Burdock

Photo: UGC Burdock, or burdock, is a common weed that has a wide range of beneficial properties. It is actively used in herbal medicine, cosmetology and cooking. The whole plant has healing properties, but the greatest part of the medicinal value will be found in its lower part. Burdock root has medicinal properties and contraindications, which will be discussed in our article.

Botanical description of burdock

Large burdock
is a large biennial herbaceous plant, 60-180 cm high. The root is fleshy, taproot, lightly branched, spindle-shaped, up to 60 cm long, in the first year of life it is succulent, and in the second it becomes flabby and hollow inside.
In the first year, burdock forms basal leaves, in the second - a powerful, erect, ribbed, reddish, strongly branched in the upper part, slightly glandular stem. The leaves are petiolate, gradually becoming smaller towards the top of the stem, broadly heart-shaped, ovate, toothed, with sparse short hairs or glabrous above, grayish-tomentose below. The lower leaves are large, up to 50 cm in length and width. The flowers are collected in spherical baskets with a diameter of 3-3.5 cm, arranged in the form of a shield or corymbose panicle at the ends of the stem and its branches. The involucre of the baskets is bare, green, and consists of imbricated linear, gradually pointed, hard, hooked-curved leaves. The general bed of the basket is slightly convex, densely planted with rigid, linear-subulate bracts. All flowers are tubular, bisexual, with a lilac-purple corolla. Cup in the form of a tuft. There are 5 stamens, the anthers are fused into a tube with arrow-shaped appendages. Pistil with lower single-locular ovary. The fruits of burdock are oblong, bare, ribbed, spotted achenes, 5-7 mm long, with a tuft of multi-row yellowish-white, hard, easily falling hairs. The pappus is 2 times shorter than the achenes. Burdock
blooms in June-August. The fruits ripen in September-October.

Arctium lappa Taxon

: Aster Family (Asteraceae)
Other names:
burdock, burdock
English:
Burdock, Edible Burdock, Lappa, Beggar's Buttons, Gobo

The botanical name of the genus Arctium comes from the Greek word arctos - bear; specific - lappa - from the Greek iavcin - to take, cling, grab.

What does burdock look like and where does it grow?

Large burdock is considered to be a weed , but recently there has been a tendency among gardeners to grow it as a medicinal and vegetable plant. For example, one of the species is the huge Sakhalin burdock, which is actively grown in vegetable gardens and even on balconies and stored for the winter, as if it were potatoes.

Among other things, this giant can do a good job if you pick off large leaves and cover the southern side of the garden bed with them in the evening so that the scorching rays of the sun in the morning do not harm the young plantings - you will get something similar to a canopy.

The distribution area of burdock includes the Caucasus, the Urals, Siberia, the European part of Russia, the Far East and Central Asia.

How to determine that what you are looking at is a big burdock? Distinctive features - high pubescent stem (from 120 centimeters); large ovate leaves, decreasing in size as they approach the apex; powerful tap-type root system, going deep underground (more than half a meter). The burdock foliage is green on top and grayish on the underside.

Burdock, as it is also called, is a herbaceous biennial from the Asteraceae family. In the first season, the plant acquires basal leaves, and in the second it sends out tall stem branches. The period of active flowering occurs in the second half of summer, and the growing season occurs in August and September. Burdock flowers have a tubular structure; they look like red-violet spherical baskets. Upon completion of ripening, the fruits cling to clothing and animal fur - this is how the plant develops new territories.

Collection and preparation of burdock

The medicinal raw materials are the leaves, thorns and roots of burdock. The roots (pharmaceutical name Radix Bardanae) of first-year plants are dug up at the end of April - beginning of May, when the burdock does not yet have stems, but leaves have appeared, or in September-October, after the leaves have dried. Flabby and woody roots are unsuitable for medicinal purposes. The succulent roots are dried in the sun, after which the soil is removed from them by hand. Under no circumstances should you remove the skin from them - it contains many useful substances. Dry without much delay, cutting lengthwise into pieces of 10-15 cm, dry in dryers or ovens at a temperature of 40 ° C.

Burdock leaves

collected in July-August, dried in the shade, in a draft; seeds - as they ripen. The shelf life of roots when properly stored is up to 5 years, seeds - 3 years, leaves - 1 year.

Useful thorn

Wherever we are - near the house, by the road, in a vacant lot, on the river bank, in the forest, in the garden or in the vegetable garden - the green creation of nature, known as the great burdock, tirelessly pursues us, lazily spreading its huge leaves. Another popular name for burdock is also known - burdock. The plant received it for its tenacious fruits, which attach themselves to people and animals passing by with the help of slightly curved, sticky bristles.

True, for medicinal purposes, burdock spines are not the best raw material. The same cannot be said about its leaves and roots, from which traditional medicine experts have been making healing tinctures and extracts since ancient times.

