Burdock (Arctium lappa) growing in our garden

It is good to build ones own herbal medicine cabinet to treat minor health problems without relying on over the counter medicine that much. A herbal medicine cabinet consists of a collection of medicinal herbs preserved fresh or dry and used as tea, tincture, infusion, poultice to help with minor discomforts. One of the medicinal herbs to have on hand is Arctium lappa.

Burdock (Arctium lappa) was traditionally used for snakebite, skin diseases including eczema, burns, wound, inflation, and sore throat. It helps stimulate kidneys and increase urination. It is considered a blood purifier. According to US National Institutes of Health, the roots contains some active ingredients that help purify the blood, promote blood circulation to the skin, and heal skin diseases. The root was used traditionally to fight cold and sore throats. The root is a diuretic. It helps stimulate the kidneys and increase the rate of urination removing excess fluid from the body along with toxins. The fresh leaves can be crushed and use as poultice for poison oak and poison ivy. The leaves can also help with cavities. The seeds can be infused to help with inflammation.

Its first year root can be eaten raw or cooked like parsnips. The roots are best harvested in fall during the first year of their growth if not they can be harvested in spring during their second year before they send up their flower stalks. Burdock is a biennial. It stores energy in its tap root during the first year and uses it during the second year to produce its seeds. Therefore, it is recommended to harvest the root at the end of the season in fall for maximum benefits. The second year stalks can be used like celery in cooking. The leaves are edible as well. The young leaves can be cooked like spinach or add to soup.

Because burdock is a skin healer, we use it to make Burdock Soap which you can find in our store. We use burdock Salve to heal cuts and burns. We use burdock infused oil as body oil for eczema relief in winter. I have great satisfaction using burdock salve on mosquito bites. The itching stops within 30 minutes and the swollenness disappears almost within the same time frame. I have found satisfaction when applying it on itchy skin related to eczema. On areas that would itch for days, when burdock salve is applied, the itching stops or decreases within few minutes. One of my daughters played in the backyard for hours and the next day she has some  red blotchy skin that was itchy. I showed her with homemade mint soap and applied burdock infused oil on the affected areas. The following day, the redness was nearly gone as well as the itchy feeling.

Burdock leaves can be collected in the morning and hung to dry in a ventilated area. I hang mine in the basement for months until they are well dry before I store them. Burdock salve made from burdock leaves is a good salve to have in ones herbal medicine cabinet year around.

Burdock can be mistaken with some other weeds. So act with cautious with you collect it in the wild.

References

Accessed https://www.rareseeds.com/burdock-great/ on May 22, 2018

https://www.richters.com/Web_store/web_store.cgi?product=X1567-100&show=&prodclass=Herb_and_Vegetable_Seeds&cart_id=3238978.25269 on May 22, 2018

Accessed https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/products/burdock-root/profile on May 22, 2018

Accessed https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20981575 on May 22, 2018

Rodale’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs, page 56

This is for educational purposes. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.