* Please Note: This information is based partly on Traditional Medicine which uses natural materials to support health. This information has not been evaluated or approved by the FDA. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor.
Description
Burdock root is one of the sudorifics and has accordingly been recommended for gout, rheumatism, skin complaints and syphilitic diseases. It is above all emollient. Culpeper informs us that Venus challenges this herb for her own and by its leaf or seed you may draw the womb which way you please.
Common names are bardana, burr seed, lappa, thorny burr, fox's cloth, clotbur, cocklebur, grass burdock, harlock, hareburr, hurr-burr, turkey burrseed, pig's rhubarb, beggar's-buttons, gypsy's rhubarb, and snake rhubarb. Two species came to the New World with colonists and quickly escaped to become hardy weeds.
Burdock is known mainly as a blood purifier and immune-system stimulant. The tea can be laxative for some, constipative for others. It's popular for stomach ailments, and it neutralizes and eliminates poisons. Externally, use it as a wash for sores and acne. Fresh bruised leaves are used to treat poison ivy or oak. In As You Like It, Shakespeare wrote "They are but burs, cousin, thrown upon thee in holiday foolery." Fresh leaves, though not generally used, can stimulate secretion of bile. Be aware that burdock can also interfere with iron absorption.
Plant Facts and Growing Tips
Plant: A fast-growing biennial that, during the first year, grows only basal leaves. During the second year, woolly branches form on a reddish stem. Purple flowers appear July to September, with prickly burs that attach to the clothing of anyone passing by. The root is long and fleshy, gray-brown outside and white inside.
Height: 1/2 to 6 feet.
Soil: Likes deep, loose, well-drained soil.
Exposure: Full sun.
Propagation: Grows easily from seed, sown outside after soil is warm. The root can go down 3 feet!
Care: This is a very tough plant, with no pest problems.
Parts Used for Tea: Root, collected in fall or spring in second year; can be used fresh or dried. Seeds are also used.
Taste: Sweetish, slightly bitter, mucilaginous.
How to Brew
By Infusion: Mix 1 teaspoon root or seeds with 1 cup cold water. Let stand 5 hours, then boil for 10 minutes. Drink one cup per day.
By Decoction: Simmer 1 teaspoon roots or seeds in 1 to 1 1/2 cup water for 15 minutes. Drink some of this tea to keep a cold or flu at bay:
1 teaspoon burdock root
1 teaspoon echinacea root
1/2 teaspooon ginger root
Decoct roots by simmering for 10 to 20 minutes in 3 cups water.
User Group Forum
Share your questions and information with the ZooScape community!
Be the first to post!
Additional Information
ZooScape is proud to be the exclusive distributor of TerraVita teas, herbs and supplements in the United States, Canada and around the world. Please direct all wholesale and bulk inquiries to Simona Heather at 905-494-1785.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor. The essence of the current American rule on Traditional Uses is, as stated by FTC, "Claims based on historical or traditional use should be substantiated by confirming scientific evidence, or should be presented in such a way that consumers understand that the sole basis for the claim is a history of use of the product for a particular purpose."