Burdock root is used as a diuretic, diaphoretic and metabolism-stimulating agent for gout, kidney stones, stomach ulcers, gastritis, pulmonary tuberculosis, and is also included in herbal preparations for medicinal baths.

Infusions of leaves are used for kidney and gall bladder diseases, rheumatism, hemorrhoids, intestinal disorders (constipation), and diabetes. Fresh burdock leaves are also an excellent antipyretic, and are also indispensable in the treatment of rheumatism, mastopathy and for wound healing. And decoctions of burdock and burdock oil have long been known as the primary remedy for skin diseases and for strengthening hair.

Chemical composition of burdock

The roots of the plant contain up to 45% inulin polysaccharide, 12.3% protein, essential oil (up to 0.2%), fatty oil, palmitic, stearic acids, sitosterol and stigmasterol, tannins and bitter substances. Burdock roots contain about 2.5% protein, 0.14% fat, 14.5% carbohydrates, 1.17% ash. Inulin is not digested by digestive enzymes in the human body and belongs to the group of dietary fibers. In this regard, it is used in medicine as a substitute for starch and sugar in diabetes mellitus. The lignan glycoside arctiin, which is hydrolyzed into arctihepin and glucose, was found in burdock seeds; a large amount of fatty oil, which contains glycerides of linoleic and oleic acids. The leaves contain tannins, mucus, and essential oils. The leaves contain about 3.5% protein, 1.8% fat, 19.4% carbohydrates, 8.8% ash. Burdock

without exaggeration, it can be called the ginseng of central Russia.

Useful properties and contraindications

Before determining what diseases burdock treats, you need to understand its beneficial properties. The plant is capable of the following:

cleanses the blood;
prevents the formation of tumors and other neoplasms;
has a diuretic effect;
produces a choleretic effect;
increases sweat secretion;
destroys fungi;
enhances secretion production;
destroys bacteria;
accelerates wound healing;
suppresses inflammatory processes;
disinfects;
carries out detoxification;
has a resolving effect.

Thanks to these properties, the plant copes with various diseases and pathologies.

You need to know not only what diseases burdock helps with, but also when it is prohibited to use it. The plant has few contraindications. In rare cases, individual poor tolerance to burdock is discovered when a person develops an allergic reaction.

During pregnancy and breastfeeding, products based on it should be used very carefully and only after the doctor’s permission. The same goes for children.

In addition, the drug should not be used for exacerbation of diseases of the digestive tract and urinary system.

Pharmacological properties of burdock

Burdock preparations stimulate tissue regeneration, have choleretic, antibacterial and antidiabetic effects, normalize blood composition, stomach and intestinal functions.
Burdock roots
are used as a diuretic for urolithiasis, edema, as an antipyretic and diaphoretic for colds, as an analgesic and metabolic restorer for gout, articular rheumatism, hemorrhoids, and also externally for the treatment of skin diseases. Burdock roots are the best remedy for restoring metabolic processes in the body.

Indications for use

Inulin is called one of the most effective detoxifiers of natural origin. Excellent for poisoning. Used to eliminate harmful toxins from alcohol intoxication, gastrointestinal diseases, and chemical poisoning. It is recommended to use the extract for the following symptoms:

burns, abrasions, skin cuts;
venereal problems;
diseases of the female genitourinary system;
metabolic pathologies in the body;
diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
musculoskeletal disorders;
inflammation of the skin, in particular dermatitis, eczema, seborrhea;
pathologies of the respiratory system;
accumulation of salts in internal organs.

Use of burdock in medicine

In folk medicine, burdock roots are used in the form of infusion, decoction, tincture, burdock oil for gout, rheumatism, some skin diseases, and also as a diuretic and diaphoretic. Externally - for eczema, ulcers, skin rashes, purulent wounds, furunculosis, sciatica and radiculitis. Infusion and decoction of burdock roots

used for gastritis, as well as eczema and metabolic disorders. Burdock leaves are used as a choleretic agent, as well as for burns and wounds. The juice of the leaves is used to remove warts, for scabies, and heals wounds well. To treat hemorrhoids and intestinal polyposis, take an infusion or decoction of the herb. Wash your hair with a decoction of burdock root twice a week to strengthen and improve hair growth. For this purpose, a decoction of burdock roots in almond or olive oil, the so-called burdock oil, is used, as well as an ointment mixed halfway with fat and kept in the oven for several hours.

