Did you know we have two common species of burdock here in the northeast and beyond? Greater Burdock (Arctium lappa) and Lesser Burdock (Arctium minus), which is the species pictured here. Both species may be worked with interchangeably for medicine and food!

These are biennial plants on a two year life cycle, creating a basal rosette of just leaves in their first year of growth and growing a flowering stalk in their second year, subsequently going to seed, completing their life cycle and finally dying for good. Like many biennial and annual plants, their primary reproductive strategy is to create loads of seeds to propagate themselves and Burdock has cleverly devised an ingenious way to disperse their seeds: by creating the most tenacious seed capsules, which we colloquially call "burs", maybe on the planet. These cling to unaware passerby's (humans and animals alike) who carry them afield, spreading the Burdock love far and wide. Nature is brilliant.

In fact, these burs are so good at their job that Velcro was actually inspired by them and was created by Swiss engineer George de Mestral after an encounter him and his dog had with Burdock in 1941 that left them both covered in the burs. He examined the burs under a microscope and observed the interlocking barbs which eventually led to his invention of Velcro in 1948 that was fully based on Burdock's burs. The practice of applying forms in nature in human invention and engineering is called biomimicry, for which this is an excellent example

Thank you Burdock for your vast contributions to humanity! Medicine, functional food, Velcro (which really is actually quite useful!) and of course your stunning beauty!

Burdock Materia Medica

Burdock (Arcticum lappa, A. minus, A. tomentosum)
Family Asteraceae

Other Names: Beggar’s Buttons, Clotbur, Lappa, Fox's Clote, Thorny Burr, Cockle Buttons, Love Leaves, Philanthropium, Personata, Happy Major, Bardane (French), Filzklette (German), Bardana (Spanish), Lappolone (Italian)

Part Used: Root, Leaves, Seed, Stem (edible)

Collection: Harvest the leaves anytime in the season as long as they look vibrant. Roots are best dug in the spring or fall from first year plants or in the spring of its second year, before it goes to flower. The seeds are gathered from second year plants in the fall. Stems may be gathered anytime but they are most tender in young spring plants. The roots go deep and are notoriously difficult to dig. This is because they tend to grow in compact soil.

Habitat & Range: Burdock is a “people plant” and loves growing around humans in disturbed areas and anthropogenic sites. Some places it loves- compost piles, old manure piles, drainage ditches, farms, old farms, gardens, woodland edges, yards, pastures, fields (especially ones with rich soil on the moist side that is also well-drained), roadsides (especially dirt roads). Originally native to Eurasia, it’s now found throughout most temperate regions of the globe and throughout the entire US.

Cultivation: Easy to start from seed, but beware, Burdock may spread readily in the garden, as it produces a huge amount of seeds in its second year. It also takes up a lot of garden space, which is something to consider if you have limited space. Its preference is rich, moist soils with full sun, but it can grow in almost any soil and can tolerate part shade. Widely cultivated in Japan and parts of Asia as a food, known as its Japanese name “Gobo.” There are many strategies for easy root harvest, some of which include growing it in a box or container which is removed for harvest or growing alongside a ditch and maneuvering the root into the ditch when it comes time to harvest.

Description: Biennial herbaceous plant. First year plant grows a basal rosette of large, heart-shaped leaves which can vary in size from 3-12 inches wide and have a white fuzzy underside, fuzzy leaf stalks, and a large taproot. Second year plants grown a stalk from the center in late spring/early summer which develops into alternate, leaf-bearing branches. Flowers are terminate, purple, and occur on thistlelike burrs which are 3-5 cm in diameter and have little hooks on the end that get caught on fur, clothes, hair, etc. Classic Asteraceae flower that has only the disc flowers, not the ray flower. Arctium lappa can get huge, up to 6 feet tall. A. minus is much smaller and the flowers are not flat-topped, unlike A. lappa. Arctium tomentosum presents with extremely fuzzy (tomentose) flower and seed heads. All three species may be used interchangeably.

