burdock
Arctium lappa
Flavor Profile and Uses
Identification
Harvesting Instructions
- Medicinal edible root with an earthy flavor similar to parsnips (root can also be tinctured fresh for future medicinal use)
- Nutritious food source rich in vitamins and minerals easily eaten in soups, salads, stir fry’s, and roasts
- A favorite restorative tonic among herbalists, used to support liver and kidney function
- Due to these functions, burdock is effective in addressing many skin maladies such as acne, psoriasis, and eczema
- Bitter properties that stimulate bile production and improve digestion
- Leaves of Burdock are used fresh topically as poultices to treat boils, rashes, bites, and infections
- Seeds of Burdock can be used to stimulate immune response and some herbalists use them to treat colds and flus
Identification
- Extremely common throughout North America due to aggressive growth habits and sturdy constitution
- Known for prickly burrs that stick to clothing, fur, etc.
- Grows 3 – 4’ tall in its first year with large, deep green, heart shaped, and fuzzy leaves
- In the 2nd year, Burdock grows flowering stalks which can reach 7 – 8’
- Flowers are pinkish-purple and found at the top of the burrs
- Taproots are dense and fleshy the first year, growing up to 2’ in depth
- In the 2nd year, taproots become fibrous and woody, with a hollowed out center and reduced medicinal value
Harvesting Instructions
- Harvest roots in the fall at the end of the first season of plant growth (before the stalks appear)
- Loosen the soil around the plant, then dig by hand with a spade, fork, or shovel – carefully work the root out of the ground, maintaining as much of it as possible without breakage
- Cut up and wash long roots with a scrub brush, then cook and eat, dry in a single layer on a rack, or tincture for later use
Carpenter, Jeff, and Carpenter, Melanie. The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer. Chelsea Green Publishing, 2015.