitivity in the preceding section on inulin. Use caution in hypoglycemia or diabetes as burdock can lower blood sugar levels.