Burdock tea is one of the safest, tastiest, and most effective detoxifying and healing teas used in traditional and Chinese medicine. It has been known and used for thousands of years. Burdock root tea is the most popular and effective, containing the most beneficial and healing substances. Pharmacies also sell burdock root tea, so you can buy the raw material ready to brew the tea. However, you can get more burdock tea benefits by harvesting the roots or leaves of the burdock ourselves.
Origin and Appearance of Burdock
Burdock (Arctium) belongs to the genus Asteraceae. Burdock is remarkable for its impressive size: it can grow up to 2 meters tall, and its roots can reach 15 meters deep. Its impressive size is the reason for its name; arktos means bear in Greek. The leaves are also large, broadly cordate or ovate, the upper half green, the lower half grey, and downy. The burdock is easily recognizable by its spiky leaves. These are globular, multi-flowered, growing at the top of the branches, with very fine spines.
Burdock is widespread in Europe, Asia, and North Africa. They usually grow in thickets, in riparian areas, and wastelands. However, in some European countries (e.g., France, Belgium, China, and Japan), people cultivating burdock as a vegetable in the fields. They use its roots as a food, usually in soups instead of potatoes.
What is The Association Between the Burdock and the Velcro Strip?
We all know the so-called Velcro tape. It is an adhesive strip that replaces shoelaces. What a convenience, right? But what is an impressive story about the origin of this strip? A Swiss engineer, George de Mestral, was hunting in the mountains with his dog when he came across a carving of a starling in 1941. The engineer was so intrigued because of that the burdock stuck tightly to his clothes. He went back and studied them under a microscope. Eight years later, he used the principle of the sticky nature of burdock clusters to create the Velcro tape widely used today.
Burdock Tea Benefits for Beauty and Health
Youn should make burdock leaf tea only from burdock leaves harvested in clean, organic locations. This is ideal in old farmsteads in the undergrowth, where burdock usually likes to grow and molt. Collect the leaves of the burdock until September. Both fresh and dried are suitable for making tea, but their medicinal properties differ.
Fresh burdock leaf tea relieves liver disease, strengthens the body, and makes hair shiny and healthy. The preparation of this tea is simple:
Wash a few small or one large burdock leaf, tear it slightly, chop it up, put it in a cup, and pour boiling water over it. Cover and let it steep for about 10–15 minutes. You can flavor the tea can with honey or a slice of lemon.
Dried burdock leaf and flower tea have blood-cleansing and anti-inflammatory properties. Use this decoction for treating skin diseases (psoriasis, eczema, dermatitis, etc.) and pour to the bath when bathing. Preparation:
Wash, crush, and add a few small or one large burdock leaves to a pot. Add a few burdock flowers and pour a couple of cups of water over everything. Bring to a boil, and after that boil for 5 minutes. Cover and leave for 10–15 minutes. Drain into cups. If you are going to use the decoction into a bath, make it stronger by adding more leaves and flowers.
Burdock Root Tea Benefits: from Medicine to Love Potion
Although all parts of the burdock plant are suitable for healing. But the burdock root is the most valuable part of the plant. In particular, it is rich in inulin, an excellent sugar substitute. So burdock root should use the people with diabetes and those at risk of developing it. Furthermore, burdock root has urinary, biliary, and sweating properties.
Some countries folk medicine believe that burdock root tea has an aphrodisiac effect. Although there are not sufficient human studies to confirm this exposure. It is always possible to test the im pactof the tea for yourself.
When and How to Collect The Raw Material for Burdock Root Tea?
It is essential to know that you should harvest burdock roots between September and October. Harvest only the roots of the first year of the plant. You need ti dig the roots at the end of April or May if the plant is older. Of course, it is best to collect burdock roots that grow in clean, organic areas. This ensures the maximum possible benefit for the body.
In the second year of growth, the burdock spends all its energy growing the stem, so the roots lose their beneficial properties. In addition, they start to lose their wood gradually. The woody roots are no longer suitable for consumption.
