Arctium lappa L.

A. majus (Gaertn.) Bernh.; Bardana arctium Hill; B. lappa Hill; and many others

Asteraceae (Compositae)

bardana; beggar’s buttons; cockle buttons; gobo; greater burdock; lappa; thorny burr

Arctii radix; Arctii fructus

primarily roots; dried, ripe fruits

All parts of the plant contain lignans, including arctigenin, arctiin, matairesinol and polyphenolic derivatives including caffeic acid derivatives. The leaves also contain sesquiterpenes, mainly fukinanolide and eudesmol derivatives such as arctiol, and others. The roots contain carbohydrates (including inulin up to 45–50%, mucilage, pectin and sugars), arctic acid and polyacetylenes, and the fruits contain a series of lignans known as lappaols (Chan et al. 2011; Pharmaceutical Press Editorial Team 2013).

Clinical data to support the traditional uses of burdock is lacking.

Various pharmacological properties have been described for burdock, many of which support the traditional uses, and most of which appear to be due to the lignan content. Topically applied burdock extract inhibited acute ear swelling to some extent in an in vivo