Considered an obnoxious weed by many - I have known about burdock root and its highly prized medicinal benefits for years!      It is a key ingredient in the Purely Living Filtering Organ tincture - which provides support to the kidneys, spleen, liver, gallbladder...  It is well known as a blood purifier and helps to relieve arthritis.
Around my home, I have Great Burdock growing.   Of the two most often found in Wisconsin, Common Burdock has hollow stems whereas Great Burdock stem structure is more like celery.  Burdock is rich in iron, and is thought to be one of the many reasons that early settlers brought its seeds to the Americas.

LEAVES: I am learning that the entire plant is versatile and has a number of uses. The leaves are highly nutritious - and have the best flavor when harvested young. Once they become large the leaves become more bitter in flavor. Still, you can soak them in vinegar and make a poultice, wrapping the leaves, warmed in the oven first, around an achy joints.  Burdock is excellent for helping to remove arthritis and rheumatism in the joints and helps to relieve pain.

If you raise chickens or goats, burdock leaves are HIGHLY nutritious! Along with comfrey leaves , burdock leaves are high in nutrition and make a great amendment for your soil.

ROOTS: As a food source, burdock roots are often sold in Asian markets – referred to as Gobo. There are many recipes, with braised burdock root being popular. First year plants are best to harvest as a root vegetable, as they are more tender.  If you are harvesting 2nd year plants (plants go to flower), you will want to peel the outer layer and remove the woody outer layer.  Spring and fall is the best time to dig up the root to collect for tincturing.  Roots can also be dried and used as a coffee substitute – you may want to blend with chicory root.
If you are curious about burdock root as a food source, check out this chef sharing several recipes with you. 

FLOWERS/SEEDS: In the second year the plants will grow a shoot at the top from which flowers will produce. This stalk is highly prized as a food source as well. The seeds are harvested from dried seed heads – watch out, they will cling to everything! The seeds are especially good for cleansing kidneys. You might consider combining with flower heads from Queen Anne’s Lace to help reduce kidney stone formation. The seeds are renowned for their unfailing ability to stimulate kidney action. Susun Weed, author of Wise Woman Healing, states the burdock seeds reduces inflammation in the kidney as well as increase urine flow, which can be helpful to men who are having prostate issues. Seeds can also be infused in oil and used on the scalp to help strengthen hair shafts and reduce thinning hair.

As a flower essence, burdock is said to bring emotional healing to deep ancestral wounds. If you are feeling a sense of emotional scarring that has generational origin, spending some time with burdock flower, drinking burdock tea, might be a part of the emotional release as your pray for those wounds to  be healed for yourself and future generations.

Have you changed your mind at all if you labeled burdock as an enemy in your natural landscape?  As food shortages are likely to become even greater in the next year or so, I am tucking this information into the back of my mind.  Knowing that if my family and I become hungry in hard times, we at least, have an ample supply of burdock and other edible weeds growing on our acre of country paradise.

Be well, learn to commune with nature and the Creator who made it - just for you!
Rita S.
 
 

Liver health...it is tied to so many symptoms. My summertime tip to love on your liver - do NOT eat fruit at the end of your meal! How many of us have gone to a summer cookout, where the watermelon comes out for dessert...after you've enjoyed your grilled steaks or brats, salads, baked beans and other dishes?  I certainly have! All fruits - including your summertime peaches and berries, digest more quickly than most foods. Melons digest in minutes whereas it can take that grilled steak EIGHT HOURS to digest!

If you feel bloated directly after a meal it is an indicator you need digestive enzymes, but if you find yourself feeling bloated an hour or two after a meal, it is a signal that your liver/gallbladder is in distress.


So why the image of what many consider a weed?  Read on! I was thrilled to discover Curly Dock growing on my property years ago and am happy to report it has propagated.  Although burdock root, dandelion root, stinging nettles and more made up my very first batch of Filtering Organ tincture, the addition of Curly Dock the following year made the new and improved Filtering Organ Plus tincture score consistently well for my clients with imbalanced liver signatures during their Qest4 Bio-Energetics scan.

As I was reviewing notes from the Liver Regeneration Summit from several years back, I came across a couple of statements by renowned experts in the field of liver health.  Dr. Burt Berkson stated there are three anti-oxidants to support and help regenerate the liver: Alpha Lipoic Acid – IV (20 milligrams) – which has to have Complex B; Selenium; and Silymarin – or Milk Thistle. Berkson’s patients have done so well that a greater percentage were able to avoid transplants. Like the majority of organs in the human body, given the proper support and nutrition, they will regenerate – replacing damaged cells.

Dr. Robert DeMaria asks, "Did you know that spider veins, varicose veins, hemorrhoids (as well as red or brown spots,or jaundice), and heart issues are all a sign of a compromised and congested liver?" How many of you can put a check mark by at least one of these symptoms or signals?

Purely Living recommends not only looking into the supplements that Dr. Berkson recommends, but also to consider herbs known to help detoxify the liver. Milk thistle, one of the herbs mentioned by Berkson, contains Silymarin which helps repair damaged liver cells. If you choose one supplement for liver support – I cannot stress enough the benefits of Milk Thistle for a non-functioning liver.

Purely Living offers a complex herbal extract support for the liver and gallbladder prepared by our favorite herbalists.  It is to be taken several times a day for liver and gallbladder support. An extract is not the same as a tincture.

You might also consider teas or tinctures made with herbs such as stinging nettles; chicory root, seeds or leaves; dandelion root, or one of my favorites – curly dock root. Curly dock is especially beneficial for promoting bile production and stimulating movement, as well as purification of present toxins. Although the root should be harvested in the fall for the strongest plant medicine, the leaves and seeds have medicinal properties as well. Fortunately, using the DNA of hair and/or nails - I can use Qest4 Bio-Energetic testing to determine which liver support product their body is asking for.

Happily, I recently learned that the bark from Western Burning Bush, of which several were given to me by an uncle years ago, have medicinal properties, in that the bark is used to stimulate bile.  Consuming digestive bitters, even radishes, before a meal, can help stimulate bile production.

In case you haven’t made the connection – a healthy liver is all about bile production and stimulating the process to eradicate a stagnant liver. Alcohol promotes a stagnant liver, which is just one reason that eating fruit as an appetizer is the wise wellness way to enjoy the bounty of summer fruit harvests. So the next time you are at a cookout, or hosting one, ask for the watermelon first...and perhaps share this bit of knowledge so that others follow suit. If you think about it, it makes complete sense that stomach acid can break down watermelon much faster than a steak!

Enjoy your summer,
Rita S.