Wonderful Weeds: Burdock

Burdock, arctium lappa L, is not wonderful at all as a weed, in fact in Colorado it is classified as a noxious weed. It is a Eurasian plant introduced by settlers in the seventeenth century as a food and medicine. As with yellow dock, its properties were appreciated by Native American tribes, who cultivated and utilized it.

You can harvest the tender sprouts growing up from last year’s roots. We’ve tried eating them in salad, but they are probably more digestible when cooked. You can dry the mature roots for medicinal use or put them in your vegetable broth. They contain inulin and have a good flavour, a combination of bitter, astringent and sweet. The tender young roots can be eaten along with the shoots.

A member of the sunflower family, Asteraceae, burdock truly is a wonderful herb, serving as an adaptogen, nutritive tonic and rejuvenative. It is also a blood cleanser, anti-inflammatory, diaphoretic and diuretic. Its anti-tumour activity is another of its valuable properties. Native Americans used burdock to treat introduced diseases like whooping cough, measles and smallpox. It is famed for its value in lymphatic congestion and is also used in skin conditions like psoriasis and hives. Burdock is a valuable herb for kidney, bladder and liver conditions, as well as for all kinds of infections. So even though it’s a noxious weed, we can still make use of it—just cut it down before it creates burrs.

 Alakananda Ma M.B., B.S. (Lond.) is an Ayurvedic Doctor (NAMA) and graduate of a top London medical school. She is co-founder of Alandi Ayurveda Clinic and Alandi Ayurveda Gurukula in Boulder Colorado, as well as a spiritual mother, teacher, flower essence maker and storyteller. Alakananda is a well known and highly respected practitioner in the Ayurveda community both nationally and internationally.

Enliven your holistic health! Visit Alakananda Ma in Alandi Ashram’s ayurvedic clinic to support the overall rejuvenation of your body, mind, and spirit. In-person and virtual appointments available. Book now!