This is an easy plant to grow either as an herbal medicine or as an interesting vegetable. Your email address will not be published. Burdock is classified as an invasive weed by many people. herbal remedies are just as good and beneficial. Digging roots in rough ground is a major undertaking – they grow really deep. And since the burdock leaves are also edible I decided to try using them this spring. Learn about the benefits of burdock. These medicinal herbs are also good to be placed on boils and carbuncles. Ring necked pheasants eat some burdock seeds, but they're not a primary food source. An infusion which is made from the leaves is used to promote health to the stomach. Our youngest daughter was trying to remember the name because our dog got into a patch and obviously got covered in the darn things. Roots are also eaten in Japan. Edible burdock parts include the petioles (leaf stems), flower stalks and roots. Lots of plants look similar when they are young. leaves of burdock have been used as extracts or teas for a wide range of ailments including colds Other visitors include bee flies, butterflies, and skippers, which seek nectar and are also effective at pollination. Other recognised species in the genus include Arctium pubens (or common burdock) and Arctium tomentosum (or woolly burdock). Brew burdock root tea as a decoction, boiling the roots for around 20 minutes to release the active compounds. The stems of the younger plants can be eaten until about May when they become woody and bitter. 2. Burdock Root Recipe – Step 7. It is quite a … Arctium lappa, commonly called greater burdock, gobō (牛蒡/ゴボウ), edible burdock, lappa, beggar's buttons, thorny burr, or happy major is a Eurasian species of plants in the Aster family, cultivated in gardens for its root used as a vegetable.It has become an invasive weed of high-nitrogen soils in North America, Australia, and other regions. Great burdock (Arctium lappa) flowers have longer pedicels, spreading clusters, and larger, rounder heads. Flowers are small and emerge from the tops of green, prickly balls. This post is #30 in the Weekly Weeder series, which is all about wild plants – how to identify and use them, where they grow, and how to get rid of them, if needed. Although burdock is generally considered safe, there are a few possible side effects of Arctium lappa and A. minus: This post is for general information only. Good on you for researching wild edibles. roots but the medicinal health benefits and Burdock root has a long history of use to lower blood sugar in diabetics. One Love! In your kitchen, clean and trim the burdock roots. The roasted root is a coffee substitute. Herbal Remedies for Diabetes in the International Journal of Biomedical and Advance Research, Chicory – Prebiotic Coffee Substitute, Health Tonic – Weekly Weeder #5, Stinging Nettle – One of Most Useful Wild Plants – Weekly Weeder #16, Benefits of Dandelion Plus How to Use Greens, Seeds, Roots & Flowers – Weekly Weeder #17, Marvelous Milkweed – Answers to 21 Common Questions About the Butterfly Plant, 6 Ways to Get the Musty Smell Out of Clothes and Towels. As a part … There's even talk of burdock as an aphrodisiac. She recommends all parts of the burdock – roots, seeds and leaves. Leaf stems can be peeled and cooked by boiling for about 20 minutes. the leaves were used to tie over the womb of an expectant mother with I found your site and this series because I’m trying to find what local “weeds” I can use to feed to my bearded dragon that also have medicinal purposes. All rights reserved. Once the plant shoots up a stalk, energy stored in the root goes to produce the flowers, and the roots get tough and tasteless. Burdock is a biennial, and the root become woody and unappetizing after the first year. Then strain and sweeten if sweetening is desired. The taproot of young burdock plants can be harvested and eaten as a root vegetable.While generally out of favour in modern European cuisine, it is popular in East Asia. Healing the soil and planting ground cover to crowd the burdock out is your best bet for long term control. Benefits of burdock medicinal herb involve the strengthening of a weakened immune system and can cleanse the blood of impurities. Am trying to identify some wild plants here but a lot of people don’t know the names of them. Burdock thrives in moderately disturbed areas such as barnyards, field edges, fence rows, railroad tracks, roadsides, along paths and sometimes along the edges of woodlands or streams. In the picture above, I harvested enough burdock for a stir fry and to make a herbal decoction (medicine). Thanks again for leaving this information available throughout the years. to soothe the skin and also to help heal the affected area on the skin Mucilaginous. It is in flower from July to September, and the seeds ripen from September to October. New! which are large and heart shaped, are edible One way to tell if the plant is a first-year root is to look for the characteristic burrs, as burdock only produces these in their second year. Burdock is a biennial plant. Used as a potherb. They are especially good to treat and cure pimples which can be very embarrassing for young people. Burdock is also known as gobo, niu bang zi (traditional Chinese medicine), bardana, Love's leaves, beggar's buttons, cockle buttons, thorny burr, burr seed, clotbur, cocklebur, grass burdock, stickers, stick tight, burs, burrseed, cuckcoo button, cloth burr, clorbur, fox's clote hardock, hareburr, hurrburr, turkey burrseed, turkey burr, personata, bat weed, wooly dock, happy major, prosopium, philanthropium, and many other names around the world. Note leaves on central stem. If we learn to understand what they are telling us and how to use them instead of just trying to kill them all, I think we would be much better off. Hi Laurie, These articles and others are a great help! You’re welcome, Lois, and thanks for taking time to comment. The leaves are not as popular as the roots but the medicinal health benefits and herbal remedies are just as good and beneficial. To make a poultice, simple steam the leaf and apply it hot to the affected area to speed healing. (These plants tend to be very easy to spot.) In the second year the root becomes too woody to eat but can still be used to make a tea. They can also be used as a poultice to put on burns Illinois Wildflowers lists the animal uses of burdock (faunal associations): Burdock flowers attract long-tongued bees, including bumblebees, honeybees, Miner bees, and Leaf-Cutting bees. If you are allergic to plants in the daisy family, be cautious with the use of burdock. The first year the plant is identified by it’s basal leaves, sometimes getting enormous in size. Required fields are marked *. I like to serve them alone as a vegetable dish, and their mild, slightly sweet flavor can't go wrong in soup or stir fry. Feel free to contact me or read all about me! I’m honored to have one of the top posts from last week Thanks so much! (Note – excess inulin may cause gas. Root is edible; use the root from the first year's growth. 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