Dried burdock root (Arctium lappa), also known as gobo, is an earthy, slightly sweet botanical used for burdock root tea (decoctions), herbal blends, broths, and soups. Celebrated in Japanese cooking and long featured in European and American folk herbalism, burdock has traditionally appeared in digestive bitters, skin-focused preparations, and seasonal root tonics. Its rich story makes it at home in both the kitchen and the herbal apothecary.

In European herbal practice, burdock root was simmered into decoctions and included in seasonal household preparations. Nineteenth-century American Eclectic physicians knew the plant as “lappa” and classified it among the so-called alteratives—an historical term reflecting a traditional theory of herbal action, not a modern medical claim.

We use it soups and as an everyday vegetable.  Dried burdock is better suited to slow-simmered soups and flavorful broths. fresh is delicious – peel and eat.