What Is Burdock? A Detailed Explanation of Burdock's Benefits and Effects

When it comes to burdock, I believe most people do not have much understanding of it. Just hearing the name, they think it is some part of a cow. Today, the editor will give everyone a primer on what exactly burdock is. What benefits and effects does it have? How much does it cost per jin? Follow along with the editor and take a look.

1. What is burdock? Which part of a cow is it?

1. Burdock (niúbàng) is an ancient Chinese food vegetable used both as medicine and food. It is native to China and is mainly wild. It was introduced to Japan around 940 AD and was cultivated into excellent varieties. It is also called e shi, da li zi, dong yang shen, dong yang niu bian cai, etc. It is a biennial herb of the order Asterales and the family Asteraceae;

2. The basal leaves are broadly ovate, up to 30 cm long and up to 21 cm wide, with sparse shallow wavy concave teeth or tooth tips at the margin, and a cordate base. The capitula are numerous or few in corymbose or paniculate-corymbose inflorescences. The achenes are obovate-oblong or obliquely obovate-oblong, compressed on both sides, and light brown. The flowering and fruiting period is June to September;

2. The main cultivation areas of burdock are distributed in Jiangsu Province and Shandong Province. Feng County and Pei County in Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, and Cangshan in Shandong Province have a long history of cultivation and relatively large planting areas. In addition, it is also distributed in Western Europe, the Kashmir region, Europe, and other places.

From the above introduction, everyone should now be clear that burdock is a plant, not some part of a cow. It just has “niu” in its name.

2. How much does burdock cost per jin?

The price of burdock differs from region to region. At present, the price of fresh burdock is about 10 yuan/kg, roughly 5 yuan per jin; the price of oblique slices of burdock root is between 13-14 yuan/kg, medium granules 16-17 yuan/kg, small granules 18-19 yuan/kg; burdock seed general goods sell for about 12 yuan/kg. The specific price is subject to local actual conditions.

3. Burdock's benefits and effects

Burdock is a plant used both as medicine and food, so its medicinal value and edible value are both rich. Specifically, it has the following benefits and effects:

1. Burdock: its nature and flavor are relatively bitter and cold. It is often used to treat wind-heat common cold, cough, and constipation, tinnitus, etc. caused by accumulation of heat toxin. It is especially effective for sore throat and swollen painful gums caused by internal heat;

2. Burdock root: bitter, pungent, cool. It has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, dispersing wind and benefiting the throat, and reducing swelling;

3. Burdock seed (the dried mature fruit of burdock): pungent, bitter, cool. It has the effects of dispersing heat toxin, reducing swelling, and benefiting the throat;

4. Burdock leaf: the tender leaves of burdock also have a good swelling-reducing effect. After being mashed and applied externally to areas of redness, swelling, heat, and pain, they can speed up recovery;

5. Burdock is low in energy and rich in protein, calcium, vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber, especially with a very high carotene content. Therefore, it can help with bowel movements, excretion, promoting metabolism, and improving human immunity, making it very suitable for people who are dieting. Modern people often drink burdock tea, mostly because it has effects such as promoting bowel movements. Women in Japan and Taiwan, China are also particularly fond of burdock tea, believing it can help reduce fat and control weight.

In addition, everyone should be reminded that burdock is cold in nature and can lubricate the intestines and promote bowel movements, so people with spleen deficiency and diarrhea should not eat it.

The above is the introduction to burdock. I believe everyone now knows exactly what burdock is. It not only has high edible value, but also has certain medicinal value. Because burdock contains a large amount of iron, it will oxidize to dark brown as soon as it is exposed to air. To avoid discoloration, cut burdock should be immediately placed in clean water to soak so that it will not oxidize.