Burr Tongue, or The Weed That Choked the Dog

It is said that the inspiration for Velcro came when Swiss inventor, George de Mestral, was removing the burrs of burdock from his dog’s coat, an experience we had with Kōura just days after adopting her. I knew that common burdock was found on our property, and I had made a point to remove all the plants that I could easily get to. However, during Kōura’s thorough exploration of our yard, she…

Indefinitely Wild Series: What Is Burdock?

Arctium lappa Also, Known As:

Bardana

Beggar’s Buttons

Bur

Burdock

Burdock Burrs

Burrs

Burr Seed

Cockle Buttons

Grass Burdock

Great Burdock

Hardock

Hareburr

Hurrburr

Lappa

Lappa Minor

Niu Bang

Personata

Thorny Burr

Turkey Burrseed

The dried root of the burdock species of plants is used to make a herbal remedy known simply as the burdock. This remedy is actually made from the dried first-year root…

Arctium, Asteraceae

I haven’t seen burdock in a long time, then suddenly two plants within a week, the only ones I’ve found since moving to Scotland. It didn’t help they both seem to share traits of A. lappa, greater burdock, and A. nemorosum, wood burdock, so for all I know they could have been hybrids of the two species, but I’m leaning towards them being the latter. All species of burdock are of Eurasian origin and have been introduced to and naturalised in many other temperate areas.  

These biennials with thistle-like flowers have a long history of cultivation as culinary plants, with young shoots, leaves, stems and roots all being edible, still particularly popular in Asian cuisine -the first year root is the vegetable known as gobō in Japan, but this part is the most consumed anywhere the plants grows. Here in the UK it is also part of a fizzy drink of Medieval origin called dandelion & burdock, which you can easily find in stores (but that I’m personally not particularly fond of, but I’m not a fan of fizzy drinks other than beer to be fair). The poulticed leaves are antibacterial and have been used against external sores, ulcers, swelling and insect bites, but the root is again the part most used for its medicinal properties. Fresh, or dried and made into a tea, it’s diuretic, depurative and detoxifying. It isn’t advisable to use this plant if you’re pregnant though, as it can cause complications. 

If we agree that weeds can be famous while simultaneously being infamous, a list of famous weeds must include burdock. Its fame largely comes from being an inspiration for the hook-and-loop fastener, Velcro. The idea for this revolutionary product came when Swiss inventor, George de Mestral, was removing burs – the dried inflorescences of burdock – from his dog in the early 1940’s. Most of us…

Scientific Names: Arctium lappa, A. minus, A. tomentosum Other Common Names: Beggar’s buttons, philanthropium cocklebur, fox’s clote, wild gobo, great or thorny burr, harebur, hardock Overall Safety: 😐

Therapeutic Efficacy and Considerations:

🙁 Efficacy and safety of burdock has never been clinically evaluated for any indication. Use is not recommended for any indication due to lack of efficacy information and multiple safety concerns such as cross-allergenicity with common plants including those in the Asteraceae/Compositae family, anaphylaxis, and sensitization.

Chemistry/Pharmacology: Burdock root contains up to 50% inulin, multiple non-hydroxy acids (e.g., stearic, lauric, palmitic) and polyacetylenes which are believed responsible for Gram-negative antimicrobial activity. In vitro studies have shown Gram-negative and Gram-positive activity. Animal studies have demonstrated hypoglycemic and uterine antimutagenic and antitumor activities. Burdock may also hepatoprotective effects against ethanol, acetaminophen, and carbon tetrachloride.

Drug Interactions: Theoretically, use with oral hypoglycemics and insulin may increase hypoglycemic effects, and use with anticoagulant or antiplatelet drugs might increase the risk of bleeding due to decreased platelet aggregation.

Contraindications/Precautions: Contraindicated in pregnancy due to uterine stimulant activity; lactation due to unknown effects; allergy to ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigolds, or daisies; and in diabetes. Note: Due to similar appearances, burdock can be adulterated with belladonna or deadly nightshade, causing atropine poisoning. This has occurred with commercial burdock preparations.

La grande bardane – excellent légume

Même en plein hiver on voit encore les “squelettes” des bardanes se dresser dans le ciel. Séchés, les fruits toujours prêts à s’accrocher à la première bête qui passe. A ce stade, la plante est déjà morte, elle a fait son cycle de deux ans, seuls les graines attendent d’être portées là où elles pourront germer au printemps. Mais ce qui nous intéresse à cette époque hivernale, ce sont les plantes…