Burdock root is the root of greater burdock (Arctium lappa), a tall plant in the daisy family that grows across Europe and Asia and is eaten as a vegetable in Japan, where it is called gobo. It has been used in herbal traditions for hundreds of years, but it has no authorised health claims in the UK, and the main risk the European Medicines Agency names is allergy.
Key takeaways
- A vegetable and a herb. Eaten as gobo in Japan and used in herbal traditions in Europe and Asia.
- No authorised health claims. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) accepts burdock root medicines on long-standing use alone. That covers registered herbal medicines, not food supplements.
- The human research is small. We found three small trials of burdock root on its own, each run once. None tested it with seaweed.
- Allergy is the main risk the EMA names. Avoid it if you are allergic to daisy-family plants such as ragweed, chamomile or chrysanthemums. Severe reactions have been reported.
- Not for pregnancy, breastfeeding or under-18s. On diuretics (water tablets) or diabetes medicine? Ask your GP or pharmacist first. Our Sea Moss Gummies also contain two seaweeds that carry iodine, so with a thyroid condition or thyroid medicine, speak to your doctor first.
From us: Our Sea Moss Gummies contain 480mg of burdock root per two gummies, alongside 3,200mg of Irish sea moss and 2,000mg of bladderwrack (5,680mg in total). Vegan, £13.99 for 60 gummies (30 days), third-party lab tested.
Burdock root at a glance
| Latin name | Arctium lappa L. (greater burdock), daisy family (Asteraceae) |
| Also known as | Burdock, gobo (Japan), Arctii radix (in herbal medicine) |
| Part used | The root, collected in the autumn of the plant's first year or the spring of its second |
| Where it grows | Across Europe and Asia |
| Traditional use | A vegetable in Japan. A tea and a herb in European and Asian traditions. Traditionally, an ingredient of the British drink dandelion and burdock |
| In our gummies | 480mg of burdock root per two gummies, in Sea Moss Gummies |
| UK status | A food supplement ingredient with no authorised health claims. The EMA published a traditional herbal monograph in 2011, which covers registered herbal medicines, not food supplements |
What is burdock root?
Greater burdock is a biennial in the daisy family. Its seed heads become the bristly burrs that hook onto clothing.
In Japan, a cultivated form is grown as a vegetable called gobo. Burdock has been used in herbal traditions in Europe, North America and Asia for hundreds of years, and Chinese medicine uses its fruit (seed) as a separate herb. In Britain, many people know the name from dandelion and burdock, a drink traditionally made from the partly fermented roots of both plants.
Dried burdock root is about half inulin or more, a type of plant fibre, and also contains chlorogenic acid. Burdock is a land plant, not a seaweed.
What has been studied?
Most burdock research is in cells and animals. In people, we found three small trials of burdock root on its own, each in a different group, and none repeated by another team.
- Iran, 2026. 60 women with polycystic ovary syndrome took a 460mg capsule of root powder or a starch placebo daily for 12 weeks, double-blind, alongside their usual medicines. The researchers measured blood markers of oxidative stress and inflammation, ovary size, cycles and hair growth. Funded by Arak University of Medical Sciences.
- Iran, 2016. 36 people aged 50 to 70 with knee osteoarthritis drank three cups a day of tea (2g of root per cup) or plain hot water for 42 days, and all took paracetamol and glucosamine. The researchers measured blood markers of inflammation and oxidative stress. The abstract does not state funding.
- Japan, 2019. 161 people who had had diverticulitis or diverticular bleeding drank 1.5g of burdock tea three times a day, or nothing, and were followed for more than a year. With no placebo, everyone knew their group. The researchers recorded whether either problem came back. The authors declared no competing interests.
One more trial, from Korea in 2018, compared burdock, water exercise, both or neither in 40 women aged 70 to 80.
These are single small trials, mostly of blood markers, in people with particular medical conditions, and none tested burdock with seaweed or tested our gummies. That is too little to support a health claim. The EMA's assessment says the traditional uses of burdock root are "not supported by validated clinical experience".
How much do people take?
Burdock root is not a vitamin or mineral, so it has no Nutrient Reference Value (NRV), and no official upper level has been set for it. The amounts on record come from different products:
- In trials: 460mg a day of root powder in a capsule, or 4.5g to 6g a day as tea.
