Chapters 6.38
6.38 - Great burdock (Arctium lappa)
Isabelle Tetley, University of Guelph, Canada
Suggested citation for this chapter.
Tetley,I. (2022) Greens, Fleshy Stems and Gourds. In The Student Encyclopedia of Canadian Indigenous Foods. Editor, M.N. Raizada, University of Guelph, Canada. http://www.firstnationsfoods.org/
Introduction
Arctium lappa, more often known as Great Burdock, is a common and invasive garden weed (Sengupta et al 2019). Due to this, the abundance of medicinal benefits this plant could provide are often overlooked (Chan et al 2010). The first part of this paper will give a brief description of Arctium lappa, as well as the geographic origins, history, indigenous connections, and medicinal properties of the plant. Lastly, it will highlight possible limitations of growing Arctium lappa. The purpose of part one of this report is to educate people on the many uses of different parts of Great Burdock and the beneficial ways in which it has been used throughout Canadian and world history
Plant Description
Arctium lappa is a perennial herb of the Asteraceae family (Wyk 2005). It is often confused with its close relative, Arctium minus, or Common Burdock, which has many of the same medicinal properties (Duke 1992). Figure 1 shows the bright green leaves of Burdock which measure around 0.5 meters in length once fully grown (Wyk 2005). The underside of the leaf is coated in thick, white fibers and the stalk of the plant is solid and will grow up to 1 meter tall (Wyk 2005). In the summer months, Burdock possesses purple, thistle-like flowers (Wyk 2005) as seen in Figure 1. These flowers have layers of small hooks that resemble Velcro, which aid in the spreading of the seeds as they easily hook onto the hair or clothes of animals and people and are then able to travel long distances (Wyk 2005). The roots of Great Burdock are the most valuable part of the plant, as they contain the most medicinal properties and are what is most often eaten (Sengupta et al 2019). The roots of this plant are long, thin, and can grow up to 1 meter long (Wyk 2005). Burdock that has a white stalk and root bark as well as longer roots are preferred by consumers (Tseng et al 2012).
Geographic Origins
Burdock prefers full sunlight and grows the best in well drained, humus and nitrogen rich soil with a pH between 6.6-7.5, but since it is an invasive weed, it can grow in most soils (Stephens 1994). The plant is found all over the world in forests, roadsides, waste yards, river sides, and other uncultivated and untreated land (Government of Ontario 2022). Burdock typically grows in clusters, and, if the roots are being harvested, it must be grown in loose and soft soils as the roots tend to reach down resulting in the roots being full of beneficial minerals (Duke, 1992).
History
Great Burdock originated in Europe and Asia and quickly spread throughout the rest of the Eastern hemisphere (Sengupta et al 2019). It has been used in many traditional medicines across the world, but it is most prevalent in traditional Chinese medicine (Chan et al 2010). For over 3000 years, Burdock has been used in China to treat ailments such as sore throats, rashes, acne, boils, psoriasis, and eczema (Chan et al 2010). The dried root is what was most often used, however the flowers and seeds were also occasionally used (Chan 2010). Great Burdock has also been recorded as an anti-diabetic in African folk medicine, as the arctiin, insulin, and sitosterol-beta-D-glucopyranoside found in the root all have anti-diabetic properties (Tournier et al 2014). Historically, it has been used in Europe therapeutically as well as to lower blood sugar levels for hundreds of years (Tournier et al 2014). Burdock roots have also been consumed throughout history in Japan and Taiwan as a dietary vegetable (Tournier et al 2014).
Indigenous Connections
Even though Great Burdock is native to Europe and Asia, it spread to North America via European settlers as early as the 1400s and has many connections to the Indigenous peoples of North America (Sengupta et al 2019). In Cherokee history, Burdock roots, leaves, and seeds have been used to treat both external and internal ailments (Garrett & Garrett 1996). Externally, Burdock would be used as an antiseptic to treat skin irritations and sores (Garrett 2003). Internally, Burdock would be used to cleanse the stomach, blood, and liver (Garrett & Garrett 1996). This was typically done by drinking a tea that was made by leaving 1 tablespoon of the root ground up in water overnight, then adding 2 more cups of water in the morning and boiling (Garrett & Garrett 1996). To enhance the properties of Burdock, it was often added to a blend of six other sacred plants including chamomile, comfrey, crowfoot, dock, primrose, and goldenseal (Garrett 2003). The Iroquois peoples used Burdock as a food source (Hatfield 2004). They would dry the root over a fire and store it for future food use (Hatfield 2004). The Iroquois peoples also used Burdock to treat pimples and other skin spots (Hatfield 2004). The Maliseet, Mi’kmaq, Ojibwe, and Menominee peoples also used Burdock to promote skin health (Hatfield 2004).
