Boil the chopped root in cold water for about fifteen minutes, then let it steep off the heat for a few minutes before straining. Traditionally consumed as a course of several weeks, at a rate of one to two cups per day. Dosage should be validated with a healthcare professional or recognized pharmacopoeia before use.
Prepared by macerating the root in alcohol for several weeks, then filtered. This concentrated form requires professional advice for dosage, which varies according to the concentration obtained. Dosage should be validated with a healthcare professional or recognized pharmacopoeia before use.
The large fresh leaves, slightly softened with heat, were traditionally applied to the skin as a poultice. This ancient external use nevertheless requires correctly identified and clean leaves. Dosage should be validated with a healthcare professional or recognized pharmacopoeia before use.
Dried burdock root can be found at herbalist shops and in some organic stores; the fresh plant grows spontaneously in wastelands, embankments and roadsides in Europe.
The root is traditionally harvested in late summer or autumn of the first year, before the plant flowers.