What exactly is burdock? This is very cool plant to be honest. First off it was the inspiration behind Velcro, seriously! How? Because the heads of the plant have tiny little hooks on them that easily attach themselves to animal fur and clothing, even feathers, birds have been known to get caught in a patch of these and die because they can't get out. I'm sure you've heard of "burrs", well, burdock is why any plant head that sticks to your clothes are called burs or burrs (regional dialect dictates the extra "r"). Also, it is a HUGE plant. The leaves can get to be as big as 2 feet. They are heart shaped at the bottom of the plant and become more egg shaped closer to the top. The leaf stalks are hollow and the leaves themselves are fuzzy on the underside. The whole plant itself sometimes grows as much as 3 to 6 feet tall.
What can you do about these plants that cause so much trouble? You could get rid of them or poison them or better yet, eat them and even better than that, make medicine with them. Yes, you can eat them and make medicine with them. A lot of people would ask "What parts of burdock can be eaten?" Well, the root is the most often used part for food, it can be sauteed, boiled or I eat them raw. They are a little woody when you eat them raw but they taste good! I've heard of some people boiling the burrs themselves and eating them but I'm just not that brave. The first year leaves can be eaten but they tend to be pretty bitter, something like dandelion. The leaf stems of the first and second year plant can also be eaten. Burdock has a whole host of things that are good for you in it, things like plant carbohydrates, protein and fiber. It also has vitamins like folate, niacin, riboflavin, vitamins A,C, E and K. On top of that, it has electrolytes like potassium and a small amount of sodium. If all of that isn't enough to convince you that it's good for you, it has minerals like calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, zinc, phosphorus and selenium. It's a powerhouse of goodies!
Burdock has been used for centuries as a medicine, it is a diuretic (helps you pee) and a diaphoretic (makes you sweat, especially helpful if you have a fever) it helps restore your body back to a healthy state in general. Burdock works as a pain reliever, antiseptic, and an overall tonic.
When you boil the root, save the water that you boiled it in to drink as a tea. Burdock leaf is really helpful for burns, there is a great article here about the use of burdock for 2nd and 3rd degree burns. For more minor burns you can use burdock leaves as a pain relieving, protective bandage. You can also chop it and add some chopped plantain leaves, apply this to the burn then use another burdock leaf to hold the mix on (think poultice).
Burdock root is also amazing for the liver, it cleans the blood and detoxifies. The cool thing is that not only is it good for our liver and blood but also for our dogs. You can give your dog a nice big drink of burdock tea or you can dry the root and grind it to a powder to sprinkle on their food. Another good way to give it to your dog is to make a tincture (100% vegetable glycerin is the best way to make a burdock tincture, especially when giving it to your dog.)
Burdock root is one of the safest herbs you can use for both yourself and your dog so get some today and start cleaning your blood, liver and healing your burns. (Not to mention eating it!)
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