Herbal Ecology: Burdock most often occurs in areas disturbed by humans and does seem to offer some ecological benefit. Although it isn’t native, it can reduce soil erosion, provide shade and forage for wildlife, and helps build-up the soil, since it creates so much biomass in such a short period. The flowers are pollinated primarily by long-tongued bees, including bumblebees, honeybees, Miner bees, and Leaf-Cutting bees, which suck nectar and collect pollen. Other visitors include bee flies, butterflies, and skippers, which seek nectar and are also effective at pollination. The caterpillars of several Papaipema spp. (Borer Moths) bore through the pith of the stems, including Papaipema cataphracta (Burdock Borer Moth), Papaipema arctivorens (Northern Burdock Borer Moth), and Papaipema rigida (Rigid Sunflower Borer Moth). The foliage of Common Burdock is one of the food sources for the caterpillars of the butterfly Vanessa cardui (Painted Lady). This is a soil-building, earth-healer plant. Burdock is fond of growing in compact soil and helps build and aerate the soil with its deep roots and by creating loads of biomass when it completes its 2-year life cycle. It improves the health of the soil.

Taste: Bitter, Salty, Sweet

Energetics:

ROOT + SEED- Cool, Moist (Oily)

LEAF- Cool, Dry

Constituents: Fatty acids, phenolic acids, lignans, sesquiterpenes, tannin, mucilage, inulin, iron, vitamin and mineral rich (calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, potassium, iron, copper, zinc, folate, vit A, C, E), inulin

Herbal Actions: Alterative/blood purifier, anti-cancer, cholagogue, demulcent (root), diaphoretic, digestive bitter, diuretic, hepatic, laxative, lymphatic, nutritive, prebiotic, vulnerary (leaves)

Uses:

ROOT & SEEDS (Note: The seeds are considered to have the same uses as the root, only a bit stronger than the root for detoxification, and without nearly as much of the nutritive benefits)

Considered one of the most powerful and reliable blood purifiers/alteratives in herbalism, supporting the eliminatory pathways in the body. Useful for arthritis, gout, rheumatism- often combined with Red Clover, Dandelion Rt, and Yellow Dock in alterative formulas. Fantastic for skin diseases, especially eczema, psoriasis, acne, boils, sebaceous cysts, hives, and other eruptive skin disorders. Also helpful for an oil, flaky scalp or any skin conditions that are dry and scaly. Considered a specific for eczema. Taken internally for this and also as a bath made with the leaves. The leaves can also be made into a poultice for infected sores, bed sores, skin eruptions, etc. Can help stabilize mast cells, which reduces allergic reactions. Lymphatic herb helpful for chronically enlarged glands. Traditionally used in Chinese Medicine for Measles. Gently supports and stimulates the immune system by moving lymph and metabolic waste. Considered a relaxing diaphoretic, wonderful for fevers in children or folks with lots of anxiety and tension in the nervous system. Nutritive herb rich in iron, beneficial for anemia and nutrient deficiency and also rich in many minerals and vitamins A, C and E. The root contains inulin and is prebiotic when ingested as food or in the powder form. Inulin also helps stabilize blood sugar levels and may have some use in diabetes. A moistening, oil-rich herb which is especially helpful for the Dry/Atrophy tissue state, helping to deeply restore moisture in the body. Digestive bitter, helpful for stimulating digestion and bile flow, with a history of use for anorexia. Wonderful in any bitters blend. Hepatic herb, meaning liver tonic, useful for any liver insufficiency, hormonal imbalance, and strengthening the liver in general. Wonderful as a gentle, yet effective detoxifying herb. History of use helping lower cholesterol levels. Considered a folk remedy for both preventing and treating cancer. Soothing diuretic with a history of use for cystitis and irritated bladder and urethra. Food as medicine, known as Gobo in Japan. The root can be purchased at Asian markets, health food stores, and co-ops and cooked the same way as carrots, eaten both raw and cooked and is lovely in kimchi.

LEAVES:
The leaves are mostly used as a vulnerary topically in baths, poultices, oils and compresses and are beneficial for old sores, ulcers, eczema, and psoriasis. They can also be taken internally as a diuretic and make a fantastic digestive bitter and addition to amaro.

Maude Greives writes in A Modern Herbal, “An infusion of the leaves is useful to impart strength and tone to the stomach, for some forms of long-standing indigestion. When applied externally as a poultice, the leaves are highly resolvent for tumours and gouty swellings, and relieve bruises and inflamed surfaces generally. The bruised leaves have been applied by the peasantry in many countries as cataplasms to the feet and as a remedy for hysterical disorders.”

