Photos of Arctium minus, Common burdock, Lesser Burdock

Arctium minus, Common burdock, Lesser Burdock is used similarly to Greater Burdock (Arctium lappa). The flowers are smaller and in more of a raceme-like structure (rather than flat-topped), and the leaves are acute-tipped, rather than rounded. Little modern research has been conducted on burdock root. Extracts of the root have been shown to produce mild antibiotic activity and to stimulate bile flow from the liver. The roots and leaves have been shown to have blood-sugar lowering activity and to increase carbohydrate tolerance in animal models. A number of isolated chemical components from the root including polyacetylene compounds and a bitter component, arctiopicrin, have been shown to possess antibacterial action. Several studies have shown that burdock root reduces mutagenic action in various test models.

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