\rSynonyms: real burdock, dedovnik, burdock root, lypuh, bitter lapukha, lapushnik, burdock, queen’s grass (Ukrainian didivnik, turnip’yahi, great burdock, burdock).
\rDescription. A biennial large herbaceous plant from the Compositae family, up to 80-180 cm high. The root is long, taproot, fleshy, deep into the ground. The stem is reddish, ribbed, strongly branched above.
\rLeaves petiolate, large, alternate, cordate-ovate. The flowers are collected in spherical baskets, bisexual, tubular, purple. The fruits are oblong, black, ribbed achenes. Weight 1000 achenes within 910 Blossoms in July-August; seeds ripen in August September.
\rMedicinal raw materials: roots.
\rHabitat. It grows in wastelands, within roads and fields, in clearings, in clearings, among shrubs, within housing.
\rSpreading. It grows in the steppe and forest-steppe zones of the European part of the USSR, in the Caucasus, in Central Asia. Less common in Siberia and the Far East.
\r\rComposition of active substances. The roots contain a large amount of the polysaccharide inulin (in dry roots 27-45%), proteins (within 12%), essential oil (up to 0.17%), palmitic and stearic acids, sitosterol and stigmasterol; in the seeds glycoside arctin, and in the leaves tannins, mucus and essential oils.
\rApplication. Decoctions of burdock roots are quite popular in folk medicine as a potent diuretic and diaphoretic. They are used for gout, diabetes, kidney and liver stones, as well as skin diseases (eczema, acne, lichen), scrofula, worms, stomach ulcers, dropsy. A decoction is prepared from 20 g of dry roots per 200 g of water. Take it in a third of a glass three times every day.
\rTo strengthen the hair, an infusion of burdock roots in almond or olive oil is used, commonly known as “burdock oil”, also an ointment mixed half with fat and aged for several hours in the oven.
\rA decoction of burdock roots is successfully used (along with other diuretic drugs) for diseases of the genitourinary organs. When treating diabetes, a decoction is prepared from burdock roots, bean pods and blueberry leaves (in equal amounts). The same decoction is also used for dropsy, hemorrhoids, scrofula, rickets.
\rWith rheumatism, a mixture of burdock roots with elecampane roots (in equal amounts) gives the best results.
\rA.P. Popov recommends using burdock decoction for rheumatism and metabolic disorders not only inside, but also in a warming compress on the entire body. The author believes that burdock is especially effective in the treatment of chronic eczema and chronic rheumatism.
\rTo regulate the activity of the gastrointestinal tract, it is recommended to take a light decoction of the root (15 g is brewed in 200 g of water, insisted for 20 minutes, filtered and drunk in a tablespoon three times every day). With chronic constipation, a decoction of burdock seeds gives the best results.
\rCollection. The roots are harvested in September-October. They must be dug up with shovels from plants of the first year of life (without a flowering stem), when the roots are juicy and fleshy (in the second year they become flabby and unsuitable for medical purposes). The roots are thoroughly cleaned from the ground, the aerial part and thin roots are cut off, then they are washed in water, the skin is removed, the thickest ones are cut lengthwise.
\rDrying. Dry in the open air or in attics under an iron roof with good ventilation, laying out a thin layer and turning over from time to time.
\rPack . Packed in bales of 100 kg.
\rStorage . Store in a dry, well-ventilated area on racks or underware.
\rquality requirements. In accordance with OST NKVT 7907/370, the finished raw material should consist of fleshy roots, partially cut longitudinally, peeled from the upper bark, grayish-brown on the outside, pale gray at the break, with a slight peculiar smell and sweetish taste. Moisture 13% is allowed; roots with remnants – stems 1; brown roots 5; pieces of roots less than 2 cm 5 long; parts of other plants 0.5; mineral impurities 1%.