Medicinal Properties
To most people today, Great Burdock is known for being an invasive weed that chokes out other wildlife. However, many studies show that Great Burdock possess many valuable medicinal properties. In a study done by Xu et al. (2014), it was shown that the arctigenic acid found in the dried seeds of Great Burdock has anti-diabetic activity. For 12 weeks, type 2 diabetic rats were given 50 milligrams per kilogram of body weight of arctigenic acid before their two daily meals (Xu et al. 2014). It was found that there was a significant increase in the rats’ tolerances to glucose, and there was no acute toxicity observable over the course of the study from the arctigenic acid doses (Xu et al. 2014). Insulin is also found in the root of Burdock, which is the most common anti-diabetic (Tournier et al 2014).
Many other studies and papers support the claims of Great Burdock as an anti-diabetic. In a pharmacological review of Great Burdock written by Chan et al (2010), it was stated that Burdock extract has anti-diabetic activity, as well as anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, anti-viral, and even anti-cancer activities. The anti-inflammatory response is a result of the antioxidant activity in the root as well as the high level of free radical activity (Chan et al 2010). The arctigenin and arctiin found in the seeds and leaves of this plant not only have anti-diabetic activities, but also anti-cancer activities (Chan et al 2010). The arctigenin decreases the formation of glucose in cancerous cells which results in the death of the cell (Chan et al 2010).
sore throats and multiple skin conditions (Sengupta et al 2019). The most popular ways of consumption are teas, other drinks, chewable supplements, and soups (Tseng et al 2012). It was stated in a study conducted by Savina et al. (2005) that the root of Great Burdock possesses diuretic and sugar reducing properties.
Limitations
There are a few drawbacks to the use of Great Burdock. A side effect that is most frequently seen is contact dermatitis from external use of the plant (Chan et al 2010). There have also been few cases of people who have gone into anaphylactic shock after the consumption of Great Burdock, but that side effect is rare (Chan et al 2010).
References
1.Chan, Y. S., Cheng, L. N., Wu, J. H., Chan, E., Kwan, Y. W., Lee, S. M., Leung, G. P., Yu, P. H., Chan, S. W. (2010). A review of the pharmacological effects of Arctium lappa (burdock). Inflammopharmacol, 19, 245-254. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10787-010-0062-4
2.Duke, J. A. (1992). Handbook of Edible Weeds. CRC Press Inc.
3.Garrett, J. T., Garrett, M. T. (1996). Medicine of the Cherokee: The way of right relationship. Bear Publications.
4.Garrett, J. T. (2003). The Cherokee Herbal: Native plant medicine from the four directions. Bear & Co.
5.Government of Ontario. (2022). Ontario Weeds: Great burdock. Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Ontario Weeds: Great burdock (gov.on.ca)
6.Hatfield, G. (2004). Encyclopedia of Folk Medicine: Old World and new world traditions. Shubhi Publications.
7.Savina, A. A., Sheichenko, V. I., Stikhin, Y. V., Sokol’skaya, T. A., Anisimova, O. S., Kopyt’ko, Y. F., Grodnitskaya, E. I., Cherkasov, O. A. (2005). Sesquiterpene lactones in juice of Great Burdock leaves. Pharmaceutical Chemistry Journal, 40 (11) 43-45. *Sesquiterpene lactones in juice of great burdock leaves (springer.com)
8.Sengupta, D., El-Halwagi, M., Stateva, R. P., Santzouk, S., Papadaki, M. (2019). On the way to a circular economy: a systems approach towards sustainable Arctium lappa valorization via valuable medicinal products extraction. Bulgarian Chemical Communications, 51 (special issue B), 119-123.
9.Stephens, J. M. (1994). Burdock-Arctium lappa L. University of Florida IFAS Extension. Burdock.pdf (growables.org)
10.Tousch, D., Bidel, L. P. R., Cazals, G., Ferrare, K., Leroy, J., Faucanie, M., Chevassus, H., Tournier, M., Lajoix, A. D., Azay-Milhau, J. (2014). Chemical Analysis and Antihyperglycemic Activity of an Original Extract from Burdock Root (Arctium lappa). Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 62, 7738-7745. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf500926v
11.Tseng, M. C., Wong, S. L., Hsiung, D. S., Hwang, J. H., Lee, S. C., Chen, F. A. (2012). Genetic diversity of the chloroplast trnL-trnF intergenic spacer and nuclear internal transcribed spacer of great burdock (Arctium lappa L.) in Taiwan. Journal of Medicinal Plants Research, 6 (37) 5086-5093. https://doi.org/10.5897/JMPR12.222
12.Wyk, B. E. (2005). Foodplants of the World. Timber Press Inc.
13.Xu, Z., Gu, C., Wang, K., Ju, J., Wang, H., Ruan, K., Feng, Y. (2014). Arctigenic acid, the key substance responsible for the hypoglycemic activity of Fructus Arctii. Phytomedicine, 22 (1) 128-137. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.phymed.2014.11.006