Greater burdock (Arctium lappa): identification, harvesting and uses

Have you ever come across greater burdock, perhaps without realising it? This plant clings so easily to clothes and animals’ fur! It is a common wild plant with many culinary and cosmetic uses.

The greater burdock, or common burdock (Arctium lappa), is a large member of the Asteraceae. It can reach 1.50 m in height and produce leaves 30 to 50 cm long. Its root, young petioles and some aerial parts are edible.

The root is the most interesting part in cooking. Once cooked, it yields a nourishing vegetable with a mild, slightly earthy flavor, somewhat reminiscent of artichoke. But it must be harvested at the right time: as the flower stalk develops, it gradually becomes more fibrous.

History of burdock

The genus name Arctium is generally thought to derive from the Greek word arktos, meaning «bear». It may refer to the plant’s robust, hairy appearance.^[6] The same linguistic root appears in the word Arctic, referring to the constellation Ursa Major.

Burdock has long been used as a vegetable and medicinal plant. Its root is particularly prized in East Asia. In Japan, it is known as gobō and is considered a traditional vegetable. It is notably cut into thin strips to prepare kinpira gobō, a dish in which it is stir-fried with oil, soy sauce, and often carrots ^[4].

Marie, who lived in the country for two years, ate it regularly and was delighted to learn that gobō and our burdock are one and the same!

In Europe, burdock is now mainly considered a ruderal plant, meaning a plant that grows in areas transformed by human activity. However, it deserves to be rediscovered as a wild vegetable.

Its fruits were also the inspiration for a well-known invention. In 1941, Swiss engineer George de Mestral examined under a microscope the tiny hooks that enabled burdock burs to cling to his clothes and his dog’s fur. This observation inspired the hook-and-loop fastener marketed under the VELCRO^®[3] brand. The word is formed from VELours (velvet) and CROchet (hook).

Distribution and habitat

The greater burdock is native to a large part of temperate Eurasia. It is native to Switzerland, France, and Belgium. It has also been introduced to various regions of North America, Australia, and New Zealand. ^[2]

It is mainly found in places rich in nutrients:

• along paths;
• in wasteland and rubble;
• near homes and farm buildings;
• at woodland edges and in open woods;
• on embankments and uncultivated ground.

In Switzerland, it grows from the colline zone up to the montane zone, and sometimes higher, to around 1,800 m above sea level. It has no specific threatened status in Switzerland ^[1] or France^[13].

However, avoid harvesting plants in excessive quantities (20–30% max), or those growing beside busy roads, on potentially contaminated ground or in places treated with pesticides.

Recognizing greater burdock

Greater burdock is generally a biennial plant. During its first year, it develops a rosette of leaves and accumulates reserves in its long root. The flowering stem usually appears in the second year.

The leaves

The basal leaves are very large, oval to triangular, with a distinctly heart- shaped base. Their upper surface is dark green, while the underside is lighter and covered with a whitish felt.

The veins form a clearly visible network. The leaf edge is slightly wavy or irregularly toothed.

In greater burdock, the leaf stalk of the basal leaves is filled with pith. Cut it crosswise to observe this criterion: it is not hollow like that of lesser burdock, Arctium minus.

Note that this trick only works if you cut right at the base of the petiole!

The stem and the flowers

The stem is upright, robust, hollow and branched. It bears leaves that become progressively smaller towards the flowers.

Flowering occurs from July to September. The tubular flowers, pink to purple, are clustered in globular heads measuring 3 to 4.5 cm. A head is a group of small flowers tightly packed together, as in dandelions or artichokes.

Surrounding the flowers are numerous green bracts ending in a hook. When mature, these hooks allow the fruiting heads to travel clinging to the fur of animals.

In Arctium lappa, the flower heads are usually clustered in a sort of loose corymb. Their peduncles often measure between 3 and 10 cm and exceed the length of the flower head. ^[1]

The root

Burdock has a long taproot that penetrates deep into the soil. It is more tender during the first year of growth and at the beginning of the following spring, before the stem starts to grow. After the stem appears, the root becomes fibrous and is generally less pleasant to eat.

Always identify the plant by its aerial parts before digging up the root. An isolated root is much more difficult to identify with certainty.

Digging up a root has a greater environmental impact than picking a leaf. Do so judiciously and only occasionally.

In the garden

We particularly enjoy growing this plant in the garden because it is not abundant in the wild near us. We plant it every year or every other year. It is impressive to see how deep the roots grow, even after just one growing season in the loose soil of a vegetable bed.

Bear in mind that it takes up space and, in some climates, can be particularly «invasive» and self-seed very easily.

Possible look-alikes

Lesser burdock

Le genre Arctium contient 4 espèces dans la flore suisse et 5 dans la flore française. À celles-ci s’ajoutent les sous-espèces et cultivars.

The lesser burdock ( Arctium minus ) is the plant that most closely resembles the greater burdock and also flowers from July to September.

Its flower heads are smaller and arranged in clusters rather than a corymb, so they are distributed more continuously along the stem. Their peduncle is very short. However, the most practical identifying feature is found in the basal leaves: their petiole is hollow, whereas it is filled with pith in Arctium lappa^[10].