Preparation of burdock roots: dig the roots out of the ground, clean off the dirt, and wash them in cold water. Cut off the upper, above-ground part, and chop the roots into 10-15 cm-long pieces.
You can use both fresh and dried burdock to make tea. Dried burdock roots can last a very long time, up to 5–6 years if stored properly. And they do not lose any of their medicinal and nutritional properties. Dried burdock roots need a storage in a dark and cool place. Store them in linen or paper bags.
How to Prepare Burdock Root Tea
To make burdock root tea, you need 1-2 burdock roots (approx. 50–100 g) and 4 cups of water (1 liter).
If you are going to use fresh burdock roots, wash them thoroughly in cold, running water and cut into small pieces. If dried, prepare the quantity indicated.
Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the burdock roots. The tea is boiled for about 10 minutes, then the stove is switched off, the pot is covered, and the tea is allowed to steep for 10–15 minutes. Flavor the burdock root tea if needed. It is suitable to drink both warmly and coldly.
When brewing burdock root tea, ginger roo, clove or a cinnamon stick can be thrown in. This will add extra flavor and aroma and have additional health benefits.
Health Benefits of Burdock Root Tea
Let’s take a look at the burdock tea benefits for health below:
- Burdock root tea helps reduce high blood pressure. This tea contains vitamin C, magnesium, and potassium, which help regulate blood pressure. In addition, the polyphenols in the tea improve blood circulation by dilating the walls of blood vessels, allowing nutrients and oxygen to flow more smoothly through our bodies.
- Root tea ensures the good functioning of the digestive system. The flavonoids and lactones in the tea stimulate the secretion of digestive juices: stomach acid, bile, and enzymes, which help to better break down and absorb nutrients.
- Root tea is a natural prebiotic. As mentioned above, burdock roots are rich in inulin. Inulin is a prebiotic fiber that nourishes and promotes the growth of good bacteria in our intestines. It is in hot water that inulin is best released, so tea is an excellent way to extract inulin from burdock roots. In addition, inulin gives burdock tea its sweet taste. It does not even need to be sweetened further.
- Burdock leaf tea is a powerful natural antioxidant that promotes detoxification processes in our body by removing slag and other harmful substances and protecting against the damaging effects of free radicals.
Burdock Tea Benefits Hair and Skin Beauty
The benefits of burdock tea for skin and hair are twofold: on the one hand, it strengthens the body from the inside, cleanses the liver, and removes toxins and accumulated slags, thus beautifying our skin and hair from the inside. On the other hand, it can be used as a hair rinse and as a poultice on irritated, allergic, and itchy skin.
Burdock root tea is especially recommended for teenagers when hormonal imbalances cause various skin problems: rashes, redness, and acne. Taking this tea daily significantly improves the condition of the skin. When taken externally, this tea reduces redness, and the appearance of blackheads brightens and smooths the skin.
Burdock leaf tea, used as a remedy for hair, gives them a beautiful, healthy, shiny appearance. It also soothes and heals the scalp. And burdock root tea can help reduce hair loss, as it contains substances that stimulate the hair follicles and promote growth.
What Side Effects of Burdock Tea?
Before consuming burdock tea, it is vital to remember that it is a medicine, not a drink. Make sure you consult your doctor or pharmacist before taking any self-medication.
Burdock tea is not recommended for pregnant and breastfeeding women, children, anyone allergic to the coneflower family, or anyone with kidney problems.
Sources:
- https://inlanding.wordpress.com/2013/11/19/flora-along-the-oxford-canal-burdock/
- https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/varnalesa/
- https://www.wildfoodie.co.uk/post/burdock-root-tea-healthful-beverage
- https://mommypotamus.com/benefits-of-burdock-root/
- https://www.tea-and-coffee.com/blog/burdock-tea-root-benefits
Associative photos from © Canva.
