Burdock Root

Prolific Plant Medicine

Burdock roots grow deep into the earth to access minerals held in the subsoil, and like all tap roots have a nourishing quality as they act as a storehouse for vital nutrients. A powerful, yet gentle medicine, burdock acts as a blood cleanser, liver support, and prebiotic for our diverse microbiome. The tincture and tea nourish the skin, lymph, kidneys, liver, gallbladder and strengthen immunity. With medicine that nourishes the adrenals, regular consumption burdock root can calm the flight or fight response and help us ground.

Burdock root in flower

Since Burdock is a biennial, the root, the most commonly used part of the plant, is generally harvested in autumn at the end of its first year of growth or in the second spring. By fall of the second year, burdock flowers become brown burrs full of seeds that attach to people and animals passing by. The seeds then plant themselves at the edges of woods, roadsides, in meadows and anywhere the Earth has been disturbed.

Deep roots are not only beneficial for us but for soil evolution, groundwater and streamflow regulation, soil carbon sequestration and moisture content in the lower troposphere. In the wild, burdock grows on injured soil, drawing nutrients from deep underground to replenish the land, offering steady healing. Sadly, most humans still overlook burdock as a weed.¹

Burdock growing in Brooklyn

SOIL & OUR MICROBIOME

One of the constituents found in taproots like burdock is inulin, a prebiotic and rich food source for the diverse microbial ecology of the gut. By consuming foods and herbs rich in inulin, we feed the tiny creatures inside us, so that their populations remain strong and they can assist in the breakdown of our foods to provide optimal absorption. And since rich, healthy soil contributes to the health of our gut microbiome, the process of harvesting burdock root may be medicinal too.

The soil and the human gut are similar ecosystems that follow circadian rhythms and consume, digest, and cycle nutrients for plants or our bodies to absorb. About 100 trillion bacteria compose our microbiome, and one gram of fertile soil contains up to one billion bacteria.²

Cleaned, harvested burdock root

SKIN DEEP

In herbalism, health issues on the outside speak to problems below the surface. The health of our skin and hair, for example, has everything to do with what is happening inside and one of the best plants we can turn to is burdock root.

Like tiny roots, our head contains millions of hair follicles, most of which are in a constant growing phase. Burdock root contains all the necessary amino acids for building protein that creates hair, along with tannins, essential fatty acids, and vitamins  that strengthen our mane, promote growth and prevent rapid fall. Burdock root oil also helps with scalp irritation issues, dandruff, itchy scalp and is an excellent ally for skin.

Prolonged use of burdock can, over time, improve the metabolism and help to restore the proper channels and functioning of elimination. If the liver, lymph and kidneys are not effectively detoxifying and excreting toxins via the kidneys, then the body will attempt to cleanse itself through our other organ of elimination, skin. Whether this elimination takes on the form of eruptions such as acne or dry inflammations like psoriasis depends on our constitution and the nature of the imbalance. 

Herbal Infusions

BURDOCK INSPIRED REFLECTION & RECIPE:

Roots supply us with the energy of survival, inviting stability and balance into our bodies, our lives and our practices. And when we ground, we calm. We might be mobile, but we need roots nonetheless. Here are a few burdock-inspired questions to explore:

Where do I find stability?

How do I nourish and nurture myself? What gives me sustenance?

What is my relationship to my body? To the body of Earth?

Where do I thrive?

TRY AN HERBAL INFUSION

Herbal infusions provide the body with easy-to-assimilate nutrition. They differ from tea because the plant material is steeped for a longer period of time which allows for all the medicinal constituents, including vitamins and minerals to be liberated from the herb. Regular drinking of infusions over time provides deep nutrition for the body.

This SPRING INFUSION has been my favorite lately. You can check out my post on nettles to learn why I’m drinking them now too, and refer to my post on medicine-making if you’d like more details about making decoctions and more. I’m terrible about measuring things so I’ll put the amount in handfuls. For me a handful is equivalent (compressed) to the volume of an egg. Experiment and use your judgment.

SPRING INFUSION (amount for a half-gallon mason jar)

🌱 Stinging Nettles (handful)

🌱 Burdock Root (if dried, a small handful. If fresh³, simmer it beforehand and pour it over your dried herbs)

🌱 Oatstraw (A small handful. I like to simmer this first and pour over the infusion)

🌱 A pinch of licorice root

🌱 A dash of organic cinnamon or cinnamon chips

TO PREPARE YOUR INFUSION:

Place your herbs into a glass mason jar while you bring water to a near boil. I like to use the half-gallon mason jar so I have an infusion to last me at least a couple of days. Pour the hot water into the jar with your herbs, mix with a wooden spoon, and screw the lid on tight. After a few hours (or even after leaving overnight) strain and squeeze the extra goodness out of the wet herbs through a strainer or cheesecloth and drink the liquid: cold, hot, or at room temperature. Refrigerate any leftovers and don’t forget to compost the spent herbs.

Enjoy! Share experiences with burdock, insights or questions in the comments. And if you’re interested in hands-on learning with medicinal plants, I invite you to explore my upcoming herbal apprenticeship.

1. From Mountsiani.org: “Burdock is native to Europe and Northern Asia, and is now widespread throughout the United States, where it grows as a weed. In Japan and parts of Europe, it is cultivated as a vegetable.”

2. The millions of species and billions of organisms in soil in the form of bacteria, algae, microscopic insects, plant roots, earthworms, beetles, ants, mites, nematodes and fungi represent the greatest concentration of biomass on the planet. Though sadly, the diversity of both our gut biome and the soil decreased dramatically in recent years due to overuse of antibiotics, processed food, agrochemicals, pesticides and monoculture.

3. You might find burdock root at your local Coop, medicinal herb farm. or farmers market, especially in spring or fall. Burdock grows throughout the world, so often, you may even be able to harvest the fresh root yourself.