Burdock oil is used externally as a means to strengthen and grow hair, and for skin diseases (eczema, acne, furunculosis).
To wash pustules on the face, as well as against dandruff and hair loss, use a decoction of burdock and tartar; a tablespoon of each herb per glass of water.
To treat radiculitis, wash fresh burdock leaves with water, boil dry leaves with boiling water and apply a layer of 5-6 leaves to the sore spot, cover with compress paper on top, apply a warm bandage (tied with a warm scarf).
Burdock oil has a good effect on hair, it becomes stronger, stops falling out, and grows better. It is advisable to lubricate dry hair with burdock oil to maintain shine and elasticity. To do this, you need to insert a cotton wool into the teeth of the comb, soak it with burdock oil, and then comb your hair, starting from the ends. Hair fat decomposes quite quickly, so it is recommended to do this at night, and in the morning remove any remaining fat with a dry towel. Lubricating them with burdock oil also helps improve eyelash growth.
For weak, thinning hair, mix 1 tbsp. l. burdock oil, raw yolk, 1 tsp. honey, 2 tsp. grated onion juice, 2 tsp. liquid soap. Apply this mixture to the scalp, tie it with oilcloth, wrap it with warm material and after 1-2 hours wash your hair with liquid soap.
When treating gingivitis, it is recommended to add a little salt to the juice of crushed burdock seeds and prepare an ointment. After 2-3 lubrications, recovery occurs.
There is evidence that burdock preparations are effective in the treatment of malignant neoplasms. The lignan aglycone arctigenin exhibited antitumor activity in experiments.
Recent studies have shown that burdock seed extract lowers blood sugar levels.

All about herbs and more

General information
Plant names: Latin - Arctium Common - Burdock Pharmacy name: roots - Radix Bardanae Arctium belongs to the Asteraceae (or Asteraceae) family. A number of burdocks are represented by 11 species. It owes its origin to the Mediterranean. Six species of burdock grow in Russia, the most common being large burdock (Arctium lappa) and felt burdock (Arctium tomentosum). The top of the stem of this burdock is covered with felt. The petioles, like those of the large one, are protruding and straight, but in shaded places they can bend in arcs.

Common names: In Dahl's dictionary, burdock is called lapushnik, moulder, dog. Belarusian: bryleunik, zadzerka, dog, dzyady. Kazakh: zhaprak. Azerbaijani: torture. Armenian: kratun. Georgian: orovanda. It is necessary to take into account that the name “burdock” is popularly used by several different species of Asteraceae with wide leaves, as well as marigold, water lily, and egg capsule. Its most famous middle name, Burdock, is rarely associated directly with burdock. Perhaps we can say that Burdock and Burdock practically live separate lives. Origin of names: Its generic Latin name Arctium comes from the Latinized Greek name for burdock "arcion" ("arceion", "arktion"). First used by Dioscorides in his work “Materia medica”. It is believed that it is consonant with the Greek “arktos” (“bear”) and was given to it because of its huge leaves. The specific “grab” is assigned to it because of the fruits that tightly cling to everything that passes by. The Russian word "burdock" contains an ancient Indo-European root with the basic meaning of "leaf". The name was given to plants with huge leaves. The name is related to the Lithuanian lapas - “leaf” and the Russian “paw” (including in the meaning of “coniferous tree branch”), as well as the adjective lop-eared.

Botanical description. Appearance: Burdock - Arctium When describing burdock, one should not forget that it is a biennial plant. In this he is very similar to his giver of the generic name - the bear. During hibernation, the bear economically spends the fat gained in the summer. Burdock stores all the nutrients accumulated in the first summer with the help of a powerful rosette of leaves in a huge root. And in the second cycle, it removes them from there, investing them in a tall trunk, at the top of which flowers and basket-shaped seed storages - burrs - will appear. That is why, when in early spring other plants look pitiful and defenseless, burdock immediately surprises with its powerful growth. The root generously gives out everything necessary for growth. Burdock appears before us in the form of an almost thornless large herbaceous plant, reaching a height of up to one and a half meters. If we could see through the ground, we would be amazed at its powerful tap root. The length of the root is not inferior to the height of the above-ground part of the burdock and sometimes stretches up to the same one and a half meters. The annual large burdock has a long root, up to sixty centimeters, and the lobe of branched roots pierces the soil horizon both in depth and in breadth. There is no place to stick a shovel in the burdocks, the ground is so clogged with roots and roots. From a distance, burdock attracts the eye with its large (up to 40 centimeters) leaves. Its leaves fit into the following definitions: heart-shaped, alternate, simple, petiolate. The front side resembles green oilcloth, the back side resembles gray felt. Against their background, the flowers are almost invisible. But if you get closer, you will see that they resemble small purple torches. The general branched inflorescence has a corymbose or paniculate shape. Burdock flowers are bisexual, identical, all fertile, with a regular tubular five-lobed corolla. The general receptacle is flat, barely fleshy, covered with numerous setae, initially flat, later spirally twisted. The involucre is glabrous or cobwebby, its leaves are multirowed, linear or lanceolate, the outer and middle leaves are narrowed into a deflected pointed tip ending in a small hook, the inner ones are more or less filmy, straight. Stamens with free bare filaments and arrow-shaped anthers at the base, ending at the apex with narrowed upward or pointed appendages and with filamentous bare simple or bi- or multipartite appendages at the base. The style is surrounded at the base by a suprapistal disc, which remains with the fruit, with linear, hairy branches curved at the base. Having analyzed in detail what usually eludes our eyes, we move on to what draws attention to itself - to the burrs. Burdock fruits are oblong achenes, flattened on the sides, truncated at the apex, ribbed, usually more or less wrinkled between the ribs (especially at the base and at the apex), less often smooth or almost smooth. The crest is short, its bristles are unequal, rough, multi-row, free to the base, falling, the attachment area is basal, straight. After ripening, the seed baskets easily cling to animal fur (or human clothing). In this way, the seeds are dispersed over considerable distances. Interesting fact: it is the burdock burdock that we have to thank for the now so popular Velcro fastener. In 1948, the Swiss engineer Georges de Mestral took a close look at the burdock seeds clinging to the fur of his dog, and it was then that he had a brilliant idea that quickly found practical application. She did not push buttons and laces out of the market, but significantly reduced their number. Flowering occurs in June - August, up to a thousand seeds per bush. Habitat: Settles on fertile soils near human habitation, on roadsides, in garbage areas, as well as on forest edges and clearings. Widely distributed: the range of the genus is the temperate zone of Europe and Asia. And some species are even brought to the American continent. Parts Used: Almost all parts are used in folk medicine. The roots, young leaves and young stems can be eaten.

