Popular Herbs - Burdock

Burdock is plant in the group of biennial thistles, genus Arctium, belonging to the family Asteraceae, native to the Euro. It has been used over thousand of years in Chins and other traditional herbal medicine as a diuretic, diaphoretic, and a blood purifying agent and to treat wounds and infections stomach ulcers and other digestive problems.

Health Benefits
1. Anti-aging and anti-oxidant properties
Phenolic content of burdock has exerted a strong activity in fighting against forming of free radicals and foreign invaders as well as anti-elastase and anti-collagenase in a study of 21 plants of which may contribute to the delay of aging process, according to the study of "Anti-collagenase, anti-elastase and anti-oxidant activities of extracts from 21 plants" by Thring TS, Hili P, Naughton DP., posted in PubMed(1)

2. Gastroprotective activity
Chloroform extract of the roots from Arctium lappa L.(Burdock) protects animals from gastric lesions by reducing gastric acid secretion via inhibition of gastric H+, K+ -ATPase, according to the study of "Gastroprotective activity of the chloroform extract of the roots from Arctium lappa L." by Dos Santos AC, Baggio CH, Freitas CS, Lepieszynski J, Mayer B, Twardowschy A, Missau FC, dos Santos EP, Pizzolatti MG, Marques MC., posted in PubMed(2)

3. Anti-cancer activity
Extracts from beside exhibited the strongest free radical scavenging activity, but also showed selective antiproliferative activity against certain human cancer cell lines, according to the study of "Antioxidative and in vitro antiproliferative activity of Arctium lappa root extracts" by Predes FS, Ruiz AL, Carvalho JE, Foglio MA, Dolder H., posted in PubMed(3)

4. Breast cancer
Essiac (Resperin Canada Limited, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada), a blend of at least four herbs (burdock root [Arctium lappa], Indian rhubarb [Rheum palmatum], sheep sorrel [Rumex acetosella], and the inner bark of slippery elm [Ulmus fulva or U. rubra]) have shown to boost their immune systems or increase their chances of survival. Only 2 women reported minor adverse events, whereas numerous women reported beneficial effects of Essiac, according to the study of "Trial of Essiac to ascertain its effect in women with breast cancer (TEA-BC)" by Zick SM, Sen A, Feng Y, Green J, Olatunde S, Boon H., posted in PubMed(4)

5. Antibacterial activity
phytotherapeutic agent prepared from an ethyl acetate fraction (AcOEt) extracted from Burdock
has shown inhibiting the growth of all the microorganisms, according to the study of "In vitro evaluation of the antibacterial activity of Arctium lappa as a phytotherapeutic agent used in intracanal dressings" by Gentil M, Pereira JV, Sousa YT, Pietro R, Neto MD, Vansan LP, de Castro França S., posted in PubMed(5)

6. Liver protection Burdock could protect the liver cells caused by CCl4 or acetaminophen as a result of its antioxidative effect on hepatocytes, hence eliminating the deleterious effects of toxic metabolites from CCl4 or acetaminophen, according to the study of "Hepatoprotective effects of Arctium lappa on carbon tetrachloride- and acetaminophen-induced liver damage" by Lin SC, Chung TC, Lin CC, Ueng TH, Lin YH, Lin SY, Wang LY., posted in PubMed(6)7. Anti-inflammatory effects
A. lappa crude extract have shown significantly decreased carrageenan-induced rat paw edema, according to the study of "Anti-inflammatory and radical scavenge effects of Arctium lappa" by Lin CC, Lu JM, Yang JJ, Chuang SC, Ujiie T., posted in PubMed(7)

8. Immune enhancer
Burdock root enhances the immune system function as a result of a powerful immune modulator, inulin, according to the study of "Essiac" by Majchrowicz MA., posted in PubMed(8)

9. Digestive system
High concentration of fructooligosaccharides (FOS), nondigestible oligosaccharides in Burdock showed fermentative activity of the colonic microflora of human infants in breast-feeding and solid food consumption, according to the study of "In vitro fermentation properties of selected fructooligosaccharide-containing vegetables and in vivo colonic microbial populations are affected by the diets of healthy human infants" by Flickinger EA, Hatch TF, Wofford RC, Grieshop CM, Murray SM, Fahey GC Jr., posted in PubMed(9)

10. Antitussive activity
A low-molecular-weight fructofuranan of the inulin-type from the roots of Arctium lappa L. has asserted the antitussive activity in cats was found to be equally active as some non-narcotic, according to the study of "A biologically active fructan from the roots of Arctium lappa L., var. Herkules" by Kardosová A, Ebringerová A, Alföldi J, Nosál'ová G, Franová S, Hríbalová V., posted in PubMed(10)

11. Antidiabetic effects
Certain anti-diabetes compound have been found in the roots, according to the study of "A review of the pharmacological effects of Arctium lappa (burdock)" by Chan YS, Cheng LN, Wu JH, Chan E, Kwan YW, Lee SM, Leung GP, Yu PH, Chan SW., posted in PubMed(11)

Side effects
1. Overdose can be poisoning and may lead to symptoms of acute poisoning include phenothiazines, tricyclic antidepressants, and antihistamines, according to the study of "
Anticholinergic Poisonings Associated with Commercial Burdock Root Tea" by
Preston M. Rhoads, Theodore G. Tong, William Banner and Robert Anderson, posted in Clinical toxicology(a)
2. It may cause dermatitis and allergic/inflammatory responses to certain people with contact as a result of lactones which the plant produces, according to the study of "A review of the pharmacological effects of Arctium lappa (burdock)" by Chan YS, Cheng LN, Wu JH, Chan E, Kwan YW, Lee SM, Leung GP, Yu PH, Chan SW., posted in PubMed(b)
3. Do not use burdock if you are pregnant or breast feeding
4. Etc.

Chinese Secrets To Fatty Liver And Obesity Reversal
Use The Revolutionary Findings To Achieve 
Optimal Health And Loose Weight

Super foods Library, Eat Yourself Healthy With The Best of the Best Nature Has to Offer

Back to Popular Herbs http://kylejnorton.blogspot.ca/p/popular-herbs.html
Back to Kyle J. Norton Home page http://kylejnorton.blogspot.ca  

Sources
(1) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19653897
(2) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18498717
(3) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21429215
(4) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17212569
(5) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16521107
(6) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10999435
(7) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8874669
(8) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11362284
(9) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12163660
(10) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14599596
(11) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20981575
(a) http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.3109/15563658408992587?journalCode=ctx
(b) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20981575