Common Names
Burdock, Greater Burdock, Gobo

Botanical Name
Arctium lappa

Plant Family
Asteraceae (Daisy Family)

Native Range
Europe and parts of Asia.

Life Cycle
Biennial

Hardiness Zone
3-8

Habit
In the first year the plants produce large basal leaves with a spread of 2ft by 2ft. Plants bloom in the second year and are decorated with bee-loving velcro-like flowers.

Sun/Soil
Burdock can be grown in the garden in full to part sun and pretty much any soil, but the roots prefer loose well-cultivated fertile soil and regular water.

Germination/Sowing
Seeds germinate easily and are best direct sown in the garden in spring.

Growing/Care
Burdock root can be grown in the veggie garden in the same manner as other root veggies such as carrots and beets. It can be sown in rows just as you would carrots in your garden but keep in mind these are big plants, with enormous leaves and large taproots that can dig down several feet.

If you leave a few plants to go to seed in their second year, you will find many self-sown seedlings popping up in the following seasons, and you’ll have your own never ending little Burdock patch.

Harvesting
Burdock roots need to be harvested in the first season, and can be harvested as soon as three or four months after seeding in the garden or in the late summer or early fall.

Culinary Uses
Burdock root is a popular vegetable in Asia. My favourite ways to eat burdock root are in stir fries, soups, and stews. You can chop it up and cook it similar to how you would cook carrots or potatoes. The flavour is crisp, earthy, minerally, and slightly bitter.

Medicinal Uses
Burdock is another one of our important liver herbs and alteratives. It is useful for promoting liver health, which helps to cleanse the blood and clearing up skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema. It helps generally with digestion and to improve appetite and does well in a bitters blend to be taken before meals.

When eaten as a vegetable Burdock both helps to protect our livers from toxins and supplies our bodies with useful minerals, vitamins and dietary fibre. It is a good nourisher and builder for weak constitutions especially when the root is eaten as a food or taken as an infused vinegar. Burdock has shown antitumor activity and is useful as an anticancer herb, and combined with its anabolic properties it is especially good for after chemotherapy.

Themes
Apothecary Garden, Low Maintenance, Deer Resistant, Attracts Pollinators.