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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.”
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