Heath Benefits Of The Natural Herbal Remedy Burdock
Today my friends I would like to discuss a weed. Don’t laugh or turn up your nose I promise to try to make it interesting–okay if you want to chuckle a little that’s okay! We are going to talk about Burdock a weed! Yes, you heard me right, Burdock which just happens to be extremely healthy for you.
Burdock: It is that nasty weed that when I was a child my horse used to get caught in his tail and it was almost impossible to brush out. They are the spiny purple colored bristly burrows that drives you crazy when you take your dog for a walk and they get them in their hair. But lets forget about what we don’t like about it and talk about the many benefits it has for your health and learn what a great natural herbal remedy burdock is.
Burdock is known for it’s ability as an herbal detox remedy, and is a daisy-family plant that grows as a weed in the United States, Europe and Asia. It is easy to find and grows mostly along fences and roads. In Asia, the taproot of young burdock plant is harvested and eaten as a root vegetable. It is rich in calcium, chlorogenic acid, flavonoids, iron, inulin, lactone, mucilae, polyacetylenes, potassium, resin, tannin, and taraxosterol.
Let’s some more facts about Burdock – it’s special detox properties and many other health benefits:
Mother Nature made sure to give us everything we need to reach our optimal health. In today’s world where we are in constant contact with chemical, environmental, and industrial toxins, all these contaminants put a tremendous burden on our liver.
We see all the advertisement about the exotic fruits and drinks that we can use to detox our bodies naturally and help us stay healthy, but the fact is some of the best detox herbs already grow naturally in your lawn, yes the ones that you consider pesty weeds and are trying to get rid of.
Burdock is a perennial whose roots, leaves, and sometimes its seeds are used widely in herbal medicine to support liver function and as a cleansing botanical.
Practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine sometimes blend burdock with other herbs to soothe sore throat and colds. Some proponents claim that burdock can benefit people with arthritis, diabetes, eczema, psoriasis, and cancer.
Burdock is your skin’s best friend. It seeds and roots are useful in treating a variety of skin conditions. It cleanses, purifies and flushes out toxins through skin, which is especially good acne-prone, oily or dry skin, especially when it roots from a poor diet, constipation, or liver burden. Like many other edible weeds, burdock increases bile flow, easing digestion and supports your liver.
Burdock roots are bitter and referred to as “alterative agents” which are capable of enhancing digestion and help absorb nutrients that support elimination of wastes. Although, burdock (Click here to order) can be purchased as an essential oil with the same benefits! The liver is the organ that is responsible in removing toxins and impurities from our bodies and the blood, producing bile to digest fats. It also metabolizes hormones, stores excess carbohydrates among its other functions.
When the amount of toxic substances in a person’s bloodstream exceeds the liver’s capacity to remove them from circulation, you are going to have an overload, which will accumulate in the body. These accumulated toxins can produce numerous symptoms, such as headaches, acne, itching, nausea, arthritis, and other complaints. For this reason, many herbalists and naturopathic physicians recommend internal use of alternative herbs to overcome these conditions and symptoms caused by the overload.
Very few scientific studies have explored burdock’s health effects. Still, animal-based research suggests that a type of fiber extracted from burdock may promote the growth of probiotics (immune-regulating bacteria naturally present in the human digestive tract). Other tests on animals show that burdock may fight free radicals (chemical by-products known to damage DNA) and alleviate liver damage induced by alcohol consumption.
Burdock root can be a diuretic or soothe aching joints for conditions such as arthritis. Traditional Chinese healers used burdock root in combination with other plants to make cures for colds, measles, throat pain, and tonsillitis. Burdock root was also popular in Japan as a source of vitamins and other nutrients. In modern times, burdock root has been employed in the treatment of certain cancers.
This wild weed is also excellent to manage blood sugar levels, and thus helping to manage diabetes. Young burdock leaves, stems or roots can be eaten raw, cooked or as a tea, in early spring, before the plant develops its strong bitterness. You can still benefits from the burdock skin benefits later in season by using fresh leaves quickly boiled in water and applied on skin as a poultice.
Burdock is useful in cases of hormone imbalances. Many conditions, such as premenstrual syndrome, fibroid, and endometriosis, are associated with excess estrogen levels. Because of its alternative action, and of the small amount of plant steroids it contains, burdock can help improve the liver’s ability to metabolize hormones such as estrogen which can improve symptoms associated with hormonal imbalance.
Just a small little tidbit that I found interesting!– Did you know that the idea for Velcro came from Burdock!
Quote for the day: “Don’t find fault. Find a remedy.