- In registered herbal medicines: the EMA monograph gives adults 2 to 6g of cut root as a tea three times a day, or 350mg of powdered root three to five times a day. It does not recommend use under 18.
- As food: eaten as a vegetable in Japan, with no official portion figure.
Our Sea Moss Gummies contain 480mg of burdock root per two gummies, taken any time, with or without food. No trial has used our gummies, and teas, powders, extracts and gummies are made differently, so their weights cannot be compared like for like.
Side effects and who should avoid it
Allergy. Burdock belongs to the daisy family (Asteraceae), with ragweed, chamomile, chrysanthemums and daisies. The EMA says burdock root medicines should not be used by anyone allergic to that family, and records anaphylactic shock, a severe allergic reaction, at an unknown frequency. Its assessment describes one case, a man in Japan who had eaten boiled burdock root, and a 1995 report described skin reactions in three people who used burdock plasters. If your lips, mouth or throat suddenly swell, or you struggle to breathe, call 999.
Contamination. US reports from 1978 and 1984 described atropine-like poisoning after commercial burdock root tea. Atropine is not a natural part of burdock: the EMA's assessment says analysis found the tea contaminated with alkaloids from another plant, possibly belladonna (deadly nightshade) root, and that contamination has to be ruled out by quality control.
Liver. A 2022 US case report described liver injury in a woman who had drunk a six-herb tea including burdock root for a month. Her doctors put it down to the tea as a whole, not one herb.
If a new symptom appears, stop and speak to your GP or a pharmacist.
Who should not take it, or should ask first:
- Anyone pregnant or breastfeeding. Do not take it. The EMA does not recommend it, as there is not enough data.
- Anyone under 18. The EMA does not recommend it, and our gummies are for adults.
- Anyone allergic to daisy-family plants. Do not take it.
- Anyone taking diuretics or diabetes medicine. Ask your GP or pharmacist first.
- Anyone considering our Sea Moss Gummies. Their two seaweeds carry iodine naturally. Do not take them if you are allergic to seaweed. If you have a thyroid condition, high blood pressure, heart or kidney disease or anaemia, are due radioactive iodine treatment, or take thyroid medicine, lithium, amiodarone, blood thinners or blood pressure medicines, speak to your doctor first, and do not combine them with kelp, iodine or another seaweed supplement. More in Sea Moss Side Effects: What to Check First (UK Guide).
Food supplements are not a substitute for a varied diet and a healthy lifestyle.
Burdock root and medicines
The EMA's assessment says no clinical evidence is available on burdock root and other medicines. Two points still matter:
- Diuretics (water tablets). The EMA monograph advises against taking burdock root medicines with prescribed diuretics.
- Diabetes medicines. Some animal studies have looked at burdock and blood sugar. We found no human studies, so ask your GP or pharmacist first.
Irish sea moss + bladderwrack + burdock root
Sea Moss Gummies
£13.99 for 60 gummies, a 30-day supply. Strawberry or Apple flavour. Free UK delivery.
List prices, before any discount code, correct on 1 November 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What are the benefits of burdock root?
Burdock root has no authorised health claims in the UK. We found three small human trials of the root on its own, each in people with a particular medical condition and each run once. Most measured blood markers, and none tested burdock with seaweed or tested our gummies. That is too little to support a health claim, and the European Medicines Agency says the traditional uses of burdock root are "not supported by validated clinical experience".
Is burdock root safe?
Some people should not take it. Burdock is in the daisy family, so anyone allergic to ragweed, chamomile or chrysanthemums should avoid it, and the European Medicines Agency records anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction, at an unknown frequency. It is not recommended in pregnancy, while breastfeeding or under 18, and anyone taking diuretics (water tablets) or diabetes medicine should ask a GP or pharmacist first. If a new symptom appears, stop and speak to a GP or pharmacist.
What are the side effects of burdock root?
The best documented side effects are allergic: anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction, after eating boiled burdock root, and skin reactions from burdock put on the skin. The European Medicines Agency links poisoning from commercial burdock root tea in the US to contamination with another plant, possibly belladonna. A 2022 US case report also described liver injury in a woman who had drunk a six-herb tea that included burdock root, which her doctors put down to the tea as a whole. If your lips, mouth or throat suddenly swell, or you struggle to breathe, call 999. For any other new symptom, stop and speak to a GP or pharmacist.