Burdock species can also hybridize. Some individuals therefore exhibit intermediate characteristics.

The white butterbur

Among plants with large leaves, burdock can be confused with white butterbur (Petasites albus). Here are the main features to look for:

Greater burdock	White butterbur
Veins forming a network	Main veins radiating from the petiole
Oval leaves with a heart-shaped base	Broadly kidney-shaped leaves
Basal rosette followed by a large, branched stem	Flowers appear before the leaves
Ruderal habitats and roadsides	Woods and cool, damp places
Purple flower heads in summer	Whitish flowers from March to May

Don't rely solely on size or the whitish underside of the leaves, as both plants can exhibit these characteristics. Compare several criteria and consider the environment.

White butterbur ( Petasites albus ) contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids, including senkirkine, some of which are hepatotoxic, genotoxic, and potentially carcinogenic ^[14]. Direct consumption of the plant is therefore not recommended. Butterbur has been used in herbal medicine, but modern preparations intended for internal use must be free of these toxic alkaloids.

Culinary uses

Harvesting the root

The root is harvested mainly from September to March, from a plant in its first year or early in its second year. It must be gathered before the flowering stem develops.

Harvesting requires a sturdy tool and soil that is loose enough. The root can grow very deep and is very fleshy! Since harvesting it kills the plant, only gather it from an abundant population, with the landowner’s permission, and leave enough plants to complete their life cycle.

After harvesting, scrub the root thoroughly under water. The thin skin can be left on. Then cut the root into slices, chunks or thin sticks, depending on how you plan to use it.

Cooking the root

Burdock root is one of our favourite wild roots. For us, it is by far the most interesting part of the plant, with a rounded, mellow flavour.

Boiled or steamed, the root becomes tender and can be served as a side dish or mashed. It also adds a pleasant flavor to soups and broths.

During the autumn and winter months, we particularly enjoy cooking wild plants in a nourishing broth, especially as Japanese-style ramen. Dandelion, meadowsweet, nipplewort and burdock roots are our classics.

These comforting broths inspired a little haiku:

Burdock root
Flavours autumn broth
A satisfied belly

Michaël Berthoud

You can also cut it into julienne strips and sauté it in a pan. It stays slightly firm, and its flavour is reminiscent of artichoke, with a more earthy note. You can also fry it to make crisps.

Once dried and roasted, the root can be used to make a dark drink that serves as a coffee substitute but is naturally caffeine-free.

Petioles, stems and leaves

The young petioles can be peeled to remove their toughest fibers. They are eaten raw when still very tender, or steamed and prepared as a vegetable. The young stems can be used in the same way before they become fibrous. The consumption of young leaves and stems, raw or cooked, is documented in some traditional European uses ^[6].

The leaves from the first year are also edible, but their bitterness limits their appeal. Repeated cooking, changing the water each time, can reduce it. However, we found this rather laborious during our trials. Although bitterness is good for digestion, the result was rather unpleasant.

You will nevertheless find plenty of content online saying that the leaves are excellent. It really is a matter of taste…

The young flower heads are sometimes prepared as fritters or used in infusion. They must be harvested before the hooked bracts become hard and unpleasant.

Medicinal uses

Burdock root has a long history of medicinal use in Europe and Asia. It has traditionally been used to promote urinary elimination, temporarily stimulate appetite, and support certain seborrheic skin conditions ^[7].

In 2019, Wang and colleagues synthesised the pharmacological knowledge about great burdock in the scientific literature. More than 200 non-volatile compounds have been described: terpenes, flavonoids, derivatives of caffeoylquinic acid…^[6]

Laboratory and animal research has studied the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory or hypoglycemic properties of burdock extracts.

This research is interesting, but caution is needed, because the therapeutic efficacy observed in these studies has not yet been demonstrated in humans. Nevertheless, it shows the pharmacological potential of this traditionally used plant.

Cosmetic uses

Inulin, present in burdock root, is also of interest to cosmetics. This fructan has moisturizing properties and improves the texture and stability of creams, lotions and hair care products ^[15].

Its prebiotic potential could also promote certain beneficial bacteria in the skin microbiota, the collection of microorganisms living on our skin. Biodegradable and derived from renewable resources, it represents a promising ingredient ^[15].

Marie particularly likes using it in her beauty treatments. She grows it in her garden and uses its roots, flowers and leaves to make infused oils.

She uses her infused oils as a hydrating serum in her facial skincare routine. They are included in her creams to nourish and hydrate the skin, and to provide a firming effect.

She also has a very interesting anecdote to share. During a private lesson with a client suffering from multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), we found that she tolerated burdock -based preparations very well.

This person cannot tolerate either the chemicals found in the environment or certain plants commonly used in cosmetics, such as pot marigold. She therefore found it very difficult to find products that were fully suited to this issue and her needs.

Together, we made serums, creams and moisturising lotions containing burdock, which she tolerated very well. This is not a general truth, but an example that illustrates the value of this plant in natural cosmetics, even for very sensitive skin.