An incredibly useful plant. It is used in many sectors of the national economy. Here are just a few examples:

Insecticide against caterpillars of cabbage whites, cutworms and moths. In veterinary medicine, a decoction is used for washing horses and cows with itchy skin, lichen, and hair loss.
Fatty burdock oil is used in soap making, the paint and varnish industry, and for the preparation of drying oil.
Leaves and roots are used for food. The roots are consumed only from plants of the first year of life - raw, boiled, fried, baked. They are put in soups and borscht instead of potatoes, parsley, and carrots. Jam and marmalade are made from the roots. Roasted roots are a coffee substitute. Flour from the dried roots is added to the dough. Young shoots and leaves, peeled, are used for salads, cabbage soup, and borscht.
The stems provide coarse fiber, and waste stems can be used to make wrapping paper.
When fresh, the plant is not easily eaten by livestock, but it provides nutritious silage for dairy cows. In France, the USA, China and Japan, it is grown in gardens and industrial plantations.
Honey plant, bees willingly collect nectar with a strong pleasant smell and pollen from burdock.

Collection and harvesting
Burdock roots are harvested in late autumn.
Only roots from the first year of life should be taken. At this time they are fleshy and juicy, but the roots of the two-year-old burdock are flabby, like wood, and are unsuitable for medicinal purposes. Shake off the ground. One source categorically warns against washing, arguing that dried soil remains can be easily removed with a brush by the end of the first day. Another source highly recommends cold water rinsing. The roots are cut lengthwise into long strips. Dry them outdoors or in a well-ventilated area. Another source recommends drying in a warm but not overheated oven. The shelf life of the roots is no more than one year. Burdock leaves are torn in the fall and dried, spread out in an even layer. Then it will be enough to soak these leaves in water and apply them to the sore spot. Medicine:
The roots contain the polysaccharide inulin (up to 45%), proteins (about 12.34%), essential oil (up to 0.17%), fat-like substances, palmitic, stearic acids, mucus, tannins, bitter and protein substances, sitosterol , resinous and other substances. The leaves contain essential oil, mucus, tannins, and ascorbic acid up to 350 mg%. The seeds contain 25-30% fatty oil.