Can you take burdock root with medication?
Ask your GP or pharmacist first. The European Medicines Agency advises against taking burdock root medicines with prescribed diuretics (water tablets), and says no clinical evidence is available on other interactions. Mention it if you take diabetes medicine. Our Sea Moss Gummies also contain two seaweeds that carry iodine naturally, so if you take thyroid medicine, lithium, amiodarone, blood thinners or blood pressure medicines, speak to your doctor before taking them.
What is gobo?
Gobo is the Japanese name for burdock root, Arctium lappa, which is grown and eaten as a vegetable in Japan. It belongs to the daisy family, so anyone allergic to daisy-family plants should avoid it.
Why is burdock root in sea moss gummies?
Sea moss is often sold with bladderwrack and burdock root, so we put all three in one gummy with every amount on the label: 3,200mg of Irish sea moss, 2,000mg of bladderwrack and 480mg of burdock root per two gummies. We found no study of the three together. They are not for pregnancy, breastfeeding, under-18s or anyone allergic to daisy-family plants, and because the two seaweeds carry iodine, anyone with a thyroid condition or taking thyroid medicine should speak to a doctor first.
References
- European Medicines Agency, HMPC. "Community herbal monograph on Arctium lappa L., radix." EMA/HMPC/246763/2009, 16 September 2010.
- European Medicines Agency, HMPC. "Assessment report on Arctium lappa L., radix." EMA/HMPC/246764/2009, 16 September 2010.
- Chan YS et al. "A review of the pharmacological effects of Arctium lappa (burdock)." Inflammopharmacology, 2011. doi:10.1007/s10787-010-0062-4
- Jin X et al. "A systematic review on botany, ethnopharmacology, quality control, phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicity of Arctium lappa L. fruit." J Ethnopharmacol, 2023. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2023.116223
- Foods of England. "Dandelion and Burdock." foodsofengland.info.
- Chen Y, Su JY, Yang CY. "Ultrasound-Assisted Aqueous Extraction of Chlorogenic Acid and Cynarin with the Impact of Inulin from Burdock (Arctium lappa L.) Roots." Antioxidants, 2022. doi:10.3390/antiox11071219
- Taheri H et al. "Effects of Arctium lappa L. Root Powder on Some Markers of Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Randomized, Double-Blind Controlled Clinical Trial Study." JBRA Assist Reprod, 2026. doi:10.5935/1518-0557.20250189
- Maghsoumi-Norouzabad L et al. "Effects of Arctium lappa L. (Burdock) root tea on inflammatory status and oxidative stress in patients with knee osteoarthritis." Int J Rheum Dis, 2016. doi:10.1111/1756-185X.12477
- Mizuki A et al. "Effects of Burdock tea on recurrence of colonic diverticulitis and diverticular bleeding: An open-labelled randomized clinical trial." Sci Rep, 2019. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-43236-0
- Ha MS et al. "Effects of aquarobic exercise and burdock intake on serum blood lipids and vascular elasticity in Korean elderly women." Exp Gerontol, 2018. doi:10.1016/j.exger.2017.11.005
- Sasaki Y et al. "Anaphylaxis due to burdock." Int J Dermatol, 2003. doi:10.1046/j.1365-4362.2003.01716_2.x
- Rodriguez P et al. "Allergic contact dermatitis due to burdock (Arctium lappa)." Contact Dermatitis, 1995. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0536.1995.tb00524.x
- NHS. "Anaphylaxis." Page last reviewed 21 June 2023. nhs.uk.
- Bryson PD et al. "Burdock root tea poisoning. Case report involving a commercial preparation." JAMA, 1978;239(20):2157.
- Rhoads PM et al. "Anticholinergic poisonings associated with commercial burdock root tea." J Toxicol Clin Toxicol, 1984. doi:10.3109/15563658408992587
- Niazi B et al. "Drug-Induced Liver Injury from Herbal Liver Detoxification Tea." Case Rep Gastroenterol, 2022. doi:10.1159/000526311
Food supplements are not intended to treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medication, or have a medical condition, consult a healthcare professional before use.
