Burdock has a long history as a traditional herb, and early records show it was already known in colonial New England by the 1600s. In John Josselyn’s 1672 work New-England’s Rarities Discovered, “the great Clot Bur” is listed among plants observed after English settlement, showing how early burdock was noted in American plant records.
Burdock is also famous for inspiring one of the best-known examples of nature-inspired design. The plant’s clingy burrs are covered with tiny hooks that catch easily on animal fur, wool, and clothing. In the 1940s, Swiss engineer George de Mestral studied the way burdock burrs clung to his clothes and his dog’s coat, an observation that eventually led to the invention of the hook-and-loop fastener later sold as VELCRO® Brand fasteners.
As a plant Burdock has traditionally been used to support:
- Traditional herbal decoctions
- Root-based botanical preparations
- Seasonal household tonics
- Herbal blends and tinctures
- Traditional food and herb use
Burdock has a long history in both European and Asian traditions where the root was widely used in decoctions, foods, and botanical preparations. Because of its deep taproot and strong presence in old herbals, it remains one of the classic roots in traditional herbal literature.
