Burdock

Arctium lappa

Asteraceae

The burr that invented Velcro — a deep bitter root for skin and sluggish digestion.

Garden and wild food. Gobo root is a grocery vegetable in Japanese markets.

Parts used: First-year root · Young leaf (food, bitter) · Seed (traditional, stronger)
Traditional notes: Dull, congested skin · Sluggish digestion · Food as gobo · Scalp folklore
Grow · USDA 6b: Biennial, USDA 3–9 Direct-sow spring. Give it room; leaves are dinner-plate size. In work: Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct
Harvest: Root in autumn of year 1, before the frost heaves it.

Deep soil. A forked taproot is a rocky-bed problem.
Year-one roots are tender; year-two is for seed and bitterness.
Gloves for the burrs. They are why the plant travels.

Safety

Asteraceae allergy Pregnancy at medicinal seed dose

Lore

Gobo in the Japanese pot, beggar’s buttons in the English lane. Velcro was inspired by the burs. The root is a long, muddy harvest and a traditional ‘blood’ bitter.

The Herbarium — a teaching catalog, not a clinic. Traditional use is history, not a prescription. USDA 6b dates are a week either way, not a promise. Do not eat, drink, or harvest a plant you cannot name.