Getting To Know - The Burdock Plant

Burdock root (Arctium lappa), is a large perennial thistle plant that grows throughout Europe and Asia and has been known for its healing properties for many centuries and was commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat many different illnesses.  It is rich in calcium, chlorogenic acid, flavonoids, iron, inulin, lactone, mucilage, polyacetylenes, potassium, resin, tannin, and taraxosterol.  In Asia, the taproot of young burdock plant is harvested and eaten as a root vegetable.  It has a gummy consistency and is sweet to the taste.

Traditional Uses for Burdock Root

As Burdock has many medicinal qualities all its parts are used in many herbal remedies: the leaves (mainly for tea), the burrs, the seed, the stem and the root.  Traditionally the burdock root was used as a diuretic, diaphoretic, and a blood purifying agent. But it wasn’t just the root that was used.  The compressed seeds of the burdock were used in folk medicine to make a tincture that provided relief for measles and arthritis, tonsillitis and throat pain, and viruses like the common cold. It can be used topically to treat skin conditions like ulcers, acne, eczema, and psoriasis.  By extracting oil from the roots or the burs, scalp treatments are produced which help treat dandruff and prevent hair loss.  Burdock oil is rich in phytosterols and essential fatty acids and this is said to improve hair strength, shine, and body.  The leaves of the burdock have even been used in pain management and to help speed up recovery time in burn patients.  And most encouraging of all, in Russia and India, burdock root is used in oncology for its cancer-curing properties.  It is believed by many herbalists that burdock root can stop cancer cells from metastasizing.

Essiac for Cancer

In the 1920s, nurse Rene Caisse marketed a cancer-fighting herbal preparation containing burdock that was based on a traditional Ojibwa medicine. The exact formula remains secret, but contains burdock, slippery elm, sheep sorrel and Turkish rhubarb. Taken in a tea, it continues to be used as an alternative anti-cancer remedy. The National Cancer Institute states that several reputable scientific studies have found no proof that Essiac is effective in slowing or stopping the growth of cancer cells, and it has not been approved by the FDA as a drug. Consult your doctor before using Essiac or burdock for cancer.

Did You Know

Burdock is also known as Fox's Clote, Thorny Burr, Beggar's Buttons, Cockle Buttons, Love Leaves, Philanthropium, Personata, Happy Major and Clot-Bur.

Burdock is also consumed as a vegetable in Japan, where it's called Gobo.

Because burdock root suppress any sudden increase in blood sugar level, it is effective for high blood pressure and diabetes.  It also decreases inflammation, throat swelling, and aches.

The fibers in burdock root are very tough and do not digest when eaten, so act as a great digestive cleanser.

Further Reading:

http://www.chinese-herbs.org/burdock/

http://fasting.ws/cancer/burdock-cancer

http://www.gentle-stress-relief.com/benefits-of-burdock.html