Burdock, Arctium Lappa

Burdock

Arctium lappa

cool, dry, relaxant

Taste: bitter, sweet, oily

Family: Compositae (Asteraceae)

Medicinal parts: seeds, leaves, roots

Actions: alterative, hepatic, diuretic, diffusive, diaphoretic

Affinities: integumentary system, liver, gut flora

Notable constituents: caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, polyphenols, arctiin, arctigenin, phytosterols, mucilage, inulin (root to 50%)

Medicinal applications

• Root

  • Liver 

    • Burdock root tones and nourishes the liver. It is considered a hepatic herb, improving the liver's overall function. This action of improving liver health is why burdock is commonly worked with for detoxification. 

  • Kidney 

    • Burdock root is a diuretic herb that increases the health of the kidney.

• Digestive system

  • Burdock root contains an important prebiotic fibre, inulin. Inulin is commonly found in wild roots and weeds, such as elecampane and chicory. Burdock root contains 50% inulin. Inulin cannot be digested or broken down with stomach acid, instead it is absorbed by microbes in the digestive tract. These microbes produce effects that are beneficial to the gut and our total health. 

  • Burdock root has a chologue effect, meaning it increases the flow of bile which aids the overall digestive process. Burdock root can be worked with as a digestive bitter.

  • Incorporating burdock into your diet long-term improves the body's ability to digest fats. 

• Integumentary system 

  • Burdock root is supportive for skin level circulation, bringing up blood to the periphery. This circulation is helpful for improving skin quality, consider working with burdock root for acne, eczema, psoriasis and eruptive skin conditions. 

  • When taking burdock root consistently, the quality of your skin's health is likely to improve because burdock helps with the release of waste through the liver, bladder and intestines. As waste is released elsewhere, your body no longer releases waste through the skin channel of elimination. 

  • Burdock root allows us to improve the digestion of fats, this increased digestion can allow the body to repair its natural oil barrier on the skin. The skin's natural oil barrier is helpful for keeping us hydrated, this function of burdock is great for those that find they have constitutional dryness.

  • Burdock root can be supportive for immune system function, this can help heal a boil, sore or rash such as psoriasis or eczema.

• Lymphatic system 

  • Burdock is supportive for a gentle detox, stimulating the lymph and getting stagnant fluids moving. If you are trying to get relief from a swollen lymph, consider working with an infusion of burdock. 

• Alterative

  • Alteratives are herbs that increase the overall vitality of a person, the combination of different organs that burdock root improves puts it in this category of systemically supportive herbs. 

  • As an alterative, burdock root can be supportive for blood disorders such as gout, rheumatic accumulation and arthritis. As a diuretic herb, Burdock root can be worked with to lower blood pressure.

  • As a gentle alterative herb that increases overall vitality, burdock is a great option to include in a diet plan for those that have chronic illness and malnutrition.

• Leaf 

  • Burdock leaf has anti-inflammatory effects and can be worked with when making a poultice.

• Seeds

  • The actions of the seed are similar to the root but are more intensive.  The seeds do lack the inulin that the root contains in abundance. 

In practice

• When choosing a method to work with, keep in mind that a decoction is the best method for capturing the most inulin from burdock root. Although you will capture some inulin in a tincture, for the best results, work with a decoction.

• When working with alterative herbs such as burdock, it is important to note that this systemic change will be subtle and slow. Effects happening slowly doesn’t mean that it is less potent or weak, but keep in mind we will want to work with burdock for a minimum of three months before there will be noticeable change. When it comes to methods of consumption, if we are working with burdock as a food herb you will want a variety of recipes and as a tea you will want to have multiple blends to keep up the goal of having burdock in your diet long term.

• If you are working with burdock for a skin condition, consider assessing the person's diet as part of the protocol. It is common for skin irritation to be an expression of a food allergy, consider trying an elimination diet for common allergies.

• Burdock root as a long term part of a person's diet can help their ability to digest fats. This can be especially helpful for folks that have been on a low fat diet and are trying to reintroduce healthy fats into their diet. 

• Consider applying burdock root topically to dry and scaly skin. Make a wash out of a burdock decoction, you can apply it in a soaked cloth or add it to bath water for a soak. 

• Burdock is considered a “cooling” herb and is helpful for those who run hot and agitated, particularly if they have flushed skin combined with a hot temper. If someone shows signs of poor liver function and also has this hot agitated constitution, burdock could be a suitable ally for them. When working with excess heat it is also crucial to assess potential dietary irritations. 

• When treating swollen lymph glands with burdock, make an infusion of the root and drink 3-4 cups a day for about two days. 

• One way to work with burdock is by making root beer tea. This might be an attractive method for children and teens that could benefit from burdock's medicinal aspects. For treating acne or eczema, drink 2-3 cups daily for 2 weeks with a one week break before continuing. 

• Consider adding burdock root to a blend for cooling the liver, particularly for those that have a hot and agitated constitution. A suitable blend with burdock could be dandelion root and cinnamon bark.   

Cautions:

In some cases, people could experience skin irritation and/or rashes from burdock. This could be due to burdock trying to flush out an unidentified food allergen or incompatible pharmaceutical. 

Friends: nettle, dandelion, Oregon grape, barberry, red clover, liquorice

This is for research purposes and should not be taken as medical advice.

Cited Works

Gladstar, Rosemary. Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner’s Guide. Storey Publishing, LLC, 2012. 

Groves, Maria Noël. Body into Balance: An Herbal Guide to Holistic Self-Care. Storey Publishing, 2016.

Hoffmann, David. The Herbal Handbook: A User’s Guide to Medical Herbalism. Healing Arts Press, 1998. 

Swift, Katja, and Ryn Midura. “Burdock - Materia Medica Entry Text.” Accessed 28 June. 2025.  

Swift, Katja, and Ryn Midura. “Burdock - Arctium lappa” Family Herbalist Course. https://online.commonwealthherbs.com/courses/take/materia-medica/lessons/2374838-burdock-arctium-lappa Accessed 28 June. 2025.