Pharmacological properties.
Burdock roots are known in pharmacopoeias under the name lat. Radix Bardanae. An infusion of the roots in olive or almond (less often sunflower) oil called “burdock oil” is used in scientific and folk medicine as a means to strengthen hair. A decoction of the roots is used as a diuretic and diaphoretic. The root extract improves the composition of blood and urine in patients with gout while simultaneously improving the clinical status. The second fraction of plant alkaloids, obtained by electrodialysis, showed clear activity in inhibiting tumor growth. Young leaves of the plant exhibit antibacterial activity. It has been experimentally established that consumption of burdock root increases glycogen deposition in the liver. According to S. A. Tomilin (Kyiv), fresh or in the form of a liquid extract, burdock root is indicated for diabetes - a decoction of crushed root: 20 g per 250 ml of water, 3 times a day. Traditional Medicine:
Infusions and decoctions of burdock root are used to treat gastritis, stomach and duodenal ulcers, ulcers, boils, as a blood purifier.
Burdock decoction is used for various diseases of the genitourinary organs. It will help with gout, rheumatism, hemorrhoids, chronic constipation, and diabetes. Fresh leaves are applied to wounds, tumors, and sore joints. A remedy for treating salt deposits is prepared from fresh May burdock leaves. For inflammatory processes in the stomach, you should eat 4-5 freshly dug young burdock roots every day for two to three weeks. But after a few hours, fresh roots begin to lose their beneficial qualities. For colitis with poor peristalsis, atrophic changes in the mucous membrane of the large intestine, and persistent constipation, a decoction of burdock seeds is used. The greatest fame for burdock is the so-called “Burdock oil”, which quickly heals wounds and helps with burns. It is prepared not from burrs, but from fresh roots. Finely chop fresh burdock root, pour 3 full tablespoons of sunflower oil, leave in a warm place for 24 hours, then boil over low heat for 15 minutes, drain after straining into a bottle and store. Contraindications and possible side effects: none found. Magic:
The main magical properties of burdock are considered to be cleansing and protection from evil forces.
Let's look at protective recipes: a.) From evil forces. Burdock is placed in bags with dry herbs of all kinds. b.) From witchcraft. A wearable necklace is made from dried, chopped burdock roots. c.) From negative energy. Burdock leaves are scattered around the house. Collecting burdock for magical purposes has additional conditions. The magical and healing power of burdock roots is manifested if they are collected on the waning Moon, and the leaves should be cut in the first phase of the Moon, from sunrise to noon. Myths and Legends:
Two main qualities of burdock - the vitality of the plant and the tenacity of its prickly flowers-baskets - determined its symbolic meaning - persistence and obsession. Thistle, along with heather, is a symbol of Scotland. According to legend, the Normans, who wanted to subdue the Scots by cunning, decided to sneak up on the army barefoot at dawn, and one of the soldiers impaled himself directly on a thorny burdock flower, screaming in unexpected pain and thereby waking up the Scots. After the Normans were expelled, the savior flower was placed on the ancient Scottish coat of arms. He personifies perseverance and strength, invincibility and has the same prickly disposition as many Scots. In Slavic folklore, burdock is a symbol of worthlessness. However, he was often called grandfather, since there was a custom to place a symbol of a good spirit - a sheaf of this thorny plant at the gate or door of a hut, stable, in order to ward off foreign hostile spirits and evil spirits. In the language of flowers, burdock represents importunity and boredom. In the era of the Biedermeier style, the playful use of flower symbolism as communication was very popular; in that system, burdock literally meant “You can rely on my sympathetic devotion and reliable help.” A Japanese legend says that when they first met, gobo did not want to impose himself on a person, but only tried to attract his attention: he really wanted to make friends with the powerful ruler of the world. But people usually passed by indifferently or even scolded the gobo for its intrusiveness. And only one poor old peasant looked at him kindly and from then on they became friends. Since then, in many peasant fields in Japan you can see carefully tended beds of burdock, used for food. Burdock inflorescences were often included in Kupala wreaths. According to Polish legend, the severed head of John the Baptist rolled into the weeds, into the thickets of burdock and wormwood. This legend explains a simple operation that protects against headaches next year: the Western Slavs picked burdock and wormwood on St. John’s day and threw them onto the roof. In legends, burdock (associated with huge leaves) and burdock (associated with burdocks) show different characters even among the same people. As an example, I will give excerpts from two fairy tales by the same author: “In one old manor’s estate, they haven’t eaten snails for a long time, and they all died out. But the burdock did not die out. It grew and grew, and nothing could drown it out. All the alleys, all the beds were overgrown with burdock, so that the garden became not a garden, but a burdock forest. No one would have guessed that there used to be a garden here if there hadn’t been an apple tree and a plum tree sticking out here.” Hans Christian Andersen (c) “Happy Family” “And the young Scotswoman looked around for a long time, choosing and choosing, but she didn’t choose anything: not a single one of the garden flowers suited her taste. But then she looked over the fence where the burdock grew, saw its lush blue-red flowers, smiled and asked the son of the owner of the house to pick a flower for her. - This is the flower of Scotland! - she said. — It adorns the Scottish coat of arms. Give it to me! And he tore off the most beautiful one, pricking his fingers as if with a prickly rose hip.” Hans Christian Andersen (c) “The Fate of Burdock” Dream Interpretations are contemptuous of burdock in both of its forms: “If you dream of Burdock, you have made a mistake in something; a garden in a dream overgrown with burdocks, a sign that you are offended by the world,” exposes our not very beautiful qualities. “The appearance of this plant in your dream indicates immodesty of desires and excessive persistence,” another sonic warns of bad things. “Seeing a burdock in a dream means that you will not be able to achieve your goal,” a third person is disappointed in us. Burdock in a dream means obsessive troubles in life. “A problem will arise - how to get rid of an annoying, stupid person,” promises one dream book. “Frequent checks of work officials,” says another. And only girls can rejoice a little at the promise “To a new admirer,” however, it is not a fact that he will not turn out to be that “annoying, stupid person.” Russian proverbs and sayings also do not spoil the mug with a kind attitude:

The burdock does not grow higher than the ash tree, and the rooster does not fly higher than the hawk.
The burdock is tall, the devil is glad for it.
It got stuck like a burdock in the wool.

