My husband Andy and I have been marveling at the burdock plant growing alongside our driveway. 

     The plant’s basal leaves, growing close to the ground, are about a foot and a half long and at least a foot wide.  Since the spring, a central stalk has shot up, so that now the plant is a good four feet tall.   The tall, sturdy stem indicates that this is year two for the biennial plant.  During year one, the burdock remains low to the ground, its leaves large, but no stalk. 

     The burdock’s newer upper parts are quite different from the large lower leaves.  Now, in mid-July, slender branches reach up and out in several directions, and they sport leaves that are tiny, compared to their counterparts lower down.  The burdock’s flowers have given way to ‘fruit’ in the form of burrs.  These burrs are flexible and green, but as the season progresses, they will turn brown and dry and will snag onto any clothing or fur that gets too close.  In fact, according to my research, it is the burrs in burdock that spurred that revolutionary invention, Velcro!

     Widely considered a weed, burdock grows in disturbed areas throughout North America, except for the Deep South.  But it is a weed that has many uses, both nutritionally and medicinally.  

     The root of the burdock is a popular food in Japan and Europe.   A first year root is smaller and easier to dig out of the ground, and it is less bitter than a second year root, according to what I read.  Burdock connoisseurs recommend scrubbing the root rather than peeling it, and then slicing it, diagonally, into razor-thin slices.   For a Japanese-style dish, the slices may be sauteed, along with ginger and carrots.  Add soy sauce, Japanese wine, and simmer.  When the slices are tender, sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.   Sounds good;  I haven’t tried it yet. 

     The stalk of the burdock is also edible.  Late spring is better than summer, since the stalk toughens as it grows.  It can be cut, shorn of leaves, and then peeled to remove the tough outer layer.  Then just cut it into short lengths, and add it to stir fry.

     Burdock’s medicinal uses extend back hundreds of years.  In the seventeenth century, according to A Druid Fellowship (ADF)’s website, burdock was placed on the navel of a pregnant woman to help keep the foetus in the womb until it reached full-term.  And the root was combined with pine nuts and given to “them that spit foul, mattery, and bloddy phlegm,” according to ADF.  The juice of the leaves were given with wine to treat snake bites. And the leaves have been helpful in treating burns and insect bites.  Burdock is also a vulnerary (a new word for me!), which means it is effective in treating bruises and cuts.

     Burdock also played a magical, protective role.  In England, according to Ana Spiritdancer, writing for ADF’s website, www.adf.org,  people used to scatter burdock (called Personata) around the outside of homes to ward off negativity.  And the root was gathered during the waning moon, cut, dried, and strung on red thread.  This necklace was then worn to ward off evil. 

     Now that I have learned a little about burdock, I find the plant awesome.  As I think about the burdock, I am reminded that in generations past, people routinely knew a great deal about the plants around them.  I imagine that many of the plants I see every day have medicinal uses of which I am completely ignorant.–April Moore    

April with burdock

burdock by our driveway

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