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Burdock or Gobo(Arctium lappa) seed information page

Burdock (Arctium lappa)
Family: Asteraceae

My neighbors sowed burdock seeds in their very fertile garden and eventually harvested all but one root. The next spring this very well manured plant began to send up a seed stalk, which they cut back, not wanting to have a garden full of burdock babies. (They should have dug all the roots in the first year if they didn’t want the plant to come back.) Undaunted, the bereaved root sent up another seed stalk. This time they dug out the root, which by now was woody and as big around as my arm, but they couldn’t get it all. The next spring the plant, frustrated in its efforts to set seed, sent up another flower stalk. The last time I checked, the neighbors were still battling the procreative urge of this brave plant—they had staked a square of black plastic over the spot. I am rooting for the burdock.

Burdock description: Burdock is native to temperate Europe and Asia. Burdock is a biennial, producing a massive rosette of leaves in the first year, then completing its life cycle by flowering (large, purple thistle-like flowers) and making burdock seed in the second year. The deeply excavating taproot is edible during the first year of growth. The plant is a vigorous self-seeder.

Burdock seed: The mature plant is a 7 foot tall candelabra, each branch sporting numerous large burrs that ripen by late summer of the second year of growth. The burrs were reportedly once used as a substitute for buttons, to close a ragged winter jacket against the cold. The burrs even attach themselves to hair and fur, a clever adaptive technique resulting in the wide distribution of burdock seed. When these burrs pull readily off the dry plant, the seed is fully mature. Pull the mature burrs from the plant and put them in a bucket. Wear leather gloves. You will probably notice a general itchiness to your skin. This is due to the tiny pappus hairs that irritate like fiberglass and invade every possible crevice and cranny, lodging between your skin and your clothing. You may even want to wear a dust-mask and protective goggles. As a family, we harvest burdock seed in our underwear, to limit chaffing (and laundry). We do it only once a year, and we finish the job as quickly as we can. Please visualize a family of five in their underwear, wearing bandannas over their faces and protective goggles, all racing over a green lawn, with white buckets in hand, to see who can be the first into the shower. The last one out (guess who) stays behind to fire up the wood chipper. I feed the dry burrs into the chipper, which breaks the burdock seed free. The resultant mass of burdock seed and chaff is then winnowed with the help of the evening breeze. Believe me, if burdock seed were not required in order to grow burdock root, and if this tasty root were not such a premier blood-cleansing agent in its own right, we would never do this!

Cultivation: Burdock is easily grown from seed and may be sown directly in the garden from early spring on into summer, with plenty of time left to get a good harvest of roots. Preferring deep and sandy garden soil, the plant will grow in partial shade or full sun. The plant prefers regular watering. Sow the burdock seeds about ¼ inch deep and pat down the row. Burdock seeds germinate in 1 to 2 weeks. Keep weeded and thin to about 4 inches apart. The reason for keeping the plants so close together is that it makes the roots grow long and thin, which is desirable, and it lessens the labor involved in digging, as more roots are dug out of a smaller space.

Harvesting and processing the burdock root: The burdock roots are ready to harvest after two to four months. You don’t have to wait until the tops are dormant, but of course to obtain the largest possible roots (which can weigh up to two pounds), then harvest after the tops die back in the fall. Spring-sown burdock will find its way into summer vegetable soup, and the leaf may be picked as needed for poulticing or tea as soon as it reaches sufficient size. Moderate harvest of the leaves will not deter root development. Digging the roots can be difficult, unless the soil is a deep sandy loam. The best technique is to trench down the side of the row with a spade, then push the spade in behind the roots and lever them into the trench, being careful not to break them. Also be careful not to break the spade. (This is the part where you are glad you planted them closely together.) To make dried burdock roots, dig and wash the roots and then split them down the length. A large root should be split into at least 4 pieces. Dry the burdock root pieces on screens in a dark, airy location or use a vegetable/fruit dehydrator. When the pieces snap and are internally dry, they may be ground up to make the tincture or stored in plastic bags or glass jars for later use.

Practical uses: Fresh burdock root or the tincture of dried root is taken internally as a treatment for staph infections, impetigo or obstinate ulceration of the skin or mucous membranes. Often combined with dandelion or yellow dock, burdock root is an effective blood purifier used to treat psoriasis, eczema, oily skin, acne, boils, and gout. As a food, burdock root is eaten as a medicinal vegetable, cooked by steaming or used as an ingredient in stir-fry. The raw burdock root is excellent when grated and marinated. Soup is prepared by boiling pieces of the fresh burdock root along with other root vegetables, shiitake mushrooms, and edible herbs (astragalus, codonopsis, etc.) until all ingredients are tender. This is then removed from the heat, at which point a tablespoonful or more of miso is stirred in. Served hot, this soup will fortify the system against disease or, if taken by the convalescent, will help to strengthen all body systems and accelerate recovery.
For more information on the preparation and use of burdock root in home herbal medicine, see the book “Making Plant Medicine.”