Recipes, infusions, decoctions:
Burdock decoction.
For dropsy, take 1/3 cup of a decoction of 20 grams of burdock root per glass of water 3-4 times a day. Method for preparing the decoction: 1 tablespoon of dried and crushed burdock root, pour 500 grams of boiling water. Cook for 10 minutes over low heat. Burdock infusion. Preparation of diaphoretic infusion: boil two teaspoons of finely chopped roots over low heat in a glass of water for 10-15 minutes. Drink 1 tablespoon 3-4 times a day. Use in cooking:
Burdock has such extensive uses in cooking that a separate book could be published containing recipes from burdock. Young burdock roots are consumed like carrots. Salads are prepared from its young leaves. For salad or vinaigrette, use boiled sweet roots and peeled, boiled petioles. Fresh leaves and petioles are added to green cabbage soup. Fried or baked burdock roots are especially tasty. They are also used to make jam. Burdock root flour mixed in a 1:2 ratio with rye flour is suitable for baking bread. In Japan, it is cultivated in garden beds, and is called “dodo” or “gobo”. Recipes: Salad. Take 100 g of burdock leaves, 30 g of horseradish, 50 g of green onions, 20 g of plantain, 20 g of sour cream, salt and sugar to taste. Dip the washed leaves in boiling water for a minute, dry lightly, chop, mix with chopped onion, add grated horseradish and chopped plantain, season with sour cream. Puree. Pass clean fresh burdock leaves (1 kg), 100 g of sorrel, 30 g of dill or parsley through a meat grinder, add pepper to taste. Mix, place in sterile glass jars and store in the refrigerator. Puree can be used to prepare soups, salads and as a seasoning for meat and fish dishes. Soup. Prepare 50 g burdock leaves, 80 g onions, 150 g potatoes, 20 g rice, 20 g butter, salt, pepper. Boil the peeled potatoes and rice until tender. Add chopped burdock leaves and sautéed onions to the soup 10-15 minutes before serving. Burdock soup with mushrooms. Cut the young burdock roots of the first year of life, peeled, into small pieces and cook like potatoes, then add 50 g of fresh mushrooms. You can also add some milk powder. Before finishing cooking, season the soup with pepper, wild garlic or other wild onions. Coffee. Grind the washed burdock roots, dry, fry until brown, and grind in a coffee grinder. It should be brewed like coffee, at the rate of a teaspoon of powder per glass of boiling water. Baked roots. You will need 50 g of burdock roots, 2.5 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Boil the roots in salted water and fry in oil. Stewed burdock root (gobo) – Tanakigobo. By beating the burdock root and destroying the root fiber, you get a fragrant, well-seasoned dish. Ingredients (for 2 servings): Burdock root (gobo) …..1 large root Broth………….1/2 cup Sugar…………..1 tsp. Salt……………a little Soy sauce………1 tsp. White sesame…….3 tbsp. l. Vinegar…………..1 tbsp. l. Sugar…………..2 tsp. Soy sauce………1 tsp. Salt……………a little 1 serving 167 kcal 1. Cut burdock root (gobo) into pieces 12 cm long. Add a little vinegar to boiling water and lower the gobo. Cook for 7-8 minutes, remove. Lightly beat the boiled gobo until cracks form. 2. Cut the gobo into pieces 3-4 cm long, convenient for eating. After mixing the main ingredients from the list, pour the resulting sauce over the gobo and simmer. Simmer until all the liquid has evaporated. 3. Pour the cooled burdock root with sauce prepared from additional ingredients from the list.

Medicinal preparations of burdock

Burdock oil is prepared as follows

: pour 200 ml of sunflower, olive, almond or peach oil into 75 g of crushed fresh leaves, leave for 24 hours, boil for 15 minutes, strain.

Infusion of burdock leaves
: pour 0.6 liters of boiling water over 60 g of leaves, leave for 4 hours, drink 200 ml 3 times a day for peptic ulcers, kidney and liver stones.
Burdock root infusion
: grind 40 g of dry roots, leave for 2 hours in a thermos in 300 ml of boiling water. Drink 100 ml 3 times after meals for urolithiasis and cholelithiasis, diabetes, ulcers, gastritis, hemorrhoids, rheumatism, eczema, furunculosis.

Burdock root infusion

: pour 400 ml of boiling water 1 tsp. chopped root, leave for 12 hours, strain. Drink 1/2 cup of warm infusion 4 times a day 0.5 hours before meals.

