Burdock

Arctium lappa

Also: Gobo, Great burdock, Beggar's buttons

CoolingDryingRelaxing

A slow, deep cleanser for skin and liver.

Huge rhubarb-like leaves in its first year, then a branching stalk of purple thistle-heads that dry into hooked burrs. Burdock root clears the skin from the inside, helps the liver and kidneys carry off wastes, feeds gut flora with inulin, and helps the body use fats.

Energetics: Cooling, drying, relaxing
Taste: Bitter, sweet, oily
Family: Asteraceae (daisy family)
Parts used: Root (seed and leaf also used)

Medicinal uses 6

The tags sort the evidence behind each use by kind. Members are able to tap a condition to compare every herb for it.

Traditional useLab and mechanism studiesClinical studies

Rashes & eczemaTLC
Works over months on eczema, psoriasis, and flaky dry skin, by helping the liver, kidneys, and bowels carry off wastes.
Acne & breakoutsTLC
A slow remedy for breakouts, paired with changes to diet.
Sluggish liver & digestionTLC
A gentle bitter that supports the liver and digestion, a good first step before stronger bitters.
Joint pain & arthritisTLC
Burdock root tea lowered inflammatory markers in a trial of people with knee arthritis.
Blood sugar balanceTLC
Its inulin fiber feeds gut flora and helps steady blood sugar.
Swollen glandsTLC
Helps the body clear boils and recurring swollen glands.

Preparations

Simmered root over months, fresh root as food, tincture, and skin blends.

Members are able to see the amounts, ratios, and methods for each preparation, search by condition, and match herbs to your constitution.

Become a member · $39 a year Log in

Cautions

Some people's skin flares when they start burdock; lower the dose and build up slowly.
People allergic to ragweed and daisies can react to it, and its fiber can cause gas at first.
Belladonna root, which is deadly, has turned up mixed into commercial burdock. Buy from a trusted supplier, and dig wild roots only with certain identification.

Medication interactions

Practitioner Practitioners are able to see the 2 types of medicine flagged for burdock, each with the mechanism and what to do. The plain-language cautions above stay open to everyone.

Practitioner membership · $150 a year Log in

Pregnancy & breastfeeding

PregnancyFood amounts

Burdock root is a vegetable in Japanese cooking, gobo, and as food it fits a pregnancy. Medicinal doses have little pregnancy research but no known concerns; check with your midwife before taking them daily.

BreastfeedingGenerally compatible

A nourishing root with prebiotic fiber, and no harms are documented.

Practitioner Practitioners are able to see the full entry from the Moss Herbalism Pregnancy Safety Database: trimester ratings, uterine and placental action, breastfeeding and nursing-baby effects, chemistry, traditional use, studies, and sources.

Practitioner membership · $150 a year Log in

Folklore

Arctium comes from the Greek for bear. In 1941 the Swiss engineer George de Mestral came home from a walk with his dog covered in burdock burrs, studied the hooks under a microscope, and invented Velcro. Every August in South Queensferry, Scotland, the Burryman spends a whole day walking the town in a suit of burrs, an old custom said to bring good luck.

How to grow

A biennial that wants loose, deep soil. Sow in spring and dig the long taproot in autumn of the first year, or early the next spring before the flower stalk rises. A deep-dug bed or a raised box of sand makes harvest far easier. Wear a dust mask to gather seed, since the fine bristles in the burrs irritate the lungs.

In the wild

Field edges, barnyards, trailsides, and waste ground across Europe, Asia, and North America, wherever soil has been disturbed.

Every herb here fits some people better than others. Find out which ones fit you.

Match by condition Book a consult