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| Burdock illustration from Project Runebergs edition of "Bilder ur Nordens Flora". |
Burdock, any of the Arctium genus of perennial flowering plants in the thistle[?] family. Burdock grows wild throughout most of Europe and Asia, where it is noted primarily for its burrs that cling to clothing and hair.
The taproot[?] of young burdock plants can be harvested and eaten like parsnip[?]; while out of favor in modern European cuisine it remains popular in Asian cuisine. Immature flower stalks may also be harvested in late spring, before flowers appear; the taste resembles artichoke, to which the burdock is related.
Folk herbalists consider dried burdock to be a diuretic, diaphoretic, and a blood purifying agent.