Burdock root decoction

: Brew 1 cup boiling water 1 tbsp.
l. raw materials and heat in a water bath for 0.5 hours. Take 1/2 cup orally 2-3 times a day. For external use - for hair loss, for strengthening hair, better growth, for dandruff, itching, it is recommended to rub burdock decoction into the roots of the hair or rinse your hair with it after washing. Burdock root decoction
: pour 200 ml of boiling water 1 tsp. chopped root, boil for 5-10 minutes over low heat, cool and strain. Drink 1 tbsp. l. decoction 3-4 times a day.

Lubricate fresh leaves with sour cream and apply to erysipelas of the skin. Fresh burdock leaves in the form of a paste are applied to burns.

Burdock root ointment

: leave 40 g of fresh roots in 100 ml of sunflower oil for 24 hours, boil for 15 minutes. Lubricate wounds, ulcers, burns.

A decoction of herbal mixtures is good for dandruff, oily scalp, itching

: 1.Mix burdock root and willow bark in equal parts. Brew 1 liter of boiling water 4 tbsp. l. mixture, heat in a water bath for 0.5 hours, cool and strain. 2. Mix equal parts of burdock root and calamus root. Brew 1 liter of boiling water 6 tbsp. l. mixture, heat in a water bath for 0.5 hours, cool and strain. You need to rub a warm decoction of one of these mixtures into the scalp 2-3 times a week or rinse your hair after washing as long as it is needed.

Benefits of burdock for hair. How to cook?

Burdock oil will transform weakened hair into thick hair. It is obtained by squeezing the seeds and fruits of the plant. You can buy the medicinal composition at any pharmacy. The mask is applied 20 minutes before washing your hair, intensively massaging the skin. Simple procedure:

will make curls shiny and smooth;
soothes the scalp;
strengthens the bulbs;
nourishes dry strands;
will prevent hair loss;
will stop inflammatory processes.

Finally, the curls are rinsed with a decoction, which gives them shine and restores water balance. Burdock oil is more effective against hair loss than many shampoos.

Use of burdock on the farm

In the Middle Ages, burdock

used as a vegetable, now widely used in Japan, Korea, Italy, Brazil and Portugal.
The roots, which grow up to 1 meter long and 2 cm in diameter, and the stems before flowering are eaten. It tastes like an artichoke. In cooking, burdock is used to prepare salads, vinaigrettes, borscht, and soups. The roots are used baked, fried (pre-boil in salted water), raw as a potato substitute, flour is made from them and mixed with wheat or rye (mixed in double quantity) to make flat cakes. Korean-style burdock
: cut green (not red) sprouts no more than 30 cm high, with leaves that have not yet blossomed (500 g), soak overnight in cold water to remove odor, boil in salted water, peel the stems, cut into slices , fry, then add soy sauce, sprinkle with crushed sunflower seeds, add garlic, onion and simmer until tender.

By the way

Young burdock roots are also edible. It is not without reason that in some countries (Japan, for example) burdock is cultivated as a garden plant. Roots ground into flour are added to the dough when baking bread. They can be eaten boiled, baked, fried, fresh, you can replace potatoes with them in soups, make cutlets, flatbreads, and sweet and sour jam from them. Roasted roots can serve as a coffee substitute or replace chicory. And young burdock leaves are used to make salads and soups.

Burdock is also indispensable in... dacha farming. According to Valeria Fatikhovna Sotnik, it can be used to prepare an excellent remedy for caterpillars, cabbage whites, cutworms and other pests of fields and gardens. To prepare such an environmentally friendly product, you need to fill half a bucket of finely chopped burdock leaves to the top with water, leave for three days, strain and spray the resulting infusion on the trees and shrubs in your summer cottage. The effect will be amazing!

Other recipes

Depending on the diseases for which burdock is used, the recipes differ. But at home you can prepare not only medicines based on this plant.

For example, you can make a salad. For this you will need:

Wash 200 g of burdock leaves, 50 g of horseradish, 100 g of green onions and 30 g of plantain leaves.
Grind everything.
Add salt and sour cream to taste.
Add sesame seeds if desired.

The green dressing turns out to be interesting. To do this, you need to wash and grind the leaves of burdock, dill, parsley, plantain and sorrel in a meat grinder. The mixture should be placed in molds and frozen. It can be added to soups, meat, fish.

↑ How to prepare medicine from roots?

The most valuable roots are in early spring, but they can also be dug in the fall. Burdock is a biennial plant. You should dig up one-year-old burdock, which has young leaves - this root is very strong. But burdock with dry leaves and burdocks is already useless; it has given all its strength to flowering. You can collect burrs from it, infuse it and rinse your sore teeth - it will relieve the pain.

