What if I told you that a certain plant’s roots could detoxify your blood, lymphatic system and skin. Would you be interested? Today our rock star is Burdock.
At last spring is here. The days are getting warmer and the plants have survived the cold wet winter. Today I am going to share one of my favorite medicinal plants with you.
Burdock (Arctium Lappa) 
Here at Enchanted Natural Healing, we plant and harvest Burdock root in the spring in the second year of its growth, before it goes into flower. You can use the leaves and the seeds but we will be focusing on the root. Once we have harvested the root, we cut it up into smaller pieces and it gets placed onto trays and it goes into the freeze dryer. Freeze drying maintains the quality of plants and increases their shelf life. Once freeze dried, we store the cut-up root in glass jars with an oxygen absorber inside. When we are ready to fill the capsules, the root gets ground up and the capsules are filled.
What I want to share with you today is the numerous health benefits of Burdock root. Here are just a few:
It is a phenomenal antioxidant; it scavenges free radicals and protects the cells in the body from damage. It is these antioxidant effects that help prevent certain chronic diseases and inflammation.
One of the great things about Burdock root is that it eliminates heavy metals and other toxins from the body.
It has a powerful influence on the liver and the kidneys. These two organs are responsible for removing wastes and toxins from the blood. Because Burdock is such an amazing blood purifier it is very supportive of the liver and kidneys.
Burdock root is also an excellent diuretic. This means it increases urine production and as a result it cleanses and detoxifies the body. Increased urination also helps to clear up kidney stones and urinary tract infections. A word of caution, do not take Burdock root when you are dehydrated.
This diuretic function also helps with the breakdown of uric acid in the joints to relieve and prevent gout.
Burdock root also supports the joints. As the blood is cleansed fewer and fewer contaminants precipitate into the joints to cause inflammation. As a result, burdock root has excellent benefits for arthritis, rheumatism and other joint issues.
Because Burdock root has detoxifying properties it will keep the skin free of toxins and promote clear, healthy skin . For this reason it is a good choice for eczema, psoriasis, acne and other skin issues. There are so many chemicals, preservatives etc. in our food and the liver and kidneys have to get rid of them. When the liver becomes overwhelmed and the body has to get rid of the toxins, it sends it out to the skin. Burdock root gives great support to the liver and kidneys and the result is a nourished and healthy skin.
Burdock root also decreases histamine levels in the body by stimulating the liver (the primary organ for eliminating histamines).
Burdock lowers blood sugar. Just a word of caution. If you are already taking insulin or any other medication to lower your blood sugar you should be careful of taking plants that also lower blood sugar as their additive effect to medications that you are already taking may lower your blood sugar too much and cause problems with hypoglycemia.
For many years it has been believed that burdock root is a seriously effective natural cancer fighter. Animal studies of mammary, colon and pancreatic cancer have shown promise for burdock’s ability to fight against cancer. The reason for this is that burdock contains arctigenin. Arctigenin has been shown to combat cancer cells by selectively stopping the proliferation of cancer cells and inhibiting the cancer cells’ production of particular proteins (NPAT proteins), hence crippling cancer’s ability to reproduce.
I hope you agree with me that Burdock root is a versatile and powerful plant that is so beneficial for the body. It can be taken daily and is such a blessing to almost every organ and tissue in the body.
