Other names:
Greater burdock, Edible burdock, Lappa Burdock, gobō (牛蒡 or ゴボウ), ueong (우엉), bardana
Description:
Immature flower stalks may also be harvested in late spring, before flowers appear. The taste resembles that of artichoke, to which the burdock is related.
The root contains a fair amount of
gobō dietary fiber (GDF, 6g per 100g),
calcium,
potassium,
amino acids and is low in calories. It contains
polyphenols that causes darkened surface and muddy harshness by formation of tannin-iron complexes.
Folk herbalists consider dried burdock to be a
diuretic,
diaphoretic, and a blood purifying agent. The seeds of greater burdock are used in traditional Chinese medicine, under the name niupangzi (Chinese: 牛蒡子; pinyin: niúpángzi; some dictionaries list the Chinese as just 牛蒡 niúbàng.)
Cultivation:
Plants are cultivated for their slender roots, which can grow about 1 meter long and 2 cm across.
Greater Burdock is rather tall, reaching as much as 2 metres. It has large, alternating, cordiform leaves that have a long petiole and are pubescent on the underside.
The flowers are purple and grouped in globular capitula, united in clusters. They appear in mid-summer. The capitula are surrounded by an involucre made out of many bracts, each curving to form a hook, allowing them to be carried long distances on the fur of animals. The fruits are achenes; they are long, compressed, with short pappuses.
The fleshy tap-root reaches a length of 50 cm.
This species is native to the temperate regions of the old world, from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean, and from the British Isles through Russia, and the Middle East to China and Japan, including India. It is naturalized almost everywhere and is usually found in disturbed areas, especially in soil rich in nitrogen. It is commonly cultivated in Japan where it gives its name to a particular construction technique.
Plant info:
Asteraceae
Plant Longevity:
Biennial
Max height:
50mm / 1.97
Tags: herbs, alternative medicine, Burdock, Arctium lappa,