Dig up the roots, wash and dry. Burdock root is thick, so it needs to be cut. Pour one tablespoon of dry crushed roots into two glasses of boiling water. Boil for ten minutes. Leave for two hours. Strain and drink half a glass three times a day 10-15 minutes before meals. When you drink a medicinal infusion before meals, the blood immediately absorbs it and distributes it throughout the body. You can drink a collection of burdock, wheatgrass and dandelion roots in equal proportions or one root at a time: a week - burdock, a week - dandelion, a week - wheatgrass.

Author Ailada Raas https://rodline.livejournal.com/90131.html

Pharmaceutical products based on burdock

It is important to know not only what diseases burdock helps with, but also what types of medicinal raw materials there are in the pharmacy:

Grass. It is sold dried and crushed. It is considered a natural antispasmodic. It is also usually used as a diuretic, choleretic, anti-inflammatory agent and for the treatment of intoxication.
Herbal tea. In this case, medicinal raw materials are sold in crushed form and packaged in filter bags. Usually they sell not only burdock, but a mixture with other medicinal plants: licorice, blackberry, hay, chicory, ginseng, orange zest. It is recommended to drink this tea for a month. It contains a lot of inulin.
Biologically active additives. They are sold in the form of tablets and capsules with burdock extract (both roots and leaves). In addition, you can purchase the product in liquid form.

All these products can be purchased at the pharmacy.

↑ About yummy

Common burdock

On Sedition I read the headline “Burdock root instead of winter vegetables” and remembered my long-standing experience of boiling burdock oil. Why, how I cooked it and where I used this oil - I don’t remember, but what was supposed to be thrown away after boiling was burdock roots

— I decided to taste it.

SO YUMMY! I ate it and didn't notice. And I was going to repeat everything, but somehow, as it happens... city life..

And now I find out that it used to be one of the staple foods.

The article inspired me to eat burdock roots globally. Join us! I guarantee that the root is delicious!

You can read the article itself here:

In Europe, the most common supermarkets sell burdock root, kohlrabi and truly sweet turnips. In Asia, where ordinary potatoes never took root, thanks to rice, they make salads from fresh burdock root and are not even surprised by this fact. In Switzerland they cook turnips for lunch and are very surprised when Russian tourists ask: what do you eat it with?

But in our country, turnips remain only in fairy tales and proverbs (“simpler than steamed turnips,” this is what they say in our culture, and not in China, for example), and we don’t even know its taste. What we have in our hypermarkets is dirty and forgotten, believe me, it’s not a turnip, it’s a hybrid of the hard heel of an elephant. Turnips should be juicy, sweet and aromatic! In a sense, it is reminiscent of the currently reviving culture among summer residents - kohlrabi.

It was in our tradition that burdock root was served for both the first and second course, and instead of bread. Yes, that was not so long ago, some hundreds of years ago. Such knowledge has been lost. We don't even know what this root looks like, with the rare exception of professional herbalists.

But our ancestors lived for a long time and did not get sick precisely because they ate medicinal foods every day. Turnip for bones, burdock for everything - it even treats hepatitis (!), pine nuts instead of milk, Old Believers still call it bread, we won’t even mention hemp oil.

So, let's add some variety to our diet and try to cook something traditional and healthy.

Since the taste of burdock root is something tender, juicy, at the same time crispy and slightly reeking of medicinal herbs, there can be a lot of recipes for fresh root.

Carrots, in comparison, are much coarser in taste. Hence, my personal recommendation is that if you use carrots, lightly marinate them before adding them to the burdock root salad.

It will go perfectly with - apple, celery stalk, cucumber, grated ginger, kohlrabi.

↑ Burdock root salad

My version:

Burdock root – 7-8 peeled large roots
Apple – 1
Cucumber – half the volume of burdock root
Lettuce leaves - for placing the finished dish on them
Goji berries - to taste
Lemon juice – 1 tablespoon

↑ Healthy mayonnaise made from raw plant ingredients for it

Almonds or cashews – 1 cup, pre-soaked
Lemon juice - about half
Honey – 1 dessert spoon
1 clove of garlic
Sea salt optional
Water – enough for the consistency of sour cream
If you want it spicier, add a little ground white mustard seeds

↑ Making burdock salad

Peel the peel from the burdock root. This is easy to do using potato peelers. Rinse it from any remaining soil.
Then cut it into manageable pieces, like Korean carrots, or as desired. Add to bowl, sprinkle with lemon.
Cut the cucumber and apple in the same manner. Add goji berries. You can lightly soak them in orange juice before this, I like them crunchy, I skip this point. Mix everything.
Bring all ingredients for mayonnaise in a blender until smooth. It should turn out like real mayonnaise, only tastier.
Place lettuce leaves on a plate, then prepare the salad and serve with mayonnaise sauce.

Finally, information from the wonderful herbalist Elena Fedorovna Zaitseva, who will tell you about the true properties of burdock: