Burdock

Description

The leaves of burdock are egg-shaped and entire (somewhat toothed); the lower leaves are usually heart-shaped.  The purple flowers are in bristly heads.  Common burdock (A. lappa) is two to four feet tall, has stalkless or short-stalked flowerheads and hollow leaf stalks. Great burdock (A. lappa) is larger (up to eight feet tall), with solid, deeply grooved leaf stalks that resemble celery. Burdocks appear from summer to fall  (Newcomb 1977). 

History

Burdock root was a key component in a medicine used by Meskwaki women during labor (Lewis 1977, Duke 2001).  The roots have been used for sexually transmitted diseases (Duke 2001), including syphilis, and have been used in the treatment of gout.

The dried root has been most commonly used medicinally, but the leaves and fruits are also used (Grieve 1998).  Burdock contains about 45% inulin is said to have hypoglycemic effects, as well as antipyretic, antiseptic, antitumor, and diuretic activities (Grieve 1998, Duke 2001).  It has been recommended for arthritis, rheumatism, sciatica (Duke 2001) and skin diseases (Grieve 1998, Duke 2001).  Decoctions have been used for boils, scurvy and rheumatism, as well as kidney stones, gallstones, and gout (Duke 2001).

A concoction of the leaves was used for stomach problems and for  chronic indigestion.  Poultices of leaves were used for inflammation, bruises, and tumors (Grieve 1998).  Asians have used a decoction made from leaves to treat rheumatism and vertigo (Duke 2001).

Seed extracts are used for chronic skin diseases (Grieve 1998), acne, psoriasis, and kidney diseases (Duke 2001).  Seed infusions are also used in dropsy (an obsolete term for edema, or swelling), kidney problems, and in nervous system disorders (Grieve 1998).  Additionally, Asians use burdock seed for abscesses, acne, constipation, dropsy, flatulence, flu, other infections, smallpox, and snakebite (Duke 2001).

The essential oil is believed to promote hair growth and is believed to stimulate the appetite, dispel gas, promote sweating, and act as a diuretic.  The oily seeds are believed to smoothe skin. Experimentally, they also show hypoglycemic activity (Duke 2001).

Burdock has been used as a folk cancer remedy throughout the world.  It is also used to treat corns and warts (Duke 2001).  Other folk uses of burdock are for treating colds, and as an aphrodisiac.

Burdock root, called gobo, is commonly eaten in Japan, where  burdock root is used in a manner similar to carrots. Burdock is sold as a vegetable inTaiwan and Hawaii (Kiple 2000). Stalks may be boiled like asparagus, or eaten raw, dressed with oil and vinegar (Duke 2001).  

Current Medicinal Uses

Burdock is still used as an anti-cancer agent; it is a part of the Essiac herbal mixture widely sold as a cancer treatment. It is also used as a “blood cleanser” anti-inflammatory agent, and hypoglycemic agent. Although rat studies from the 1930s showed hypoglycemic effects, more recent studies are mixed (Fugh-Berman 2003).

Adverse effects

Contact dermatitis has been reported in three people who used burdock root plasters as anti-inflammatory agents (Rodriguez 1995).

References

Duke JA. Handbook of Medicinal Herbs. CRC Press, Boca Raton, 2001. (pp. 53-54)

Fugh-Berman A. The 5-Minute Herb and Dietary Supplement Consult. Lippincott, Williams, and Wilkins, Baltimore, 2003:

Grieve M. A Modern Herbal. Tiger Books International, London, 1998 (first published in 1931 by Jonathan Cape Ltd):144-145

Kiple KF, Ornelas KC, ed. The Cambridge World History of Food. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2000. (p. 1740)

Lewis WH, Elvin-Lewis MPF. Medical Botany: Plants Affecting Man’s Health. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1977. (p. 322)

Newcomb L. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide. Little, Brown and Company, Boston, 1977. (p. 412)

Rodriguez P, Blanco J, Juste S et al. Allergic contact dermatitis due to burdock (Arctium lappa). Contact Dermatitis 1995;33:134-135.

Disclaimer 

Information on this website is for educational purposes only. Many herbs historically used for medicine are considered too toxic to use today; some of these herbs have caused deaths. Do not ingest these herbs based on information on this website. We have not provided sufficient information for the safe medicinal use of any of these herbs, nor sufficient information for treatment of poisoning. All recreational use of these herbs is dangerous.