Burdock

Arctium lappa

Burdock is a native biennial plant. Herbalists tend to favour the root, although the leaf and seeds are also medicinal. Because the plant lives for two years, the root needs to be harvested between the autumn of the first year up until early Spring.

An old name for Burdock is the Digger. This could be because it grows so deeply rooted, or because it is thought to help the body detox from deep within the tissues. Used without caution in some people this could potentially cause an overload of toxins as they are released into the blood stream causing a flare up of symptoms. Burdock is therefore traditionally paired with herbs like Dandelion to facilitate the removal of the toxins out of the body via the kidneys, liver and bowel.

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