How to Make Burdock Tea

Burdock has been an integral part of ancient medicine since a long time. Various parts of this plant have been used for centuries for treating a host of ailments. Burdock is famously known as a blood purifier, but it has been used for topical purposes as well.

A native to Europe and Northern Asia, burdock has been used very popularly in the homeopathy, Japanese, and traditional Chinese medicine. The traditional healers have used this plant for purposes like relieving various pains. Burdock tea has been a great help to a lot of people across the world for various purposes.

The root of this alternative herbal medicine is also eaten by the Japanese as a vegetable. The important constituents of burdock leaves are arctigen, calcium, chlorogenic acid, essential oil, flavonoids, iron, inulin, lactone, mucilage, polyacetylenes, potassium, resin, tannin, and taraxasterol, which help in maintaining body's health and functioning.

The burdock tea is essentially made from the leaves of the burdock plant. These leaves get their name from their look. The leaves this plant resemble a broad-leafed dock with burrs on it, which are actually its seed pods.

• Leaves of burdock plant
• 2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon honey or sugar
• Lemon juice for garnishing
• Strainer

• Wash the leaves thoroughly with cold water.
• In a kettle boil 2 cups of water.
• While the water boils, finely chop the leaves of the plant. Cutting the leaves with a pair of scissors works better than chopping it with a knife.

• Put the leaves in the boiling water and bring the water to ¼ by boiling.
• Add sugar or honey, as per your taste, and mix it till it dissolves completely.
• Remove the kettle from the stove and strain the mixture into a mug.
• Add the lemon juice to the tea and drink it hot.

There are many burdock tea uses. For starters, it improves your skin and helps you recover of various skin problems. Tea improves the skin condition as it heals the problems of digestive tract. The tea is rich in inulin and mucilage, which have a soothing effect on the tract, thus keeping the skin in a good condition. Regular consumption of this tea has shown excellent functioning of the excretory system. As a result, burdock helps in washing out of all toxins from the body.

The topical application of burdock leaves has shown great results in treating skin conditions like acne, psoriasis, eczema, and sores. The anti-microbial agents contained in the tea prevent liver damage. Regular drinker of burdock tea have also reported lower levels of blood sugar.

As mentioned earlier, this tea has been historically known as a blood purifier and a diuretic, which helps in treating kidney problems. This herbal tea recipe is so powerful that it's prolonged consumption can help in keeping the body healthy by strengthening its immune system.

While making burdock tea, make sure that the root is pure, as there might be a few synthetic variations in the market. As there isn't any evidence on side effects of burdock, using burdock for external or internal purposes is considered safe.