Burdock Arctium lappa

Burdock Arctium lappa

O R I G I N A N D C U LT I VAT I O N Burdock is a native of Europe and Asia. It is naturalized in the USA. The plant is cultivated in eastern Europe, Japan, China, and other countries in the East. A. minus is the chief American source of the root.

P L A N T   D E S C R I P T I O N
It is a biennial or perennial that may grow to a height of 3 m (10 ft). The leaves are large, long-stalked, and ovate. Its flower head consists of a number of red–violet tubular florets, surrounded by many involucre bracts, terminating in stiff spiny hooks (abur). The florets give rise to fawn ‘seeds’ (botanically speaking, these are fruits). The taproot may attain 1.5 m (5 ft) in length, but for consumption a root of
length 60–70 cm (28 in) and diameter 2.5–3 cm (1 in) is preferred.

C U L I N A R Y   A N D   N U T R I T I O N A L   VA L U E
The root (raw or cooked) is a common food in Asia, particularly Japan. It is generally considered to be safe, but could possibly cause a skin allergy. Sometimes the leaf stalks are scraped and cooked like celery.

C L A I M S   A N D   F O L K L O R E
Burdock has been used in herbal medicine in Europe since the Middle Ages; it has also played a part in Chinese medicine. Decoctions or teas made from the seeds, roots, and leaves have been utilized to treat a wide range of ailments, including colds, catarrh, gout, and rheumatism, and also for the external treatment of various skin problems, such as acne and psoriasis. Burdock has been included in cosmetic and toiletry preparations (e.g. hair tonics and anti-dandruff solutions) for its skin cleansing properties.

E V I D E N C E
The root contains a wide range of compounds, with about 50% being composed of the polysaccharide inulin; the seed contains 15–30% oils and other compounds, and the leaf has a variety of substances. A number of animal experiments have indicated that burdock has mild antipyretic, antimicrobial (possibly due to the polyacetylenes present), diuretic, diaphoretic, laxative, and possibly antitumour properties. Seed extracts are said to show distinct hypogly caemic activity in rats; fresh root juice seems to have antimutagenic properties. In spite of these experiments, the general feeling is that more investigations are required and that, at present, the scientific evidence does not support the herbal use of the plant; certainly this is the case in Germany. Cases have been reported of adulteration of burdock with root of belladonna (Atropa belladonna). This has resulted in atropine poisoning.