Burdock root is one of those plants I’ll always return to.
When you study herbalism in a more structured way, one of the first exercises you’ll often do is choose a plant ally. It’s a plant you spend time getting to know, both through study and hands-on experience. For me, that plant is burdock.
Truthfully, I wasn’t all that familiar with it until I began my apprenticeship at Heartstone Herbal School with Tammi Sweet. One weekend, we split into groups to practice different harvesting techniques. My group worked with birch bark, and I can still remember that bright, minty scent as we scraped it off and how fresh my breath felt after chewing a piece.
(Side note: learning herbalism hands-on is something I’ll always recommend. There’s just nothing like it.)
Another group was tasked with digging up burdock root, and let me tell you, they had a time. I wasn’t there for the digging, but I saw the aftermath: muddy clothes, sore muscles, proud smiles, and one absolutely massive burdock root being …