Culpepper writes, “The Burdock leaves are cooling, moderately drying, whereby it is good for old ulcers and sores…The leaves applied to the places troubled with the shrinking of sinews being and arteries, gives much ease….The juice of the leaves drank with honey, provokes urine, and remedies the pain of the bladder….the leaves bruised with the white of an egg, and applied to any place burnt with fire, gives sudden ease, and heals it up afterwards….the decoction of them fomented on any fretting sore, or canker, stays the corroding quality, which must be afterwards anointed with an ointment of the same liquor, hog’s grease, nitre, and vinegar boiled together.”

STEMS: The leaf stems are edible and have been traditional eaten in the UK, peeled and steamed.

From A Modern Herbal: “Though growing in its wild state hardly any animal except the ass will browse on this plant, the stalks, cut before the flower is open and stripped of their rind, form a delicate vegetable when boiled, similar in flavor to Asparagus, and also make a pleasant salad, eaten raw with oil and vinegar. Formerly they were sometimes candied with sugar, as Angelica is now. They are slightly laxative, but perfectly wholesome.”

Here in the US, the stems are traditionally eaten by Sicilan-American and Italian-Americans immigrants in the northeastern US as a substitute for Cardoon/Carduni, a relative of Burdock which grows in the wild in the Mediterranean but doesn’t grow naturally in the northeast. The stems are peeled, boiled, then breaded with breadcrumbs, egg, salt, and spices and fried and/or made into individual egg fritters and eaten in a sandwich

Preparations & Dosage:

LEAF: Bath, Infused Oil, Salve, Cream, Infusion, Tincture for Bitters (75% A fresh, 50% A dried), Amaro

ROOTS: Tincture (75% A fresh, 50% A dried)- 1/2-1 tsp 3x/day; Poultice & Compress- apply freely; Vinegar (100% raw apple cider vinegar)- eat freely in food or 1 tbsp 1-3x/day; Oxymel (75% vinegar, 25% raw honey)- eat freely in food or 1 tbsp 1-3x/day; Decoction (1 tsp: 1 cup water, simmer 10 min)- drink 3 cups/day

SEEDS: Tincture (50% A, dried)- 1/4 tsp 3x/day

Contraindications: Not for use in pregnancy

More:

From Culpepper:

“Venus challenges this herb for her own, and by its leaf or seed you may draw the womb which way you please, either upwards by applying it to the crown of the head, in case it falls out; or downwards in fits of the mother, by applying it to the soles of the feet; or if you would stay in its place, apply it to the navel, and that is one good way to stay the child in.”

A few notes about its name, from A Modern Herbal:

“The name of the genus, Arctium, is derived from the Greek arktos, a bear, in allusion to the roughness of the burs, lappa, the specific name, being derived from a word meaning 'to seize.'

Another source derives the word lappa from the Celtic llap, a hand, on account of its prehensile properties.

The plant gets its name of 'Dock' from its large leaves; the 'Bur' is supposed to be a contraction of the French bourre, from the Latin burra, a lock of wool, such is often found entangled with it when sheep have passed by the growing plants.

An old English name for the Burdock was 'Herrif,' 'Aireve,' or 'Airup,' from the Anglo-Saxon hoeg, a hedge, and reafe, a robber - or from the Anglo-Saxon verb reafian, to seize. Culpepper gives us popular names in his time: Personata, Happy Major and Clot-Bur.”

References & Resources

Arctium lappa and Arctium tomentosum, Sources of Arctii radix: Comparison of Anti-Lipoxygenase and Antioxidant Activity as well as the Chemical Composition of Extracts from Aerial Parts and from Roots
By Weronika Skowrońska, Sebastian Granica, Magdalena Dziedzic, Justyna Kurkowiak, Maria Ziaja, Agnieszka Bazylko
Plants Journal, Jan 2021

A Modern Herbal
By Maude Grieves

Culpepper’s Complete Herbal

Bartram’s Encycopedia of Herbal Medicine
By Thomas Bartram

Energetic Herbalism
By Kat Maier

Medicinal Plants of the Mountain West
By Michael Moore

Herbal Medicine From The Heart Of The Earth
By Dr. Sharol Marie Tilgner.

Biomimicry & the Medicine of Burdock

Burdock Materia Medica

Connecting with the Land Through “Invasive” Plants