Using Burdock Root for Cleaning the Blood

One of the best-known blood cleansers to herbalists is burdock root. Burdock (Arctium lappa) not only cleanses the blood of excess wastes, but it also helps your glands regulate hormonal balance. Burdock seems to be very politically active—it is against everything! Burdock is anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-tumor. These qualities make it helpful for anti-acne, too.
Burdock seems to work well for cleansing the liver, kidneys, and bowel, and is therefore helpful for clearing up associated symptoms. Soak a cotton ball in a burdock fomentation or tea and apply to your face for a toning effect. Burdock has also been used to ease anger, irritability, cancer, eczema, chicken pox, measles, and mumps. It has been used as a hair rinse for dandruff, and the juice has been drunk to rid the body of mites. Burdock also may serve as a mild aphrodisiac. Females who need a little more help regulating those hormones can add extra herbs that support balance for the glands, such as black cohosh, red raspberry, dong quai, and evening primrose oil. Adolescent males need balance, too, and can take sarsaparilla in addition to burdock root for a glandular balancing act. Sarsaparilla has been referred to as a “cowboy tonic” because cowboys used to order sarsaparilla (root beer) in the late 1800s and believed it to be a cure for syphilis.